u Laura Hodgetts(http://www.pbo.co.uk/author/laurahodgetts)

d August 18, 2015

q 0 Comments(http://www.pbo.co.uk/seamanship/nav-in-a-nutshell-using-transits-23183#disqus_thread)

Nav in a Nutshell:Using transits

Lining up a pair of appropriate landLining up a pair of appropriate landfeatures or navigation marks canfeatures or navigation marks canhelp keep you safe, as Dick Everitthelp keep you safe, as Dick Everittexplainsexplains

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Line up leading marks to enter a harbour

Transits are when two navigationmarks line up and give a very accurateposition line – just like when you alignthe front and back sights of a rifle. It’sa really simple navigation techniquethat’s been used by sailors forcenturies, writes Dick Everitt.

The most common types of transits areleading marks that guide you into trickyharbour entrances. Just aim the boat atthe two marks, and keep everything inline to compensate for any strongcrosswinds or currents. These markscome in all shapes and sizes, rangingfrom massive towers and buildingspainted a distinctive colour, to tinyshapes overgrown with foliage andsmall grubby buoys in the water. Atnight there are often leading lights todo the same job.

Pilot books and charts list leadingmarks and often give their bearingtowards the land in degrees true (°T), soyou’ll need to convert this for yourcompass to see if you’re on the righttrack. Some marks can be very awkwardto pick out at long range – binoculars

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help and the ones with a built-in

compass also let you check the bearingat the same time. You could input amark’s GPS position, or whack in awaypoint with a chart plotter, but domake sure you have up-to-dateelectronic cartography as sandy shoalscan shift quite quickly and the marksget moved often.

If in doubt, don’tIf in doubt, don’tIt’s also crucial to make sure you arelooking at the right marks. Don’t goahead hoping to see the correct onesoon! If in doubt, stay out and call theharbour master for advice. Here are twoclose shave stories to emphasise thatpoint:

1) A boat was closing a remote coast ona moonless night, and the skipper knewexactly where he was with GPS – butcouldn’t see the leading lights. He’dplanned to be in harbour that night, butbecause he couldn’t contact anyoneashore and ‘felt’ something was wrong,he decided to spend another night atsea – which wasn’t popular with thecrew. However, in the morning theysaw a ship had sunk across the channel,obscuring the leading lights, and theycould have sailed right into her!

2) A boat was entering a coral lagoon atnight. The skipper saw both the leadinglights that he was expecting, butnoticed that the leading lights’ bearingwasn’t right. A call ashore confirmedthat the rear leading light was out oforder. He was lining up the lower

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leading light with a masthead light of a

yacht anchored in the a lagoon – andheading straight for the reef!

Line ’em upLine ’em up

Last month we looked at clearingbearings and, often, you can findtransits to do the same job. The classicexample is to use two well-definedheadlands. If you keep the headlands inline, then you are on that position line,and know you are not being set into thebay.

But as it’s hard to judge whenheadlands are in line just make sureyou can see both headlands and keepthe next bay ‘open’. Then you knowyou’re in safe water. If the bay aheadstarts to ‘close’ you’ll need to head outto sea a bit. These pilot book terms‘open’ and ‘closed’ are explained moreclearly in the diagram (below).

A look at any coastal chart will show uploads of potential transits that can givea quick eyeball position line. You canline up mountaintops, radio masts,chimneys, ends ofpiers, and buoys (butdo remember that buoys move a bit inthe tide). It’s a handy skill to develop,so you can see where you are withoutalways having to rely on GPS.

Transits are also a good check to see ifyour anchor’s dragging. Once thehook’s down make your own transits bylining up a tree, bush or rock and see ifthey move relative to each other.

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Transits also help to judge how fast youare blowing sideways when docking instrong winds. You won’t find a propertransit to line up with your exactapproach angle, but judging how fastthe gap between any vertical markscloses will give you a fair idea of yoursideways movement.

Using two well-defined headlandsUsing two well-defined headlands

(https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2015/08/transit-hd_cmyk.jpg)

Here the view from boat A showsHere the view from boat A showsgap between the headlands isgap between the headlands isnearly closed – for safety we neednearly closed – for safety we needto head a bit further out to seato head a bit further out to sea

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https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2015/08/transit-hd_cmyk.jpghttps://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2015/08/bay-close_cmyk.jpghttp://www.pbo.co.uk/expert-advice/tip-of-the-day-repairs-and-advice/when-your-spark-plug-electrodes-are-red-yellow-brown-or-grey-7651http://www.pbo.co.uk/expert-advice/tip-of-the-day-repairs-and-advice/cleaning-headlinings-4566http://www.pbo.co.uk/expert-advice/tip-of-the-day-repairs-and-advice/applying-deck-paint-3609http://www.pbo.co.uk/expert-advice/tip-of-the-day-repairs-and-advice/how-secure-is-your-stove-8707

(https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2015/08/bay-close_cmyk.jpg)

The view from boat B now showsThe view from boat B now showsthe gap between the headlands isthe gap between the headlands ismuch more open, so we’re wellmuch more open, so we’re wellclear of any hazardsclear of any hazards

(https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2015/08/bay-open_cmyk.jpg)

Using a pair of leading lightsUsing a pair of leading lights

(https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspirewp/live/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2015/08/lead-light1_cmyk.jpg)

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