Captain Finn Andersen - Discussing how to read a chart

In front of me is a navigation chart. A chart is like a map, but it is a map of the water instead of the land. It shows where there is safe water to navigate, and where there are dangers to navigation. It is marked with latitude on the side, and longitude along the top. There is information about compass directions - most charts have north at the top of the chart, and there is actually a compass rose in several places on the chart. The names of the bodies of water are also printed on the chart, and by looking at the chart you can tell how deep the water is in different places. This will allow you to set a course and safely navigate your ship past all the shoals, dangers, and unseen obstructions under the water. Some places where there is water, there is not enough room to sail a ship. A mud bank could have only a couple of feet of water on top of it. Other places there are rocks, many rocks in BC, some of them just below the water's surface. With out a chart, you would have a lot of difficulty navigating a vessel.