About The Practical Navigator
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Practical Navigator Training is designed to present useful navigation topics for professional and recreational mariners in a no-nonsense way. The organization is run by Capt. Christopher D. Nolan, a former USCG cutterman and current USCG reservist. Chris holds a 1600-ton USCG merchant mariner license upon ocean routes and a 3000-ton STCW license, having served in command of both military and civilian ships. The Practical Navigator project began in 2010 when Chris was the Commanding Officer of USCGC Jefferson Island in Portland, Maine. Recognizing a deficiency in Coast Guard navigational prowess as technology grew to dominate the bridge, Chris decided to combine his three hobbies of film-making, training, and maritime navigation to create funny and educational training videos for his crew and friends. |
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After posting these early videos on YouTube and receiving positive feedback, Chris grew the program over the next several years while he was on sabbatical on his 34-foot sailboat in the Caribbean. There, he wrote, filmed, and edited the 11-part "Celestial Navigation" video series and wrote a navigational textbook called "The Cutterman's Guide to Navigation Problems." After returning to the USA and expanding his own merchant mariner license, Chris recognized that many Coast Guard Approved courses were overpriced and under-whelming in quality. So, he set out to expand the Practical Navigator project to include USCG-Approved training courses from 100-ton master all the way to Advanced Celestial Navigation.
In 2015, Chris left the Coast Guard to pursue a career in maritime education, and has since recognized that as technology improves and the next generation of mariner advances up the hawsepipe, there is a significant need for high quality, low cost training, especially navigation training and USCG license preparation for navigation exams. This website serves as a homeport for The Practical Navigator's training efforts and is meant to assist mariners in learning or improving the fundamentals of maritime navigation and USCG licensing. |
The Practical Navigator Team
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Kate Enright
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Kathy Berube
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Ted Hubbard
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Rob Cole
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Kellee Nolan
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Keeper
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Owen Gibbons
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Partner Schools
These schools partner with Practical Navigator Training's curriculum at local, in-person training sites. Each program is vetted carefully to align with our principles, and is USCG approved to offer the course locally via approved instructors and alternate sites.
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Argonaut is based in Cleveland, OH and builds adventurers through immersive learning experiences that challenge assumptions and shift norms.
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Based in Long Beach, CA, the LB Women's Sailing Association is leading the charge to get more women on the water.
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Based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Cabrera Maritime Consulting is a leading local resource for maritime security, compliance, and education.
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Based on the Kenai Peninsula in AK, North Star Safety Training is a leader in medical and safety training.
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Media
Chris is featured in the "On the Wind" Podcast with 59-North Sailing.
Chris is featured in Fortune Magazine about GPS disruptions and the importance of celestial navigation!
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