In the video titled Three Phases of Safe Navigation, navigation expert Bob Sweet describes three important steps needed to ensure a safe trip on the water. Sweet is the author of The Weekend Navigator & GPS for Mariners and a former U.S. Power Squadrons National Educational Officer. 

Phase one? Begin with planning. Sweet points out that using up-to-date charts to pre-qualify a safe route should always be your first step. Next, navigate those pre-qualified paths by using GPS to stay on course. Lastly, Sweet suggests checking your progress using paper charts to ensure you are exactly where you should be. With decades of boating experience under his belt, Sweet explains how using paper charts ----especially during the planning and checking phases ----can help mariners of all types become better navigators.  

View other informational videos about navigation here .

Are you a history buff? Then you may want to plan a trip to the Tampa Bay History Center to see an exhibit titled Gateways to the Caribbean: Mapping the Florida-Cuba Connection. Maps, charts and miscellaneous items dating as far back as 1511 are part of the exhibit which showcases the long and varied relationship between Florida (and subsequently America) and Cuba. 

Get more information here.

Safety at Sea

For an extra layer of safety, powerboatworld.com suggests having the following items on board your boat. 

• Throwable life ring
  A lifeline for someone overboard, life rings can also come equipped with strobe lights to assist in a search and rescue after dark.
  
  
• Distress devices
  Secure flares, lights, whistles or flags----or a kit that contains a variety of products to use in daytime and after dark.
  
  
• Nautical Charts
  Even as they can assist you in planning your route, navigataional charts also indicate where navigational aids, obstructions and other dangers are located.
  
  
• Radio or Beacon
  A marine VHF-FM radio is more reliable than a cell phone that may have spotty service. Beacons use coordinates to assist in a rescue, and can be activated by hand or self-activated in water.
  
  
• Float Plan
  Let someone know about your trip--where you are headed and when you anticipate returning. This gives rescue personnel a head start in locating you.

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