Sea-going sailors delude themselves that navigation is for the open sea: that 'river navigation' is by definition an oxymoron. [contradiction in terms such as "Microsoft Works"]. That marvellous sailor-poet, John Masefield put it ever so nicely when he requested a 'tall ship and a star to steer her by'. Nice for the open sea, but a bit useless when the myriad stars of the universe (reliably visible in the night sky at 45N by 25W) are not there for mariners at 51.30N x 00.60E due to light pollution, an airport next door and the Thames Barrier loaming in the gloaming.
Try 'a star to steer her by' at night on The River when every nav. light competes with a hundred on-shore lights of all colours and intensities, and the lights of every boat competes with trains, cars, shopping malls and fireworks. Any fool can navigate at sea, using Masefield's star to steer her by. Real navigation is left to Real Sailors: those who navigate the River from Staines to Grain and back. By night. In mist and fog. Without Radar. In this NAVIGATION module, you will be shown what is needed to navigate the River.
START:
What is the differance between Navigation and Pilotage? Think of a pilot's job: to take a ship and by using local kniowledge steer her safely through familiar waters to and from a safe berth.
look up the word "Ness" in a proper dictionary and commit the new knowledge to memory.
Find out what a reach is or why it is thus called. Points and Nesses mark the limits of Reaches.