Small Boat and Kayak Navigation

Most of time in small boat like a kayak navigation is done by sight. In other words, you see where you want to go, point the boat that direction and go. This is not to down play the need for a good chart and a compass. These are critical tools on any small boat, but much of the time you don't need to be steering a compass course and once you are familiar with an area you don't need to consult a chart before every decision.

The first, but often ignored, aspect of navigation is just choosing where you are going. Making good decisions based on the weather and conditions is the foundation of safe boating. Determining in advance where is going to be safe and the places to avoid will go a long way toward ensuring a safe and fun boat trip.

Once you choose your destination the second part of navigation is assuring that you get where you had in mind. While this may be accomplished by sight when the land marks are close together, you need ways to assure that you are actually sticking to the plan you had in mind. Unlike walking or driving, where baring obstacles, moving directly towards a landmark pretty much assures you will get there, in a boat there a forces which may throw you off despite scrupulous attention to staying on course.

Safe kayak navigation requires close observation of the conditions and tools to determine how they will effect you or if they already have.

Choosing Your Line

There are many factors you should consider when you decide where you are going and how you will get there. Wind, waves and currents are the primary forces that will effect how easily and safely you will be able to get from one point to another in a small boat. It is not that you want to necessarily minimize the effect these forces have on you. There are good reasons why you may want to experience the full effect of the force, for example just practicing for potential future situations. But, you do want minimize the surprise factors.

You will want to be able to look quickly at a situation, considering the weather, geography and stage of the tide and have a good idea what the conditions will be where you are thinking of going. You may want to catch a free ride on the current, but not get too involved with big waves, or you may want to get out and play in some waves, but not get drifted a long way away by the current.

The first thing you must determine is what are the potential forces you may encounter. Study the weather forecast, charts and tide tables. Look for indicators of possible forces. Constrictions between islands or shallow spots in a current stream may indicate faster current. Gaps between islands can let off-shore swells come in. Sailboats heeling way over are a good indicator of high winds. Look for shoals or ledges where deep-sea swells may rise up and break.

Take extra time to consider areas where two or more forces may add together or cancel each other out. Two forces combining together will often create drastically different conditions than either of the two forces working alone. Winds pushing against currents can create turbulent waves in places where you otherwise would expect calm water. Wind pushing the same direction as the current can turn a rough area into a smooth patch.

Once you have determined what the possible forces are, you need to choose how you are going to deal with them. This is "choosing your line". You want to choose a line that will get you where you want to go, efficiently, and safely, while accomplishing any other goals you may have for the day.

Consider the consequences of a failure to stick to the plan or accurately predict the conditions. If your plan doesn't go as expect what will happen. Will a failure to stay ahead of the current sweep you out to sea, or is it just mean you trip is a little longer than you planned.

When you have determined the consequences of a mistake, try to modify the plans to include enough buffer to keep you safe. For example if you are ferrying across a current to an island, instead of choosing a line that leads you directly to the island, choose a line that up-current of the destination, that way if you slow down, you will not have to fight back up the current to get to the island. You can usually do this by paddling up current close to shore where the current speed is less before making the crossing. This puts a safety buffer on the crossing before you even get started. The approach often works in windy conditions as well.

In current produced waves, there is typically a line of waves near a constriction or shallow spot where the water is decelerating after shooting through the constriction. The waves will actually be smaller up stream of the constriction. Despite being in faster current, this area may well be the easiest and safest place to cross. Otherwise drifting farther down current to an area where the waves have dissipated will be easier going.

Islands create shadows, not only from wind but from current and waves as well. Instead of crossing directly over a wide open area, it is often easier to island hop so you can take advantage of the wind and wave shadow or current eddy behind. This can give you a chance to rest and reduce the distance from relative safety as you make the crossing. Other times you may want to take full advantage of the available forces and choose to avoid the shadows behind the islands.

There are many situations where a direct line from one point to the next is difficult to hold because it hits your boat wrong. It may require more steering than is efficient or comfortable. In these situations it may be better to choose a longer course just so you don't have to struggle as much. If going up wind around the exposed end of an island is shorter, it may still be easier and safer to go down wind and come up the other side in the wind and wave shadow.

By carefully choosing your line you can make you trip easier, safer and more fun. This aspect of navigation really takes practice and experience to work out well, but with a solid awareness of what you will encounter on the water, you will keep the risks low and the enjoyment high.

Determining Wave Height

He said, "I was out there and the waves must have been 6 feet." Funny, I was out there at the same time and didn't see anything bigger than 18 inches. What is going on? Estimating wave height is very difficult. Sitting down in a kayak, low to the water, waves look pretty big.

It is usually OK to be inaccurate in your estimation of wave height, after all it is you who is out there, and if it a wave looks big to you it probably is big for you. But there are good reasons why you may want accuracy. For example, if you are planning to go out and check the forecast and it predicts "3 foot waves" you want to know if their 3 feet is the same as your 3 feet.

One of the things that makes it hard to estimate wave height is the fact that you are sitting down. If you are six feet tall and you see something at eye level, it is usually a good guess that it is nearly 6 feet tall as well. But sitting in a kayak your eye level is only about 2 feet above the water. All it takes is a 2 foot wave to obscure the horizon.

It is a peculiarity of perspective that anything that appears even with the horizon is at the same height as your eyes. Sit on the floor and measure the elevation of your eyes. Now, when ever you see a wave that reaches touches the horizon line, you will know it is approximately the same elevation as your eyes. You will need to look up to see the top of any wave that is higher than your measurement.

One way to calibrate your height estimation is to sit on the floor in your kitchen. Standard counter tops are about 3 feet off the floor. Notice that you probably have to look up to see the counter when you sit on the floor. If you scan up a little farther you will see the underside of the you cabinets. This is about 5 feet. Now look over at the refrigerator. Typically they are about 6 feet tall. If you are sitting in a kayak, and see something as big as a refrigerator coming at you, you would not be blamed for thinking you are about be hit by a two story building. A refrigerator looks pretty big while sitting on the floor. It is big when you are in a small boat. Typically the ceiling in most houses is about 8'. Notice how far up the wall you need to look to see the ceiling. A wave of that height has a huge amount of energy.

Natural Ranges and Drift

You may have read books about how to navigate in a kayak. Chances are you were slightly overwhelmed by some of the techniques. They may give you the feeling that if you are not well versed in the finer points of parallel rules, magnetic declination and vector analysis you will end up drifting to the next continent instead of merely eating lunch on that pretty island you see less than a mile away. This article is not to tell you that you shouldn’t learn as much as possible about the technical navigation methods — such knowledge can indeed keep you out of deep trouble. However, there are times a more seat-of-the-pants style is called for. The ability to read the signs when you are out on the water is no less important than your most careful preparation before heading out. You need water awareness. Awareness of the conditions around you will help keep you safer even if you have carefully plotted your course before setting out.

If you are paddling due east from No Return Point toward Last Chance Island at a pace of 3 knots and there is a 1 knot current pushing down from the north what course must you steer so you don’t miss Last Chance Island? This is a fairly easy problem for plotting vectors of navigation and using that method you will choose a course of about 70 degrees. If you are paddling in thick fog with no wind, this is probably what you should do. But this requires that you know the speed of the current, that there be no wind to affect your course and that you know how fast you actually paddle. You also need time to plot out your intended course and make some vector diagrams. As a practical matter this usually needs to be done on shore.

In reality, you may change your destination on the water or, the wind may have picked up or, your current table does not provide information for the channel between No Return Point and Last Chance Island or you are getting too tired to maintain your usual pace. In other words, you may have no clue about the speed of the current or how fast you are paddling. You have no information on which to base a vector diagram even if your pencil hadn’t floated away. However, you can see the island. Part way across you can just make out a channel marker. By the way it is leaning over you know there is a powerful current flowing. You need to make it to the island and if you miss it you’ll be swept for miles before you fetch up on another safe landing spot. So how do you assure that you will get to your destination?

Ranges

All the information you need is there before you. It is known as "natural ranges". A range is just a series of objects in a line. You and your destination describe a line and the channel marker is a third object on the same line. The buoy lies on your course to Last Chance Island and as long as the buoy stays lined up with your destination, you are on the line from your departure point to your destination. Look out towards the buoy and the island beyond. Choose a landmark on the island that is directly behind the buoy. The landmark can be a house, tree, rock or just a low spot on the island. The buoy is one end of the range and the landmark is the other. Now start paddling to the buoy. As you get out into the current you will start being swept away.

If you choose the low spot on the island as your destination, the natural tendency is point your boat at it and keep it pointed the whole way. If there is a current or wind pushing left to right, you will be swept to the right. As you cross, your course will describe a long curve . At best you will have to paddle farther than necessary, at worst you might be swept beyond reach of your destination or into more severe conditions. You can detect the current by noticing the lean of the buoy and by the fact that the objects that used to lie on your course — the buoy, your destination, and the far hill — no longer line up as you proceed across the channel. As you get swept to the right, the far objects appear to move to the right, and the close objects seem to move to the left.

You will notice that the buoy and your landmark start coming out of alignment. If the buoy is to the left of the landmark you need to turn left and keep on paddling. If the landmark keeps on moving away from the buoy steer more to the left and keep on paddling. Eventually the buoy will realign with the landmark. If the landmark drifts to the other side of the buoy adjust your course slightly to the right and keep on paddling. As long you keep the buoy and the landmark aligned, you are on a line straight across the channel.

This simple seat of the pants technique is all you need to take the quickest course across the channel. Paddlers in whitewater will "ferry" across a current by pointing up into the current enough that they don’t get swept downstream, while still moving towards the far side. This "ferry angle" assures they don’t get swept downstream into danger. You can do the same thing on the ocean. With a range you can easily find the proper ferry angle without knowing anything about the current or your speed. A range can be any two items that lie on the straight line of your course. They can be buoys or mountains, trees or anchored boats. If there are no stationary objects on the water, you may have to find a range nearer your destination. A rock on the beach aligned with a tree on the slope above may be all you can find. Two objects close together will not provide as sensitive a range as more separated landmarks. In narrow shipping channels such as rivers you may see artificial ranges — usually two towers set up at a bend in the river. The river pilots know that as long as they keep the towers aligned they are in the channel.

When you notice the current, turn your bow slightly up into it. Adjust your course so that the landmarks on your range stay lined up as you get closer . If the closest object moves toward the left relative to the farther landmark, adjust your course more left. As the object starts falling to the right, adjust your course to the right. This will ensure the most efficient path across the current and keeps you out of any trouble that may be down-current.

 

The principle of ranges is evident in everyday events. Driving down a road, the telephone poles zip by in rapid succession, while the mountains in the distance take much longer to pass by. The angle towards near objects changes faster than for distant ones. When you get in a current moving perpendicular to the course you are heading, you will see closer objects move faster than distant ones. By keeping track of the relative position of close and far objects you will be able to detect where the current is carrying you.

Drift

Detecting a current when you are in it can be very difficult even when you are drifting rapidly. When you are paddling in the middle of a current there may be no clue that it is there. Once your car gets going on the highway, with your eyes closed it can be hard to tell if you’re moving. It is when the car starts or stops that you wake up. You need to be aware of the clues. In a car it is the fence posts zipping by. In a current it may be the direction of the flow of kelp below you or the lean of a navigational buoy. You should also look for the wake made by the current flowing past stationary objects.

In a current waves will splash on the up-current face of a stationary object, and water directly behind the object will usually be smoother as the current eddies around. Depending on the angle of the light the rough water will either be lighter or darker than the smooth water. You will often be able to pick out a contrast in the color of the water which indicates the presence of a current. This change in color or tone is usually associated with a change in the speed or direction of the current. The different color is usually down-current from the obstruction causing the change.

If you don’t pay attention to the current and just try to keep your bow pointed at your destination, you will be swept in a long curve which at the very least will take you longer than a straight line course and at worst may sweep you out of reach of your destination. Even if you can’t read any sign of current in the water, it is worthwhile to pick a range as you start making a crossing. Double check the orientation as you go, you can quickly pick up any deviation from your course. You can also take a compass heading on your destination. If the heading changes as you proceed, you are being forced off course by a current or wind.

Currents are often more subtle than a wind, but a wind will drift you off course just as easily. A powerful wind can be pretty hard to ignore, but it is useful to be able to detect a high wind before committing to a crossing. An obvious clue is white caps. The presence of white caps and breaking waves is a good clue that there is a significant wind creating them. A change in the size of waves is also associated with a change in the color or tone of the water.

Obviously, most ranges will not work for the whole crossing. You will eventually reach the closer mark. It is then time to choose a new range. If the conditions are foggy, you might not be able to see your final destination. In this case you will want to try to find some closer landmarks. In the waters of New England this is often very easy. In some places there are lobster buoys every 20 feet. Even if you only have 100 feet of visibility they can provide several stationary landmarks to choose from. By choosing a pair that lie on your compass course you can try to keep them aligned. Take a look at your compass when you find a ferry angle that keeps your range aligned. If you run out of ranges along your course, this compass reading will probably work until you are able to find for a new one.

Be careful that you don’t choose a gull or seal’s head as one of your range points; even if they aren’t swimming, they are at least drifting with the current. You need something that is stationary. If you lose sight of any good ranges ahead, you can also use back ranges. Look back behind you and keep objects on your path behind you lined up. This is obviously not as convenient as a range ahead of you but can help you determine whether you are being swept off course.

If all you can pick out is your destination and your departure point, you want to keep yourself on a line between them. If your destination is directly ahead of you and you can see your departure point just over your left shoulder, you may want to adjust your course more to the left to get back on line. If your destination is off your right bow and your departure point is over you left shoulder, you’re probably doing all right.

Finally, you can use ranges to gauge your forward progress. As you paddle up a channel, look for a range off to your side. This side range can tell you how much progress you are making against a current. Forward progress is indicated by the near object falling behind the far landmark. You may find that for the last 10 minutes, while you have been happily paddling along, you were actually proceeding backwards. In which case you may want to ferry to one side of the channel and paddle where the current is slower.

Natural ranges are not a substitute for being prepared; they are a tool to use to keep aware of how you are doing. They are a quick system to double check what you may already know from other sources. Currents can be deceiving, the water can be glassy smooth while you are being swept dangerously out to sea, or drifting down into a tidal rip. Unlike taking a hike, when you stop paddling, you don’t necessarily stop moving. Where you are going is not always obvious from the immediately local conditions. You sometimes need to be able to look at more distant references to determine the true local conditions.

Learning to read the information presented by natural ranges is one step to gaining water awareness. It is worthwhile to pick out a natural range on your intended course no matter how benign the apparent conditions. This give you the chance to take action before the conditions are no longer benign. Natural ranges are an easy tool to use and they help you become more aware of the environment, by taking your eyes off the destination and making you look at the journey. With this increased attention, you will soon become aware of other clues to what the water around you is doing.