Three-Point Fix Explained (Bearing Compass Navigation)

If you want to take this beyond a quick three-point fix and build real offshore confidence, check out NauticEd’s Offshore Bundle of Courses—designed to give you repeatable skills for passagemaking and navigation - https://www.nauticed.org/bundle/view/captain?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=2Z7wlk4_i8w I’m using Savvy Navvy here for the three-point fix feature—it’s a simple way to plot bearings and visualize your position fast while you’re on the water - https://www.savvy-navvy.com A three-point fix is when you use a handheld compass to take bearings to three known landmarks (a hilltop, a control tower, the edge of an island), then plot those directions on the chart to find your position. For a strong fix, you want the landmarks about 60–90° apart. In this example (British Virgin Islands), I “cheat” a bit by using Savvy Navvy’s three-point fix feature while still entering real compass bearings and converting magnetic to true using local variation (13° W). We take bearings to the Beef Island control tower, a cardinal mark, and the edge of Salt Island, then see the resulting triangle area—your likely position—known as the “cocked hat.” 00:00 - What a three-point fix is 00:31 - Chart vs app (Savvy Navvy “three-point fix”) 00:44 - Setting up in the British Virgin Islands 00:54 - Landmark #1: Beef Island control tower 01:53 - Landmark #2: Cardinal mark SE end of Beef Island 02:24 - Landmark #3: Edge of Salt Island 02:44 - The “cocked hat” triangle (your likely position) #sailing #sailingschool #navigation #boating