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DR Track

Same as DR plot. A plot on the plotting sheet of your DR course records (from the logbook), showing how far and in what direction you traveled since your last fix. Once a new fix is obtained, this plot is abandoned and a new one started from the latest fix. This plot is the most important part of ocean navigation. It must be done carefully if you are to test the accuracy of your dead reckoning. See Accuracy, Dead Reckoning, and Plotting.

Note that some navigators (adamantly) distinguish between a DR track that includes nothing but log and compass plotting, as opposed to a corrected DR-track that yields an "estimated position." In that thinking, a DR position is different from an estimated position, but we do not feel very strongly about this distinction.


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