Chief Mate Plane Sailing

1
 Parallel sailing revision
What do we mean by Parallel sailing?

• Sailing along a parallel of latitude

due East (90°T) or due West (270°T)

• No change in Latitude and therefore no D’Lat

• The distance East or West is called DEPARTURE

and is always expressed as Nautical miles
2
3
Sine and Cosine curves

4
Blue
Sine curve

Red
Cosine curve

5
 Cosine curve

Max at 0° and min at 90°

6
Relationship between D’Long,
Cosine & Departure

7
 Parallel Sailing
• Dep = D’long (in minutes) x Cos Lat

• Assume we have a D’long of 10°

• Then D’long = 10° x 60 = 600’

• Check these on your calculator

• At the equator (Lat 00°) Dep = 600 miles
• At the poles (Lat 90°) Dep = 0 miles
• At Lat 10° Dep = 590.9 miles
• At Lat 55° Dep = 344.1 miles 8
9
 Plane Sailing revision
• Always convert D’lat & D’long into minutes

• Name D’Lat & D’long for Direction of travel

• Change Quadrantal notation to 360°

• Departure – Distance in N.miles East/West

• Departure used for Parallel sailing and Plane

sailing
10
Basic Sailing Triangle

D’Long

D’Lat

11
• D’lat and D’Long conventions

• D’lat – Difference in Latitude

Named North or South (Direction of travel)
Always expressed in minutes
• D’long - difference in Longitude
Named East or West (Direction of travel)
Always expressed in minutes

12
 MCA
approved
formula
Sheet

13
Q – Formulae for Planes sailing?

Departure = D’Long x Cos Mean Lat

Tan Course = Dep
Save Course
D’Lat in memory or
Distance = D’Lat use ANS
Cos Course button

Q – Maximum distance you can use plane

sailing?
600 miles
14
 D’Long
Departure
B

Mean Departure
Mean Lat

Departure
A
Meridians 15
 Quadrantal Notation v 360°(T)
Q N030°E
Q N030°W 330° T N 030° T
Q S030°E
Q S030°W
W E

210° T S 150° T
16
 Polar v Rectangular

• You can use the Polar & Rectangular

buttons on your calculator as a short cut

• Instead of D’Lat & D’Long we use

D’lat & Departure (same units – N.Miles)
 Polar v
Departure Rectangular
Meridian

• As our courses are measured from the

Meridian we have to turn this diagram on
D’Lat
its side but it does not affect the way we
use the calculator
 Polar v Rectangular
Rectangular Polar – Distance
D’Lat & Dep & Course

Dep R
o o

X
D’Lat Q°

Y
19
• You will have to calculate Mean Lat & Dep

• Rectangular to Polar
• Shift Pol [D’Lat , Dep] = Distance
• RCL Y = Course
Shift comma
• Range (Distance) saved in E or X and Angle
(Course) in F or Y

• Polar to Rectangular
• Shift Rec [Distance , Course] = D’Lat
• RCL Y = Dep

• D’Lat saved in E or X and Dep in F or Y

20
 Convert a to e into 360 notation

a) N 81° E a) 081° (T)

b) N 87° W b) 273° (T)
c) S 86° E c) 094° (T)
d) N 07° W d) 353° (T)
e) S 69° W e) 249° (T)

21
 Convert f to j into quadrantal notation
f) 030° (T) N 30° E
g) 136° (T) S 44° E
h) 218° (T) S 38° W
i) 346° (T) N 14° W
j) 279° (T) N 81° W

22
 Find the Mean Latitude
a) Lat 51° 30’N and Lat 40° 10’N
b) Lat 37° 26’N and Lat 18° 53’N
c) Lat 37° 25’S and Lat 52° 51’S
d) Lat 21° 08’N and Lat 18° 03’S
e) Lat 05° 06’S and Lat 03° 17’N

Same name add latitudes and divide by 2

Different hemispheres (names) subtract and

divide by 2
NB (Takes name of largest latitude)
23
a) Lat 51° 30’N
Lat 40° 10’N
91° 40’N

91° 40’N / 2 = Mean Lat 45° 50’N

b) Lat 37° 26’N

Lat 18° 53’N
56° 19’N / 2 = Mean Lat 28° 09.5’N

24
c) Lat 37° 25’S
Lat 52° 51’S
90° 16’S

90° 16’S / 2 = Mean Lat 45° 08’S

d) Lat 21° 08’N

Lat 18° 03’S
03° 05’N / 2 = Mean Lat 01° 32.5’N

25
e) Lat 05° 06’S
Lat 03° 17’N
01° 49’S

01° 49’S / 2 = Mean Lat 00° 54.5’S

26
Using plane sailing, find course & distance
between the following positions

A B
a)31° 12’N 030° 56’W 33° 47’N 025° 03’W
b)18° 48’S 089° 12’E 23° 34’S 086° 51’E
c) 29° 29’S 022° 14’W 31° 33’S 016° 43’W
d)44° 38’N 178° 16’E 42° 38’N 177° 40’W

a) b) c) d)
27
a) 31° 12’N 64°59’ 030° 56’W
33° 47’N 2 025° 03’W
D’Lat 2° 35’N D’Long 5° 53’E
155’N Mean lat 32°29.5’N 353’E

Dep = D’Long x Cos Mean Lat

Dep = 353’ x Cos 32° 29.5’N = 297.7447’E

Tan Course = Dep / D’Lat

Tan Course = 297.7447 / 155’ = N62.4994°E = 062.5°

Dist = D’Lat / Cos Course

Dist = 155’ / Cos 062.4994° = 335.67’ 155/Cos ANS

Course = 062.5°T and distance 335.7’ Answer one decimal

28
b) 18° 48’S 42°22’ 089° 12’E
23° 34’S 2 086° 51’E
D’Lat 4° 46’S D’Long 2° 21’W
286’S Mean lat 21°11.0’N 141’W

Dep = D’Long x Cos Mean Lat

Dep = 141’ x Cos 21° 11.0’N = 131.4725’W

Tan Course = Dep / D’Lat

Tan Course = 131.4724 / 286’ = S24.6879°W = 204.7°

Dist = D’Lat / Cos Course

Dist = 286’ / Cos 024.6879° = 314.771’

Course = 204.7°T and distance 314.8’

29
c) 29° 29’S 61°02’ 022° 14’W
31° 33’S 2 016° 43’W
D’Lat 2° 04’S D’Long 5° 31’E
124’S Mean lat 30°31.0’S 331’E

Dep = D’Long x Cos Mean Lat

Dep = 331’ x Cos 30° 31.0’S = 285.1504’E

Tan Course = Dep / D’Lat

Tan Course = 285.1504 / 124’ = S66.4978°E = 113.5°

Dist = D’Lat / Cos Course

Dist = 124’ / Cos 024.6879° = 310.9449’

Course = 113.5°T and distance 310.9’

30
d) 44° 38’N 87°16’ 178° 16’E
42° 38’N 2 177° 40’W
D’Lat 2° 00’S 355° 56’E
120’S Mean lat 43°38.0’N 360° 00’
D’Long 004° 04’E
244’E
Dep = D’Long x Cos Mean Lat
Dep = 244’ x Cos 43° 38.0’N = 176.6000’E

Tan Course = Dep / D’Lat

Tan Course = 176.6000 / 120’ = S55.8038°E = 124.2°

Dist = D’Lat / Cos Course

Dist = 120’ / Cos 055.8038° = 213.5124’

Course = 124.2°T and distance 213.5’ 31

END

32