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  • Introduction
    • 0.0.1 Warning
    • 0.1 Layout reference
      • 0.1.1 Highlight:
      • 0.1.2 Examples:
      • 0.1.3 Extra info:
      • 0.1.4 External links
    • 0.2 Copyright and permissions
  • 1 Weather
    • 1.1 Weather forecasts
      • 1.1.1 Sources of forecasts
      • 1.1.2 Understanding forecasts
    • 1.2 Wind
      • 1.2.1 Wind strength
      • 1.2.2 Effects of land on wind
      • 1.2.3 Sea and land breezes
      • 1.2.4 Anabatic and katabatic winds
      • 1.2.5 Wind, waves and tide
      • 1.2.6 Accounting for wind
    • 1.3 Other considerations
      • 1.3.1 Visibility
      • 1.3.2 Fog
      • 1.3.3 Thunderstorms
      • 1.3.4 River levels
    • 1.4 Synoptic charts
      • 1.4.1 Isobars and wind
      • 1.4.2 Low pressure
      • 1.4.3 High pressure
    • 1.5 Some meteorology*
      • 1.5.1 Air masses
      • 1.5.2 Global circulation
      • 1.5.3 Depressions
      • 1.5.4 Depressions in practice
    • 1.6 Environmental clues
      • 1.6.1 Wind direction
      • 1.6.2 Clouds
    • 1.7 Maritime forecasts
    • 1.8 Weather and trip planning
      • 1.8.1 Deciding where, and if, to go
      • 1.8.2 Checking actual conditions
  • 2 Tides
    • 2.1 What causes the tides?
      • 2.1.1 The moon
      • 2.1.2 The Sun - neaps and springs
      • 2.1.3 Meteorological effects
    • 2.2 Tide tables
      • 2.2.1 Tidal range
      • 2.2.2 Tidal factor*
    • 2.3 Tidal streams
      • 2.3.1 Tidal diamonds
      • 2.3.2 Tidal stream atlases
      • 2.3.3 Pilots and guidebooks
    • 2.4 Paddling with tidal flow: Predicting speeds of tidal streams
      • 2.4.1 Changes between neaps and springs*
      • 2.4.2 Variation of flow through the tidal cycle*
      • 2.4.3 50/90 rule*
      • 2.4.4 Rule of thirds
    • 2.5 Depth of tide
      • 2.5.1 Predicting high and low water*
      • 2.5.2 Determining heights of high and low water*
      • 2.5.3 Estimating the depth of the tide
    • 2.6 Environmental considerations
      • 2.6.1 Behavior of tidal streams
      • 2.6.2 Races and overfalls
      • 2.6.3 Signs of tidal flow
  • 3 Surf and Swell
    • 3.1 Introduction to surf and swell
      • 3.1.1 The life story of a wave
      • 3.1.2 Terminology*
    • 3.2 Wind waves
      • 3.2.1 Wind forming waves
      • 3.2.2 Fetch
      • 3.2.3 Time to drop off*
      • 3.2.4 Uncomfortable sea states
    • 3.3 Ground swell
      • 3.3.1 What is swell?
      • 3.3.2 How does swell work?*
      • 3.3.3 Swell propagation*
      • 3.3.4 Sets*
    • 3.4 Waves and topography*
      • 3.4.1 Waves in shallow water
      • 3.4.2 Refraction and focusing
      • 3.4.3 Diffraction
      • 3.4.4 Reflection
      • 3.4.5 Reefs and boomers
    • 3.5 Surf
      • 3.5.1 Waves and beaches*
      • 3.5.2 Surf height*
      • 3.5.3 Surf zone features
    • 3.6 Swell and surf forecasts
    • 3.7 Environmental considerations
      • 3.7.1 Reefs and gravel bars
      • 3.7.2 Rouge waves
      • 3.7.3 Dumping surf
    • 3.8 Wind, waves and tidal streams
      • 3.8.1 Wind and waves against tide
      • 3.8.2 Tide races / overfalls
      • 3.8.3 Wind / waves with the tide*
  • 4 Navigation
    • 4.1 Practicalities*
      • 4.1.1 On the water
      • 4.1.2 On dry land
    • 4.2 Maps and Charts
      • 4.2.1 Comparing maps and charts
      • 4.2.2 Reading charts*
      • 4.2.3 Which to use?
      • 4.2.4 Obtaining maps and charts
      • 4.2.5 Other sources of maps
    • 4.3 Coastal pilotage - handrailing
      • 4.3.1 Compass use for coastal pilotage*
    • 4.4 Distance, speed and time
      • 4.4.1 The units of the sea*
      • 4.4.2 Distance, speed and time calculations
      • 4.4.3 Dead reckoning*
    • 4.5 Navigation tricks
      • 4.5.1 Short legs
      • 4.5.2 Aiming off
      • 4.5.3 Attack points
    • 4.6 The compass and bearings
    • 4.7 Specifying position
      • 4.7.1 Grid references
      • 4.7.2 Latitude and longitude*
    • 4.8 Navigational marks*
    • 4.9 Formal navigation for short crossings
  • 5 Open water navigation
    • 5.1 General techniques for tidal and non-tidal waters
      • 5.1.1 Dead reckoning
      • 5.1.2 Transits
      • 5.1.3 Following a bearing
      • 5.1.4 Fixes*
      • 5.1.5 Distance off*
      • 5.1.6 GPS
      • 5.1.7 Responsibilities for navigating
    • 5.2 Open Water Navigation in tidal waters
      • 5.2.1 Chartwork
      • 5.2.2 Long crossings
      • 5.2.3 Choosing when to make the crossing
      • 5.2.4 Finding tidal stream data for long crossings
      • 5.2.5 Plotting tidal streams
      • 5.2.6 Finding the course to steer
      • 5.2.7 Determining estimated positions
    • 5.3 Risks and challenges of open crossings

Notes on Sea Kayak Navigation and Tidal Planning

4.5 Navigation tricks

Here’s a few simple principles to make navigation a little easier. They’re handy whenever you’re on the water, but they become invaluable if you’re trying to find your way in fog or at night.

4.5.1 Short legs

Keep each hop between identifiable features short - avoid long sections during which you can’t check your navigation.

Rather than heading directly towards the far island, make short hops from island to island.

4.5.2 Aiming off

If you take a bearing towards an object (e.g. a place on distant shoreline), it’s very unlikely that you’ll end up exactly where you planned. When you arrive at the shore and don’t immediately find the thing you’re looking for, it’s not clear what to do next - do you turn left or right? To avoid this problem, deliberately aim to one side of the feature - that way you’ll know which way to turn.

If you don’t get the bearing towards the small headland exactly right, you won’t know what to do when you reach the shore. Instead, take a bearing a little to the north, then head south down the coast to locate the headland.

4.5.3 Attack points

Heading a significant distance towards a small feature isn’t likely to be successful. A better plan is to locate an easy to find feature nearby, then head from here towards your smaller feature. If you don’t succeed on the first go, you can return to your large, prominent feature and try again.

Rather than heading directly towards the small island on a bearing, it makes more sense to cross to the big island (which is hard to miss) first, locate the headland then take a bearing a short distance to the small island.

Map diagrams based on Holmes, Ian. (2017). Mean High Water Springs Polygon, [Dataset]. University of Edinburgh. https://doi.org/10.7488/ds/1969, public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0