Essential Chart Work - Course to Steer Allowing for Leeway - RYA Yachtmaster Theory Training
11 February 2024 · 3 min · 1K views
What this video covers
An RYA Yachtmaster theory lesson works through the full course-to-steer calculation, starting from a measured true bearing of 064° and adjusting it step by step for leeway and variation.Watch Wind from the northwest and an estimated 5° of leeway mean the boat would set 5° downwind of the intended track; to counter this, the helmsman points 5° upwind, subtracting 5° from the true course to get 059° true. The compass rose is used to visualize why leeway correction moves the heading anti-clockwise (decreasing numbers) when the wind is from the northwest. Variation at the chart location is 7° west, which is added to the true course, converting 059° true to 066° magnetic — the final course to steer. The lesson notes that deviation, if applicable, would be applied last. The worked example makes explicit why variation is added rather than subtracted in this case, with a reference to an earlier variation lesson for the underlying rule.
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