Coastal navigation begins with an immediately understandable method: leave shore, keep visible geography as a reference, and turn by port or starboard. Following land still does not make every direct-looking line across water a sensible course. The shortest route between two points in marine navigation is rarely a literal straight line. Visible coastlines provide the starting reference, while longer routes demand more deliberate calculation.
Chapter · 12:22-14:30
Coastal tracking is only a starting point
Following a visible coast is the simplest navigational frame, but even that method quickly gives way to deliberate route planning.