Navigation and Seamanship

1.1.1. Introduciton

        Navigation is the process of directing or conducting the movement of a vehicle/vessel from one place to another, safely. The vehicle/vessel can be a surface craft or ship, a submarine, an aircraft, or a space craft. The word navigation derived from two Latin words “navis” means a ship, “agere” means to direct. Navigation is a mixture of an art and a science. It is considered as science because involves the development and use of instruments, methods, almanacs and tables. A navigator gathers information from every available source, evaluates this information, determines a fix, and compares that fix with his pre-determined position. A navigator constantly evaluates the ship’s position, anticipates dangerous situations well before they arise, and always keeps “ahead of the vessel.” It is considered as an Art because it involves the proficient (well skilled) use of the tools and in the application and interpretation of information gained from such use.

        The modern navigator must also understand the basic concepts of the many navigation systems used today, evaluate their output’s accuracy, and arrive at the best possible navigational decisions.