Da Kine wrote:
The USCG requires it - today - for higher licensing. It's not
nonsense. A sextant is a great tool used to measure angles and a tool I
don't go off shore without. You can get an extremely accurate fix
with a sextant and a compass with only 1 known point on the horizon.

Just because you don't see a need for something doesn't mean
anything other then you don't know how to use it. Offshore, I can
think of more then a dozen ways to navigate using nothing more then
cloud formation, wind direction and change thereof, wave height and
shape and crossing, Wave interval between crests and OH so many more.

GPS is great right up until you get a lighting strike and everything
blows out. Those that say "that'll never happen to me" have never
been sailing in the tropics. My boat was hit along with 2 other boats
with the same lighting strike. My boat was spared because I was
navigating at the time with NO POWER ON and everything disconnected at
the breakers and I had no water in my bilge. Another boat with me lost
about 20K worth of electronics and was done for the season but suffered
no damage other then electronic and the third boat was unplugged but
somehow got a smoldering spark that later that night burned the boat to
the water line. There is not much you can do about fire but the lazy
ass friend of mine that wouldn't hand steer and thought GPS was the
only answer found himself on a boat that he couldn't do a thing with
after one little strike!

Those that advocate that GPS is the second coming are fooling
themselves. I hope they stay close to some of the not so lazy mariners
so that WHEN they step in it they'll have someone to pull them out.

That same bolt of lightening will take out your calculator so you then
have to work stars long hand. It'll also kill your digital watch and
radio so you won't have the correct time. It'll probably short out your
boat so you won't be able to work the stars out until light the next
morning. The lightening excuse to learn astro is BS. Learn it because
you want to or take a couple extra handheld GPS. Practice dead
reckoning. Know where you are all the time.

Gaz