Magnetic Compass and Nautical Chart Requirements

Magnetic Compasses

To comply with the Navigation Safety Regulations, all pleasure craft must be equipped with a magnetic compass. The only exception is a pleasure craft 8 metres (26.2 feet) or less in length that is operated within sight of navigation marks.

Nautical Charts

Pleasure craft operators are legally required by the Charts and Nautical Publications Regulations to carry the most recent edition of the following navigational charts and publications for the areas in which they plan to operate:

• A large, official nautical chart
• List of Lights, Buoys, and Fog Signals
• Notices to Mariners
• Sailing Directions
• Canadian Tide and Current Tables

These charts and publications are not required if the operator has sufficient knowledge of:

• The locations of shipping routes; lights, buoys, and markers; and navigational hazards and…
• Prevailing conditions, including factors such as tides, currents, ice, and weather patterns.