Nautical Miles Help

Take a look at this site. It might help answer some of your questions without getting too deeply into the process.

http://www.clicktoboat.com/trip_enc.html

There are literally thousands of books, thick and thin, on the subject so you will be able to find something that fits your current level of knowledge and interest and encourages you to take it further.

Good luck and have fun.

If you look around the posts here you'll find enough speed, gal. capacity and gph figures and estimates for various boats to give you an idea and you'll increase your knowledge in many other areas. But to give you an idea to start off with a 50 Viking I've been operating carried 480 gals., cruised at about 19kts and burned about 33 gph.
Now, you can do the math and plot the courses on a chart or (once you get old and lazy) many GPS have a trip planning feature where you plot a route, hit plan trip, punch in the speed and GPH burn rate, starting time. and as you pull off the dock you can call ahead and tell them that you'll be there at say 1600 and you'll be taking 374 gals.
BTW, a nautical mile is aprox. 1.15 statute mile.
Good luck with your studies.

I mentioned on another thread this evening the need to be accurate with numbers on the Forum or risk being taken to task so for the more exacting: a nautical mile is 1.1508 miles, or 6,076 feet.

miles

Draw a line on a map showing lat/long grid lines and degree ticks..measure that line on a North/SOuth grid line..degrees=NM.

Google Earth has the ability to plot a course from Point A to Point B, or to plot a path consisting of numerous points. I can't open it from work to verify it, but I believe one of the choices you have in how Google Earth reports the distance is in knots.

Lat/Long lines and degrees are on almost every nautical chart I've ever seen. Before anybody lets a computer (Google Earth, etc.) plot a course for them they'd best learn to do it using that thing sitting atop their shoulders. Otherwise they'll be like the kids who can't count change unless the register tells them how. Makes it rough when the power goes down.

None of you sons of Magellan and Admirals of the Ocean Sea take issue with that?

"http://howtoimprovereadingcomprehension.com/" Couldn't resist using your good line. Sorry. Beyond what I wrote I really didn't know where to begin.

GE is fine to quickly check out distance between destinations, just to get a rough nr.

for fuel, ports, etc... it depends where you are going... for the US, tehre are many website with info, starting with activecaptain.com

best thing you can do right now is buy yourself a copy of Chapman's, there is an entire chapter on charts and nav.

http://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-distance-calculator.htm

Here is the link.

Ken

Google Earth lets you select distance in nautical miles.

A knot is a measure of speed, not distance

for calculating with units

my very old favorite is

http://www.calculator.org/default.aspx

Cheers and have a nice weekend

"I need some help on gallons/nm not sure my numbers were right.
avg 40 diesel sport fisher at 17-18 knots ??"
Think it might be easier and a more practical learning experience to just pull out a pencil and paper than to learn that machine for this one.

I think this guy is having every one "on" it's not April 1 is it ??

A couple of years back I read an article in a small boat mag about a guy running from Fire Island to Block Island (a trip I can do in my sleep). He made it sound like the Poseidon Adventure. He couldn't figure why the baloons (that are released on the beach for parties and fall to the water about 1 1/2 miles offshore) weren't there as he remembered from his first time and thought they were for navigation. (Never mind the 120 mile long ilsand on his left). We often forget what it's like to be a rank amateur.
BTW, lots2learn, I don't think it got covered but facilities can be found in the cruising guides, and on the back pages of several chart kits. You'll also find tables of the distances between many ports in the guides.