Captain’s Mode Maritime

Best Maritime Educational Resource

A ship captain looking out on deck from the windshield inside the ship's bridge.

Career Guide

A trainee holding a hand flare while on top of a liferaft during their basic safety training.

Health and Safety

Shipmaster saluting.

Shipboard Ranks

A seaman using inside the bridge using a binocular as the background for the book title, The Basics of Navigation..

Navigation

A seaman using his mobile phone while watching a beautiful sunset on on calm waters.

Seaman’s Life

An Officer training his crew about an important ship equipment.

Ship Knowledge

Welcome to Captain’s Mode Maritime ⚓
Your trusted source for maritime education, navigation tutorials, and seafaring insights. We publish practical guides on ship handling, navigation, practical seamanship, safety guides, and life at sea — written for cadets, deck officers, and maritime professionals seeking accurate, easy-to-follow content materials.

Recently Published

How to Perform an Effective Gangway Watch on a Ship

A gangway watchman is responsible for much more than standing at the ship’s gangway and checking visitors. The watchman is the first point of contact for people coming aboard and plays an important role in ship security,…
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Seaman’s Notes

Questions Inspectors May Ask a Ship’s Gangway Watchman

The inspector has just arrived at the gangway. Are you ready for the questions? For…
Why Do Seafarer Job Boards Show More Engine Vacancies Than Deck Jobs?

If you browse maritime recruitment websites, you may notice something surprising: engine department vacancies often…
OWS 15 ppm Alarm: Troubleshooting False High Readings

It is 0300, your OWS 15 ppm alarm has tripped for the third time this…

CPP Bow Thruster Zero Pitch: Zero Thrust & Troubleshooting

Your bow thruster lever sits at neutral, yet the bow of your laden bulk carrier…
Radar Parallel Indexing: How to Use PI for Safe Navigation in Confined Waters ⚓

Fog reduces visibility to 200 metres at 0200H, and the channel ahead narrows to a…
ECDIS Safety Depth vs Safety Contour: A Practical OOW Configuration Guide

Safety Depth and Safety Contour are not the same setting. Safety Depth makes potentially unsafe…

Echo Sounder Draft Offset: DBT, DBK and DBS Explained for Safe Navigation

An echo sounder draft offset determines the reference point from which a depth reading is…
Emergency Steering Gear Drill: Bridge-to-Steering Flat Changeover Guide

An emergency steering changeover is the controlled transfer of rudder control from the bridge to…
Radar Performance Monitor (PM) Testing and Blind Sector Plotting

A radar performance monitor provides a means of checking transmitter and receiver performance against a…

Mariner’s Handbook

⚓ What Is Squat in Ship Navigation? Formula, Causes, & UKC Standards Explained

Squat is the increase in a ship’s draft caused by hydrodynamic sinkage as speed increases…

⚓ What Is a Riding Gang on a Ship? Everything Seafarers Need to Know

The riding gang, riding squad, or riding crew is one of shipping’s most misunderstood roles and one of its most debated. Some say they’re unqualified laborers cutting into seafarers’ jobs.…