Everything the watch expects you to already know.
ECDIS, the rules of the road, stability and safety procedure — sourced from the conventions and written for the people who work to them.
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All articlesThe lights are a language with a fixed vocabulary. Learn the arcs, the ranges and the patterns, and a distant vessel tells you what she is and where she is going.
10 min · Updated Aug 2026ALSO NEW
Nautical Terms: The Complete A–Z GlossaryNautical terms are the specialised words used aboard ship to describe a vessel's parts, its position and direction, how it moves, how it is navigated, and how it is worked safely.Bridge Resource Management: Running the Bridge as a TeamMost accidents at sea trace back to a breakdown in teamwork, not equipment. Bridge Resource Management is the discipline that keeps a bridge team sharp, honest, and safe.Written to a standard you can check
Every regulatory figure here is taken from the convention, code or flag-state notice it comes from, and the source is named in the article. Where a procedure carries real risk, it says so plainly.
This is an independent reference for deck officers and cadets. It is not affiliated with a training provider, and nothing here replaces your company’s procedures or your flag state’s requirements.
- Sources citedSOLAS, STCW, COLREGs, MARPOL, MEG4
- Figures checkedAgainst the text, never from memory
- CorrectionsLogged and dated on the article
- AdvertisingNone. Sponsors named in full
Navigation lights, on one page
A printable quick-reference for lights and shapes, including the combinations that catch people out in orals. Free.
One email with the PDF, then occasional notes when something substantial is published.