pThe latest edition of the Bowditch. This version is Volume 1 only.ppI am honored to welcome you to the 2017 edition of Publication No. 9, The American Practical Navigator, or as most mariners refer to it, Bowditch. As a young Surface Warfare Officer serving in my first ship, I quickly learned Bowditch should be my first resource for all things related to navigation, oceanography and meteorology. I never imagined that 25 years later, I would be privileged to lead the team entrusted with updating this incredible document.ppOne can hardly imagine the time, effort, and pressure involved in undertaking such a task--this is Bowditch, after all. None of us alone can equal the talent, experience and skill of Nathaniel Bowditch, as expressed in his first edition of 1802. As a result, this edition is the outcome of countless hours of hard work by many dedicated, passionate, and skilled colleagues from a variety of disciplines. And it was this team of scientific and operational navigation expert