Introduction: Basic Navigation Watchkeeping

Lookout reporting system:

If a lookout sees any ship or suspicious object then he/she needs to report to the OOW using the reporting format in the image below.

Helm Orders, Meaning, and Execution

The ship’s helm is a wheel that you turn to control the angle of the rudder. It is also called the steering wheel. When a pilot or master of the ship gives any order, the helmsman needs to repeat the order and then execute the given order.

Midships, Rudder midships, or Midships the wheel: These three orders are one and the same. It means that the rudder is to be held in the fore and aft positions.

Port / starboard five: Turn the rudder five degrees to port/ starboard as shown in the indicator.

Port / starboard ten: Turn the rudder ten degrees to port/ starboard as shown in the indicator.

Port / starboard fifteen: Turn the rudder fifteen degrees to port/ starboard as shown in the indicator.

Port / starboard twenty: Turn the rudder twenty degrees to port/ starboard as shown in the indicator.

Port / starboard twenty-five: Turn the rudder twenty-fivedegrees to port/ starboard as shown in the indicator.

Hard-a-port / starboard, hard-to-port / starboard, or hard port / starboard:
Turn the helm to port 35 or starboard 35 as per the order.

 Steady:
When the conning officer gives this command, you as the man on the wheel, must immediately Reduce the vessel’s swing as rapidly as possible! Then report the heading at which the vessel’s course is steady at.

Ease to five / ten / fifteen / twenty:
Reduce the amount of rudder to 5°/ 10°/ 15°/ 20° and hold.

Report to me if you have no steering:
Steaming at a slow speed affects the steering of the ship. Since the pilot is aware of this, he usually tells you to report if you have no steering.

Finish with the wheel:

Lastly, when the mooring operation is finished, the ship is alongside, and the mooring ropes are fast, it’s time for the conning officer to let you go of this duty.
The proper way of saying this is, “Finish with the wheel.”
Your response would be, “Finish with the wheel, thank you.”
And you will leave the wheel after turning it to midship which is a common practice onboard merchant vessels.

Basic of the Rules of the Road

The International Regulations for the Prevention of Collision at Sea are a set of rules that apply to all vessels using the sea be they commercial or leisure and all water users are obliged to observe them.