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The oldest sailing directions, dating back to the middle ages, descended directly from the Greek and Roman periplii: in classical times, in the absence of real nautical charts, navigation was carried out using books that described the coast, not necessarily intended for navigation, but more often consisting of reports of previous voyages, or celebrations of the deeds of leaders or rulers.
It was known as a periplus ("sailing-around" book) in classical antiquity and a portolano ("port book") to medieval Italian sailors in the Mediterranean Sea. Portuguese navigators of the 16th century called it a roteiro , the French a routier , from which the English word "rutter" is derived.
The English Channel connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Southern part of the North Sea and is one of the busiest shipping areas in the world with ships going in numerous direction: some are passing through in transit from the Southwest to Northeast (or vice versa) and others serving the many ports around the English Channel, including ferries crossing the Channel.
If a ship wants to cross a traffic-lane it should do so at a right angle to avoid endangering ship traffic using the traffic-lanes (although traffic in the lane does not automatically have the right-of-way [1]). To minimize the amount of time a crossing ship spend crossing the traffic-lanes, there should be a right angle between the lane ...
In the UK, the Admiralty issues 76 volumes covering the world and these are used frequently by most merchant ships. [8] In the US, the United States Coast Pilots is a nine-volume American navigation publication distributed yearly by the National Ocean Service. Its purpose is to supplement nautical charts of US waters.
Since the government began production, the book has been known by its year of publishing, instead of by the edition number. After the first major revision, a total overhaul of the book's content completed in 1880 under the direction of Commander Philip H. Cooper, USN, the name was changed to American Practical Navigator.
Roman ship represented in a fresco of the 2nd or 3rd century in the port city of Ostia. The inscriptions reflect the name of the ship (Isis Giminiana), the name of the captain or magister (Farnaces, at the helm) and the name of the owner (Arascanius, in charge of the cargo). [4] Roman sarcophagus from the 3rd century.
In modern times, computer software can greatly simplify the passage planning process and ensure that nothing important is overlooked. [8] Passage planning software may include functions such as waypoint management, distance calculators, tide and tidal current predictors, celestial navigational calculators, consumables estimators for fuel, oil, water, and stores, and other useful applications.