Before I joined the CG Cutter in Kodiak the CG sent me to an 8 week “A” school to learn the basics: laying out track-lines, maintaining a DR plot, plotting bearing and ranges etc. It’s a whole system. Aboard ship the same, standardized, fully supported system is in use with all the required tool (gyro-stabilized radar with VRM for ranges, pelorus to take bearings etc.
Capt Doug’s system was entirely based upon local knowledge and the Aleutian freighter that was my first job as mate lacked the tools (no track-lines, small heads-up radar, no VRM, (fixed range rings only) not able to take a proper fix. At 12 kts every turn around the next point it was OK, figure this out.
I found the first trip to be very stressful.