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Lesson 13 of 13 · Module 4 — The week

Final check: the charter navigation quiz

Forty questions across the course, marked instantly, to see whether you are ready for the briefing.

Coastal Skipper30 minVideo · Notes · Interactive · Exercises
0:00 / 2:36Chapter 1 of 6: The final check
Transcript

  1. This is the final check of Navigation for charter skippers. It is forty questions, covering every lesson in the course. It is not an exam, and nobody else sees your score. It is a way to find out what you know, and what to read again before your charter. Do it in one sitting if you can, in about half an hour.

  2. The questions follow the course in order. First the chart, distance, speed and time, and bearings. Then the marks in both regions, the cardinals, and lights at night. Then harbours, anchoring and the rules of the road. And last, the weather, the plotter and the week's plan. Every question was written for a charter week, not for an exam room.

  3. Each question is marked as soon as you answer. If you get one wrong, you have a second try. After that, the answer is shown with a short explanation. Some questions are sums, and some ask you to find things on the practice chart. Have a pencil and paper beside you, and take your time. Reset the questions at any time and start again.

  4. Score seventy percent or more and the course is marked complete. But the score matters less than the pattern of your mistakes. Two wrong answers on the same topic tell you where to go back. The table under the questions shows which lesson covers each one. Read that lesson's notes again, try its exercises, and then take the check a second time. A score under seventy is not a failure, just a list of things to read.

  5. Some mistakes matter more than others on a real charter. Red to port going in is Region A, in the Mediterranean, the Seychelles and Thailand. In the Caribbean, in Region B, it is the other way round: red to starboard going in. A cardinal mark tells you which side of it the safe water is. And the course over the ground, not the heading, shows where you are really going. If the plotter and your eyes disagree, believe your eyes and slow down. And Mayday is for grave and immediate danger only.

  6. No course replaces time on the water. This one is free training, not a qualification, and the charter company sets its own rules for skippers. Take what you have learned to the briefing, ask the base your questions, and enjoy your week. Go back to any lesson whenever you like, before this trip or the next. Good luck, and fair winds.

In this lesson you will learn

  • Check what you know across every lesson of the course in one set of forty questions
  • Spot the topics where your answers are weakest
  • Know which lesson to go back to for each topic, and how to revise it
  • Go into the charter briefing knowing the questions to ask

About the final check

You have reached the end of Navigation for charter skippers. This last lesson is a single set of 40 questions across the whole course, in the order the lessons teach it: the chart and the sums, bearings, the marks in both buoyage regions, lights, harbours, anchoring, the rules of the road, the weather, and the plotter and the week's plan.

  • Marked as you go. Each answer is checked straight away. Get one wrong and you have a second try; after that the answer and a short explanation are shown.
  • Mixed kinds. Most are multiple choice; some are sums (have a pencil and paper handy) and one asks you to find something on the practice chart.
  • The pass mark is 70%. Reach it and the course is marked complete in this browser. Reset and try again whenever you like.
  • Practice more. Under the set, a quick-fire practice gives fresh buoyage and day-sum questions every time.

Using your result: what to revise

The score matters less than the pattern. Two wrong answers in the same topic tell you which lesson to go back to. The table gives the question numbers for each topic and the lesson that teaches it.

TopicQuestionsRevise in
The kit and the chart1–4Lesson 1: Navigating on a charter: what the skipper doesLesson 2: Reading the chart
Distance, speed and time5–7Lesson 3: Distance, speed and time
Bearings and the compass8–10Lesson 4: Bearings and the compass
Lateral marks, Regions A and B11–15Lesson 5: Lateral marks: Region A and Region B
Cardinal and other marks16–20Lesson 6: Cardinal, danger and safe-water marks
Lights at night21–23Lesson 7: Lights at night
Pilotage into a harbour24–26Lesson 8: Pilotage into a harbour or bay
Anchoring and mooring27–29Lesson 9: Anchoring and mooring buoys
Rules of the road30–33Lesson 10: Rules of the road for charter skippers
Weather34–36Lesson 11: Weather for a charter week
The plotter and the week's plan37–40Lesson 12: The plotter, the apps and the week's plan
  1. Read every explanation, including the ones you got right first time. Make sure you got there for the right reason.
  2. Sort the mistakes. A slip (a sum, port for starboard) needs a habit: say it out loud, write it down. A gap needs the lesson again.
  3. Go back to the weakest topic first. Watch the lesson's video, reread its notes and do its exercises until they feel easy.
  4. Take the check again a day or two later. One good score can be luck; two is knowledge.

The score tells you where you are. The explanations, and the lessons behind them, tell you how to get better.

The essentials, topic by topic

A one-line reminder of what each part of the check is testing. If any line surprises you, that is the lesson to read again.

TopicWhat to know
The kit and the chartUse every source and check them against each other; distances on the latitude scale (one minute is one mile); depths below chart datum.
Distance, speed and timeTime = distance ÷ speed. At six knots a mile takes ten minutes; at five, twelve.
Bearings and the compassReciprocal: add or take away 180°. Variation east, magnetic least; west, magnetic best. A transit is a free position line.
Lateral marks, Regions A and BRegion A (Mediterranean, Seychelles, Thailand): red to port going in. Region B (Caribbean): red to starboard going in. Cans to port, cones to starboard in both. Leaving reverses it.
Cardinal and other marksA cardinal is named for the side the safe water is on. Isolated danger: water all round, but keep off. Safe water: red and white stripes. Yellow: special areas such as swimming zones.
Lights at nightFl(3) 10s is three flashes every ten seconds; Iso is equal light and dark; Oc is mostly light. Plan to arrive by daylight.
Pilotage into a harbourPlan the approach before you arrive. A clearing bearing is a limit: on the wrong side, turn away. Lazy lines go to the bow.
Anchoring and mooringAt least four times the depth in chain, more in wind. Anchor on sand, not seagrass. Transits and the anchor alarm show dragging.
Rules of the roadPower gives way to sail in open water; port tack gives way to starboard; the overtaking boat keeps clear; five short blasts means wake up.
WeatherMeltemi: Aegean summer northerly. Bora: gusty Adriatic north-easterly, sometimes from a clear sky. Force 4 is 11 to 16 knots; gusts are higher.
The plotter and the week's planCourse over the ground is where you are going. Check routes zoomed in. Channel 16 for distress, safety and calling. Thursday night within an easy half day of the base.

Before your charter

Take what you have learned to the check-in briefing. Ask how old the plotter's charts are, how the depth sounder is set, where the man overboard button and the radio's distress button are, what time the base wants the boat back on Friday, and what the forecast holds for the week. Then plan the first day with the chart and the pilot book open.

Key terms

Region A
Buoyage in Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa, most of Asia and Australasia, including the Seychelles and Thailand: red to port going in.
Region B
Buoyage in the Americas, including the Caribbean, and parts of Asia: red to starboard going in.
Cardinal mark
A yellow and black mark named for the side of it where the safe water lies.
Clearing bearing
A bearing of a landmark that keeps you clear of a danger as long as it stays on the safe side of a limit.
Scope
The length of anchor chain let out compared with the depth of water.
Course over the ground
The direction you are actually moving, including current and leeway.
Pass mark
The score, 70% here, at which the check marks the course complete.

Exercises

Check your understanding. You get a second try at each question, then the worked answer. Score 70% or more to complete the lesson; your progress is saved in this browser.

1
The kit and the chartComing into a bay, the plotter's chart shows 8 metres but the depth sounder reads 3 metres and falling. What do you do?
2
The kit and the chartWhere on a chart do you measure a distance in nautical miles?
3
The kit and the chartA sounding on the chart reads 4. What does it tell you?
4
The kit and the chartOn the practice chart, tap the wreck.
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Tap the chart to plot a positionZoom with + / −, drag to pan
5
Distance, speed and timeA day's passage is 18 miles and you expect to average 6 knots. How many hours will it take?
hours
6
Distance, speed and timeYou leave at 1000 for a bay 14 miles away, averaging 6 knots. What time do you arrive? (24-hour clock)
7
Distance, speed and timeYou covered 10 miles in 2 hours. What was your average speed, in knots?
knots
8
Bearings and the compassYou are on a bearing of 060° from a headland. What is the bearing of the headland from you?
°
9
Bearings and the compassThe chart gives a course of 120° true. The variation is 4° east. What is the magnetic course to steer by the compass?
°M
10
Bearings and the compassA church tower and a lighthouse come into line, one behind the other. What does that tell you?
11
Lateral marks, Regions A and BSailing in Croatia (IALA Region A), you enter a harbour between a red can-shaped buoy and a green conical one. Which side should the red buoy be?
12
Lateral marks, Regions A and BIn the British Virgin Islands (IALA Region B), you are returning into Road Harbour. Where do the red marks go?
13
Lateral marks, Regions A and BWhich of these charter areas uses IALA Region B buoyage?
14
Lateral marks, Regions A and BIn Region B, what does a port-hand lateral mark look like?
15
Lateral marks, Regions A and BLeaving a harbour in the Mediterranean (Region A), which side should the green conical buoys be?
16
Cardinal and other marksYou see a north cardinal mark: black over yellow, two cones pointing up. Where is the safe water?
17
Cardinal and other marksA buoy is yellow over black, with two cones pointing down. What is it, and which side do you pass?
18
Cardinal and other marksA beacon is black with a red band, topped with two black balls. What does it mark?
19
Cardinal and other marksA buoy has red and white vertical stripes and a single red ball on top. What is it?
20
Cardinal and other marksOff a Mediterranean beach there is a line of small yellow buoys, and a bigger yellow buoy with a yellow X on top. What are they?
21
Lights at nightA lighthouse on the chart is marked Fl(3) 10s. What will you see?
22
Lights at nightWhat is an isophase (Iso) light?
23
Lights at nightWhy do charter companies tell you to be in harbour or at anchor by dark?
24
Pilotage into a harbourYour plan says: to stay clear of a reef, keep the lighthouse bearing more than 045° magnetic. The hand-bearing compass reads 040°. What do you do?
25
Pilotage into a harbourWhen should you plan the approach to an unfamiliar harbour?
26
Pilotage into a harbourYou are reversing stern-to onto a town quay with lazy lines. What do you do with the lazy line?
27
Anchoring and mooringUsing the rule of thumb of at least four times the depth in chain, how many metres of chain should you let out in 6 metres of water?
metres
28
Anchoring and mooringIn the clear water of a Mediterranean bay, where should you drop the anchor?
29
Anchoring and mooringAt anchor, how can you tell the anchor is dragging?
30
Rules of the roadIn open water you are under sail, and a motor cruiser is crossing ahead from your side. Normally, who keeps out of the way?
31
Rules of the roadTwo yachts under sail are converging, with the wind on different sides. Which one gives way?
32
Rules of the roadUnder sail, you are catching up and overtaking a slower yacht that is motoring. Who keeps clear?
33
Rules of the roadA ferry approaching you sounds five or more short, rapid blasts. What does it mean?
34
WeatherWhat is the meltemi?
35
WeatherWhat makes the bora (bura) in the Adriatic dangerous for charter boats?
36
WeatherThe forecast says force 4. Roughly what wind speed is that?
37
The plotter and the week's planThe plotter shows heading 090° and course over the ground 075°. Where is the boat actually going?
38
The plotter and the week's planWhy must you check a planned route on the plotter zoomed in?
39
The plotter and the week's planYou want to call a marina on the VHF for a berth. Which channel should you use?
40
The plotter and the week's planOur cruising guides all end back at the base marina on Friday evening. Where should you aim to be on Thursday night?

0 of 40 answered · 0 correct

Quick fire: regions and day sums

Five fresh questions each time on the two things charter skippers do every day: read the buoys and size the day.