Field notes
Method notes written after a season on the water. Each note ends with the rule we actually keep.
The slack window is not an instantA tide table gives you a time. The water gives you a period, and the two do not match.Read Reading a tide curve without a plotterSix-hour interpolation is the most common silent error in small-craft planning.Read Drift correction in three numbersSpeed, set and rate are enough to hold a track, if you recompute at every headland.Read A night leg checklist you will actually runOrder the items by when they must be true, not by how important they sound.Read Chart datum is not sea levelThree datums appear on one small chart, and mixing them is a quiet way to run aground.Read When to abort, written before you launchAn abort decision made on the water is usually late.Read