Once you know a coastal area well, a very simple plan with a detailed weather forecast is often all that is required. In less familiar or complicated sailing areas, it pays to plan in more depth in advance.
Charts are a representation of the curved surface of the Earth on a flat sheet of paper. As a result, they are drawn using a system of latitude and longitude as a grid reference and scale. Distance is always measured in degrees, minutes and seconds of latitude on a scale up the side of the chart.
One minute of latitude is equal to one nautical mile (1 nautical mile = 1.12 statute miles). The vertical lines on the chart all relate to true north. Like land maps, charts use symbols to show useful and important features and hazards. Here, a bird’s eye view of Namley Harbour shows how the chart relates to the coastline.