BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?

otnmbrd

wrote in
:

The original poster was asking if he HAD to learn celestial before
starting off on his world tour and frankly (I'm about half way around
on most people's trip) I have never talked to anyone who actually used
a sextant to navigate. I have talked to people who had one aboard but
if you ask them whether they actually use it they sort of grin and
admit that "no, they don't".

Bruce in Bangkok
(brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom)

G The point to be made is not necessarily whether you use it (except
as an exercise or to have some fun, why bother) the point is can it be
of value should Mr. Murphy blah, blah, blah.
His statement regarding buying a cheap sextant and the particular book
was a valid idea which would give him that one more level of
protection/ability, should......

BTW you don't need an "accurate clock" to use a sextant, but speaking of
"time" most any modern (or old, for that matter)watch keeps accurate
enough time that it could be used, especially if you checked it prior to
"doomsday"
Jeff...accurate clocks were being used on many ships, long before
radio....radio just made it easier to monitor the rate