Study guides
Unit-by-unit guides for the exam.
Maritime IALA buoyage: a guide for the PER and PNB
Colours, shapes, topmarks and lights of the six marks of the IALA system (Region A), with tips to pass the eliminating buoyage block.
Read the guide →COLREGs (RIPA): steering rules, lights and signals for the PER and PNB
Who keeps clear in each situation, the lights and shapes of ships and the sound signals, with tips to pass the largest eliminating block in the exam.
Read the guide →The navigation chart in the PER: fixing your position, courses and distances
Measuring distances on the latitude scale, plotting courses and bearings, fixing your position by two bearings and dead reckoning — with a worked example and tips for the eliminating block.
Read the guide →Navigation theory: courses, declination and total correction
The three norths, declination, deviation and total correction, with the sign rule and worked examples. The basis that makes the chart block easy.
Read the guide →Safety at sea for the PER and PNB
What equipment to carry according to the navigation zone and how to react to the most frequent emergencies: man overboard, heavy weather, flooding and distress signals.
Read the guide →Meteorology for the PER and PNB
Pressure and isobars, lows and highs, Buys-Ballot, coastal breezes, fronts and the Beaufort and Douglas scales — to decide whether to go out, when and where.
Read the guide →Nautical legislation for the PER and PNB
Where and at what speed you can sail near the coast, what insurance and documentation you need, the diving flag and how not to pollute. The rules that prevent fines and accidents.
Read the guide →Lights and shapes of ships: how to identify them by night and by day
The masthead, side and stern lights and their sectors, the lights of each type of vessel and the day shapes — a deep dive into Part C of the COLREGs, the eliminating block.
Read the guide →Nautical nomenclature: the parts of the boat
Bow, stern, port and starboard; underwater body and topsides; and the dimensions (length, beam, draught, freeboard) with trim and displacement. The base vocabulary of the syllabus.
Read the guide →Mooring and anchoring: elements, knots and manoeuvre
The mooring elements, the four exam knots, the parts of the anchor and a well-executed anchoring manoeuvre — without dragging.
Read the guide →Manoeuvring: the propeller effect, turning and berthing
The transverse thrust of the propeller, the standing turn, the turning circle, the mooring lines and how to berth well with wind and current — the most practical part of the syllabus.
Read the guide →Emergencies at sea: fire, towing and abandoning ship
Fighting a fire, giving or taking a tow and, as a last resort, abandoning ship safely. Emergencies on board, step by step.
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