Seamanship refers to the art of operating a boat or ship and may be divided up into a variety of topics and specialisations. As Cadets progress in seamanship, it sub-divides into ropework and navigation. Further information about seamanship and ropework can be found under
Fun Ashore.
Navigation involves being able to find the present location of the vessel and determining a safe course of travel to the vessels destination. In navigation Cadets learn about the chart and how to use it, tides and how to calculate them, the ‘rules of the road’ (important stuff like how to avoid collisions, and what the rules are for overtaking), sound signals, steering rules, what the different lights on vessels mean and how they should be used, and the different safety and distress signals.