Landfall - After a voyage at sea, the first contact with land is important. The accuracy with which you predict the time and place of sighting land depends on the accuracy of your navigation. If good fixes have been made at frequent intervals, and these positions are confirmed by good celestial observations the prediction should be accurate.When contact is made with land, the first step should be to identify the point of land. The point of making contact should be of assistance, but you should be alert to the possibility of similarly appearing land at other points.
Entering port - Before entering port, the navigator should have information on the draft of the vessel. He should also have a position relative to the land. Preparations for entering are similar to those for getting underway. The tide and tidal current tables, light list, coast pilot or sailing directions, and charts should all be broken out and studied so that the bridge crew is familiar with conditions to be encountered. The time of entering might be selected to take advantage of currents, and to arrive at the assigned berth at slack water. One should have a mental picture of what to expect when approaching from seaward under the conditions of lighting and visibility. The characteristics of all aids to navigation by day or night, and fog signals should be known. In entering a strange port the navigator should select the most suitable aids to use, with substitutes if these are inadequate, or if there is any doubt as to identity. Useful ranges, natural or artificial, should be noted. Danger bearings and danger circles should be drawn in and labeled, if this has not already been done. Any shoal areas, wrecks, areas of unusually swift current, etc., should be noted.
The courses to be steered and the distance on each should be determined and recorded, drawn and labeled on the chart. The identification of each turning point should be indicated. Definite courses should be steered, and changes made only when positions indicate a departure from the planned track, or by traffic. Course changes should occur at preselected points. The position should not be permitted to be in doubt at any time, even in ports which yoy are familiar with and considered easy to enter. The position should be checked frequently, using the most reliable information.
Course changes are best made when a given aid to navigation or other landmark is abeam, or when the ship is on a range.
The actual navigation while entering port is similar to that when leaving port. The entering of pilot waters should be keep a good mental alertness. The use of a local pilot, unless this is a mandatory requirement, is a matter which should be decided. Whether or not a pilot is used, local harbor regulations should be followed, for the presence of a pilot does not relieve the master of his responsibility. One should not forget to log the time of entering the area where inland rules the road apply.
Speed in the vicinity of wharves, construction work, dredges, small boats, should be carefully watched to avoid damage.
If the vessel anchors, the anchorage should be selected carefully, considering local regulations as well as safety, including the holding qualities of the bottom. If there is any doubt as to the depth of water, a boat might be sent in ahead to take soundings. If space is limited, the approach to the anchorage should be planned and executed carefully. As soon as the anchor is let go, the position should be determined. Bearings of a number of prominent landmarks and lights should be measured and recorded, as a guide in determining whether or not the vessel drags anchor.
