How do you read map coordinates?

How do you read map coordinates?

A simple way to navigate without a GPS or other electronics is to plot a course on a nautical chart, and for each leg of the course figure the bearing, speed, distance, and time you will travel. To follow the course on water, you simply use a stopwatch and your calculations.

How do you measure distance on a nautical chart?

Read the chart numbers to figure out the water's lowest depth. The black numbers printed on the chart represent water depth. Each number indicates the “mean lower low water” (MLLW) in an area. This is the average water depth at low tide, so most of the time the water is deeper than what you see on a chart.

How many minutes is a nautical degree?

It is the average length of one minute of one degree along a great circle of the Earth. One nautical mile corresponds to one minute of latitude. Thus, degrees of latitude are approximately 60 nautical miles apart.

Are depths on charts at low tide?

The soundings printed on the chart normally represent the depth at mean lower low water (MLLW), so the actual depth is usually more than the charted depth. However, when the tide table shows a negative low-tide entry, actual depths will be less than the chart indicates.

Where is the latitude scale found on a paper chart?

The latitude scale runs vertically along both sides of the chart indicating North and South with the equator as the zero point; the longitude scale runs horizontally on the top and bottom of the chart, and indicates East and West with the Prime Meridian as the zero point.