Navigation

Nautical chart

The water's map: depths, channels, hazards and marks, on paper or a plotter.

A chart shows what the water hides: sounding depths, channel lines, shoals, wrecks, cables and every marker with its color and number. Chartplotters and phone apps draw the same data with your boat on top of it.

Read depths with respect: they are referenced to a low-water datum, and the bottom shifts faster than surveys around inlets and bars. The chart is the plan; the depth finder is the news.

← Back to the full glossary

Put the words to work

Vocabulary is easier at the helm.

The free South Carolina boater safety course teaches all of this in twelve chapters with a sixty question practice exam, and when you are ready for the water itself, one form gets you rental quotes from local operators.

Take the Free Safety Course Check Pontoon Availability