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Independent study · no certification. Details

Compass Revision is independent and is not affiliated with, approved by, or endorsed by Sail Canada, Transport Canada, ISED, CanBoat, CHS, or the Canadian Coast Guard. It does not award certification, a PCOC, or an ROC(M).

Compass Canada study companion

Basic Coastal Navigation Study Companion

Direct answer

Independent Canadian coastal-navigation preparation using original fictional charts, CHS terminology, metric soundings, tides, currents, pilotage, and passage planning. Independent knowledge preparation mapped to a published standard. Compass is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sail Canada. Completion does not award certification, demonstrate on-water competence, or replace recognized instruction and assessment. Compass charts are fictional and non-navigational; current official Canadian charts and publications remain essential afloat.

Price
$39.99 once
Course size
10 modules
Access
Lifetime access
Format
Independent online study companion
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Product tour

Try the revision loop here

This working, course-specific sample uses the same three primary steps and feedback timing as the revision app: learn the idea, use Practise for immediate help, then Test at the end.

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Learn · teaching first

Treat Navigation as a Continuous Evidence Cycle

From Navigator Role and Canadian Publications

What you will learn

Explain appraisal, planning, execution and monitoring as a continuous cycle, with a named trigger for revising the plan.

Explanation

The navigator does not finish when a line appears on a chart. The route begins as a proposal built from current evidence, is briefed before release, and is continually checked against the vessel's real position and changing conditions.

The navigator role is to keep appraisal, planning, execution and monitoring connected to current evidence. Appraisal gathers the evidence that controls the passage: the applicable official chart and publications, routeing and local rules, depths, tides and currents, aids, hazards, weather, vessel limits, crew capability, communications, alternatives and margins. Planning turns that evidence into a route, timings, clearing or depth controls, decision points, aborts and a monitoring method. A route drawn before the source set is checked is not yet a supported plan.

Execution is the controlled use of that plan. The navigator briefs the intended track and the evidence that must remain true, then makes the information usable at the helm. Monitoring compares position, time, depth, heading, progress, traffic, aids, weather and equipment state with the plan. It is an active test, not a periodic confirmation that the desired answer still looks plausible.

Make the route falsifiable

The crew can describe where the boat should go but cannot say which depth, position, aid, timing or weather observation would make the route unsafe.

Sense check: A plan that cannot be disproved by new evidence cannot tell the crew when to slow, stop, turn, shelter or re-plan.

Common mistake

Treating appraisal as a one-time paperwork stage instead of the start of a repeating cycle

Recap

  • Appraise the current evidence before committing to a route.
  • Plan margins, checks, alternatives and change triggers.
  • Execute through a clear crew brief.
More ways to revise

Flashcards, audio and interactive tools remain optional support inside the module; they do not replace the Learn → Practise → Test route.

Course route

Learn the knowledge, then take it afloat with an instructor

1Free

Navigator Role and Canadian Publications

Appraisal, planning, execution, monitoring, and the official Canadian publication set.

Open module
2Full access

CHS Chart 1 and Canadian Symbols

Canadian chart colours, symbols, abbreviations, notes, scales, and original fictional chart extracts.

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3Full access

Position, Distance, Speed, and Time

Latitude, longitude, nautical miles, knots, plot labels, and distance-speed-time calculations.

Open module
4Full access

Chart Datum, Depth, and Clearance

Soundings, drying heights, tidal height, under-keel clearance, overhead clearance, and safety margins.

Open module
5Full access

True, Magnetic, and Compass Directions

Variation, deviation, bearings, headings, conversion, and compass-error checks.

Open module
6Full access

Dead Reckoning, Estimated Position, and Fixes

Course and distance, position evidence, lines of position, fixes, DR, and EP.

Open module
7Full access

Canadian Tides

Canadian tide stations, high and low water, tidal range, interpolation, time zones, and weather effects.

Open module
8Full access

Canadian Currents

Current stations, direction, rate, set, drift, turns, and how current changes track and speed over ground.

Open module
9Full access

Canadian Aids, Pilotage, and Electronic Navigation

Canadian aids, clearing bearings, transits, depth cues, GNSS, chartplotters, and cross-checks.

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10Full access

Passage Planning and Navigation Log

Route appraisal, hazards, weather, current, daylight, alternates, crew limits, monitoring, and logs.

Open module

What the companion includes

Clear knowledge and practical boundaries

  • Original lessons and explanations
  • At least 18 explained questions and 12 flashcards per module
  • Three 40-question mixed knowledge assessments
  • Canada terminology, jurisdiction, and primary-source context
  • Practical-awareness prompts clearly separated from assessed knowledge

Not included

  • Sail Canada certification or an official examination
  • A Pleasure Craft Operator Card or ROC(M) certificate
  • Instructor-observed practical assessment
  • Copied textbook, chart, manual, or examination content
  • A guarantee of school, examiner, or charter-operator acceptance

Editorial record

Primary-source review

Original content is reviewed against published Sail Canada standards and current Canadian government sources. Provincial and local requirements must be checked separately.