Distance to nearest land from GPS coordinates

I have the GPS (lat/lon) coordinates of a ship track. For each point on the track I'd like to find the distance to nearest land. I have access to the mapping toolbox.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

[Rhea Chandy]

This previously answered question can give you some guidance on finding the distance between points using GPS coordinates.

This Summary and Guide to Projections can help you choose the right projection for your land map.

[ET]

My question was more than just plotting or finding the distance between two points. For example, just given a single latitude\longitude position in the ocean somewhere, is there a function which can tell me what the nearest point on land is? The function would have to know the edges of the land masses and then search them to find the point on those edges that is closest to the given position.