PNTC COLLEGES

Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

COLLEGE OF MARITIME EDUCATION

ONLINE DISTANCE LEARNING MODULE

COURSE CODE Nav 101B PRE-REQUISITE NAV 100

COURSE TITLE Terrestrial & Coastal Navigation 1 SEMESTER 2nd
UNITS 5 YEAR LEVEL 1st
COURSE DESCRIPTION This course covers the requirements in Chapter II of the 1978 STCW Convention, as
amended, in Table A-II/1 of section A-II/1 and Table A-II/2 of Section A-II/2. This course
provides the background knowledge to support the following main topics arranged by
chapter: The Electronic Position Fixing System, Use of Information from Navigational
Equipment for Maintaining a Safe Navigational Watch, Echo-Sounders, Compass –
Magnetic and Gyro, The Principles of the Magnetic Compass and their Correction, The
Principles and Errors of Gyro Compasses and Systems Under the Control of the Master Gyro
and the Operation and care of the main types of Gyro Compasses.

MODULE 15 (WEEK 15)

1.7 SAILINGS
TOPIC LEARNING OUTCOMES

The students shall be able to:

(1) Describe the layout of a traverse table

(2) Derive the information required in a parallel or plane sailing problem using a traverse table or calculator
(3) Solve about plane sailing
(4) Solve problem about DR and fixing positions using plotting charts
(5) State the Mercator sailing formula

ENGAGE

How do you find solving sailing problems by computation?

EXPLORE

Search for a way how to solve a sailing problem other than computation.

EXPLAIN AND ELABORATE

Traverse tables are designed mainly for solving Parallel Sailing and Plane Sailing without major calculations. For plane
sailing, the tables are tabulated from right-angled triangles and cover a distance of up to 600 miles, which is the limit
for plane sailing.

Traverse tables can be used in the solution of any of the sailings except great circle and composite. They consist of
the tabulation of the solutions of plane right triangles. Because the solutions are for integral values of the course angle
and the distance, interpolation for intermediate values may be required. Through appropriate interchanges of the
headings of the columns, solutions for other than plane sailing can be made. For the solution of the plane right
triangle, any value N in the distance (Dist.) column is the hypotenuse; the value opposite in the difference of latitude
(D. Lat.) column is the product of N multiplied by the cosine of the acute angle; and the other number opposite in the
departure (Dep.) column is the product of N and the sine of the acute angle. Or, the number in the D. Lat. Column is
Form No. BPM2-CME 20 F-009 NAV 101B (Module 15)
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the value of the adjacent side, and the number in the Dep. column is the value of the side opposite the acute angle.
Hence, if the acute angle is the course angle, the adjacent side in the D. Lat. column is meridional difference (m); the
opposite side in the Dep. column is DLo. If the acute angle is the mid-latitude of the formula p = DLo cos Lm, then DLo
is any value N in the Dist. column, and the departure is the value N (cos Lm) in the D. Lat. column.

In Norie’s Nautical Tables, the traverse tables are named from 0° to 45° at the top of the pages, and 45° to 90° at the
bottom of the pages. These figures of degrees are represented courses in Plane Sailing and latitude in Parallel Sailing.

Parallel Sailing with Traverse Tables

As mentioned above, the figure of degree of each table is represented for latitude. The columns with the header D.
Long. or D'Long., and Dep., which are normally printed in italics, are used to find the Departure from a given Different
of Longitude (D. Long).

Procedure to use
Traverse Tables for
Parallel Sailing

1. Locate the table that has the whole number of degrees of the latitude. If the latitude is greater than 45°, then it’s
located at the foot of the table and the column header should be read from the bottom;

2. In the column headed in italics D. Long., locate the value of D. Long.;

3. Extract the value of Departure in the column header Dep. Against the value of D. Long. This value of Departure is
also the distance in parallel sailing

Example 1 A ship is steaming along latitude 47°, from longitude

A: 175°25´E to longitude
B: 176°35´W.
Find the distance.

Long. A = 175° 25 E
Long. B =176° 35 W
D. Long. 480’ (E)

1. Locate the table 47° which is the same as table 43°, but the column header is read from the bottom of the table;

2. In the column headed D. Long., from the bottom of the table, locate the value 480;
3. Extract the value against the value 480 of D. Long, which is also located in the column that has the column header
Dep., from the bottom of the table. The departure is 327.4, so the distance is 327.4 miles

Form No. BPM2-CME 20 F-009 NAV 101B (Module 15)

Rev.03 Page 2 of 5
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Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

Plane Sailing with

Traverse Tables

For plane sailing, these figures of degrees are the courses expressed in appropriate quadrants as cardinal compass.
For example, the table named 35° is for the courses N35°E (035°T), S35°E (145°T), S35°W (215°T), and N35°W (325°T).
Three-figure notation (0°-360°) is also indicated on the table; easterly courses are placed on the right, and westerly
courses on the left of the table. The three-figure notation (θ°) course is converted into a quadrantal notation course
(Ω°) as follows:

Example
1st quadrant 075° = N75° E
2nd quadrant 125° = S55° E
3rd quadrant 245° = S65° W
4th quadrant 330° = N30° W

The row with the heading Dist. D. Lat. Dep. in the table is represented for Distance, Difference of Latitude, and
Departure in plane sailing triangle. If the course is between 0° to 45°, then the columns must be used with the name
Dist. D. Lat. Dep. on the top of the page; if the course exceeds 45°, then the columns must be used from the bottom
of the table, where the quantities of D. Lat and Dep. are reversed. This is the most common mistake made by
navigators; to avoid it when using the traverse table, the navigator should have a piece of paper handy; when working
with a course of more than 45°, the paper is used to cover the column heading on the top; when working with a course
of less than 45°, the bottom column heading is covered.

Use of Traverse Table in Plane Sailing

Sample Problem Plane Sailing 1:

A vessel steams 188.0 nm on course 005°T.

Required: Difference of latitude (l) and departure (p) by traverse table.

Solution by traverse tables:

See Figure 1215b in Appendix A.

Enter the traverse table and find course 005° at the top of the page. Using the column headings at the top of the table,
opposite 188 in the Dist. column extract D. Lat. (l) 187.3 and Dep. (p) 16.4 nm.

Answer:
l = 187.3' N = 3° 07.3' N
p = 16.4 nm E

Form No. BPM2-CME 20 F-009 NAV 101B (Module 15)

Rev.03 Page 3 of 5
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Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

Sample Problem Plane Sailing 2:

A ship has steamed 136.0 nm north and 203.0 nm west.

Required: (1) Course and distance by traverse table.

Solution by traverse table: See Figure 1215c in Appendix A.

Enter the table and find 136 and 203 beside each other in the columns labeled D. Lat. and Dep., respectively. This
occurs most nearly on the page for course angle 56°. Therefore, the course is 304° T. Interpolating for intermediate
values, the corresponding number in the Dist. column is 244.3 nm.

Answer:
C = 304° T
D = 244.3 nm

Click this link <

https://www.usna.edu/Sailing/_files/documents/2019_OSTS_Documents/Navigation_101_05MAR19.pdf> & <
https://www.sailingissues.com/navcourse4.html> for DR and fixing positions using plotting charts

MERCATOR SAILING

Mercator Sailing is another method of Rhumb Line Sailing. It is used to find the course and distance between two
positions that are in different latitudes from the large D. Lat. and distance. It is similar to plane sailing, except that
plane sailing is used for small distances. Also, in Mercator sailing, the D. Lat. is expressed in Longitude units, which is
the difference of meridional parts (D.M.P.), whereas in plane sailing, the D. Long. is expressed in latitude units or
nautical miles. A meridional part for any particular latitude is the length along a meridian on a Mercator chart,
measured in units of the longitude scale, between the Equator and the parallel of that particular latitude.
It can be extracted from nautical tables. Difference of meridional parts is the difference between the meridional parts
for any two latitudes. The rules for finding D.M.P. are the same as for finding D. Lat., i.e., same names, subtract;
different names, add.

Form No. BPM2-CME 20 F-009 NAV 101B (Module 15)

Rev.03 Page 4 of 5
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Zone III, Lt. Cantimbuhan St. Poblacion, Dasmariñas City

Procedure to find the course and distance

1. From Norie’s Nautical Tables, extract meridional part values for each latitude;
2. Calculate D. Lat., D.M.P. and D. Long.;
3. Calculate the course (C) by using formula:

4. Calculate the distance (D) by using formula:

Mercator sailing provides a mathematical solution of the plot as made on a Mercator chart. It is similar to plane sailing,
but uses meridional difference and difference of longitude in place of difference of latitude and departure,
respectively.

For video reference please the link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6xXCv9G0ug
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE-uUCD5sS4

EVALUATE

1. What is a traverse table?

2. Instructor’s Problem in solving plane sailing problems using traverse table

EXTEND

In solving sailing problems, what method do you prefer- by computation or by traverse table? Why?

References:

http://shipofficer.com/so/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/8.-Mercator-Sailing.pdf
http://shipofficer.com/so/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/7.-Traverse-Tables.pdf
Bowditch. American Practical Navigator. Chapter 12. The Sailings

Revision Status:

MOD NAV 101B(15)

Rev.: 01-01102022

Form No. BPM2-CME 20 F-009 NAV 101B (Module 15)

Rev.03 Page 5 of 5
COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
Copyright © 2022 PNTC Colleges, All rights reserved.
When printed, this document is uncontrolled unless properly identified as controlled