The course consists of 9 hours of instruction, made up of 3 three-hour classroom classes... plus the invitation and encouragement to call us if questions arise during the week as you do practice exercises.

A practical guide to safe, versatile, and efficient use of small craft radar, covering brief overview of radar principles and operation, definition of terms, navigation by range and bearing, use of VRM and EBL in navigation and collision avoidance, identifying radar targets and interpreting their motions, and how to apply the Rules of the Road. Also, how to interpret land masses seen on the radar. Rules of thumb on what can and cannot be seen (resolving power).

The course includes special tricks and methods not covered in manuals or textbooks. The Starpath Radar Trainer simulator will be used in class for demonstrations and practice drills. This software is available at a discount to registered students.

This course is guaranteed to increase the safety and efficiency of your radar watch many fold and greatly reduce the anxiety of those encounters with converging radar targets that cannot be seen visually... not to mention that it is indeed the law (Rules 6,7,8) that mariners with radar know how to interpret radar images (to make "systematic observations").

The text for the course is Radar for Mariners by David Burch (McGraw-Hill, 2005). This book includes a working demo of the Radar Trainer program that can be run 5 times for practice and evaluation.

Independent Study Class / Correspondence. This course has been successfully completed by several students who are remotely located. It usually requires some time spent with a navigation instructor by email or telephone. Cost is $109 which comes with a DVD. We like to interview prospective students in this category. Please Call.

Class Schedule: Spring 2008
4-hour Sat. sessions 9AM-1PM or
3-hour evening sessions 6PM-9PM (or as close as possible)

R-1 - 6:00 - 9:00 Thursday Evenings
Call

R-2 - 9 AM-1 PM Saturdays:
Call

Call Northern Breezes Sailing School at 763-542-9707 to register or with questions.

Prerequisite for this course: 
None.