Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
 

Oh, I can do it and I have a Davis plastic sextant and tables
aboard but I still think it's rather a waste of time anymore.

GPS ain't never going down for the count. Too many things
rely on it. The worst that will happen is a satellite or two
may go belly up but there's enough redundancy to work
around them until new ones can be put up.

S.Simon


"Capt.American" wrote in message om...
"Simple Simon" wrote in message ...
It's pretty much a waste of time anymore.

S.Simon

No Sailor can call himself a unlimited master without it.

Have you no sence of self reliability?
No pride in doing something on your own?

Or have you become a dependant of the system?

If the GPS system ever goes down, any person with Celestial navigation
experience will be worth his weight in gold.

Capt. American





felton wrote in message ...
I am wrestling with myself as to whether to continue my USPS course
work and sign up for the JN course, which is the first of two courses
dealing with celestial navigation. I have completed all the electives
and through Advanced Piloting, so it is decision time. I have heard
that even the Naval Academy doesn't teach celestial navigating skills
any longer.

Is celestial anything more than an interesting exercise these days or
is it worth the effort to learn for any meaningful use? Ultimately it
comes down to time invested/benefit to learn, like anything else.

At the risk of sounding "lubberly", I just wonder if this is time well
spent these days.

Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
 

"Aniculapeter" wrote in message 2. It is fairly cheap and simple. A good plastic sextant will do the job.
(Chinese brass is recommended, because it is nicer to work with.)

Chinese CRAP is more like it. Japanese Junk leave it alone, There
are several good american sextants, Any White is good, but if you want
to do it right get a captured German Plath and be proud of your
sextant I says!

Capt. American




3. It is fun and interesting, and it adds to your basic comprehension of the
universe and your position in it.

You can probably live without it, but if you sail the high seas it will
increase your safety and probably your appreciation of the world you live
in.

Might increase the appreciation of yourself and your abilities!

Capt. American

Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
 

LOL S.S. can't now and never will be, able to call himself an unlimited
master.

Capt.American wrote:
"Simple Simon" wrote in message ...

It's pretty much a waste of time anymore.

S.Simon


No Sailor can call himself a unlimited master without it.

Have you no sence of self reliability?
No pride in doing something on your own?

Or have you become a dependant of the system?

If the GPS system ever goes down, any person with Celestial navigation
experience will be worth his weight in gold.

Capt. American





felton wrote in message ...

I am wrestling with myself as to whether to continue my USPS course
work and sign up for the JN course, which is the first of two courses
dealing with celestial navigation. I have completed all the electives
and through Advanced Piloting, so it is decision time. I have heard
that even the Naval Academy doesn't teach celestial navigating skills
any longer.

Is celestial anything more than an interesting exercise these days or
is it worth the effort to learn for any meaningful use? Ultimately it
comes down to time invested/benefit to learn, like anything else.

At the risk of sounding "lubberly", I just wonder if this is time well
spent these days.

Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
 

Ganz wrote:

It's also quite dependent on weather.

Yes.

It's also tedious to do the numbers.

No, not unles you venture into lunar distances or trying to do it by pure
math. Using H.O. 249 or doing noon hights is not that complicated.

But, I agree, it's worth knowing. Then, when you miss Hawaii, you can say
with certainty... well, I only probably missed it by 60 nm.

You have a point. Celestial navigation on a boat does not have the accuracy
that we get used to from GPS, but I think you should be able to do at least
10 times better.

Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
 

Capt. American wrote:

Chinese CRAP is more like it. Japanese Junk leave it alone, There
are several good american sextants, Any White is
good, but if you want
to do it right get a captured German Plath and be
proud of your sextant I says!

Yes, the Plath sextants are very nice - I would certainly like to own one -
but they are also very expensive. I think the "Cassens + Plath" brass is my
fauvorit, though I have only held it in a shop.
I think the Chinese gives very good value for money. An other reasonable
option is the smaller Baltic or Carl Zeiss Yacht sextant, also at an
affordable price (and low weight).

Might increase the appreciation of yourself and your abilities!

Yes. And probably even more so if you have captured the german Plath
yourself, but I assume you are not quite that old.

Peter S/Y Anicula

Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
 

"Simple Simon" wrote in
:



Oh, I can do it and I have a Davis plastic sextant and tables
aboard but I still think it's rather a waste of time anymore.

GPS ain't never going down for the count. Too many things
rely on it. The worst that will happen is a satellite or two
may go belly up but there's enough redundancy to work
around them until new ones can be put up.

Snort!

Until you sail into an area that's been suppressed.


Fjuckwit.

Bertie

Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
 

That's true, but it's still working in a book, looking at small numbers
inside a washing machine while drinking a tuna shake.

You're right, you should be able to do better. It's just a problem of
when you can do better and when you can't. If you're unlucky, when
you can't will be when you need it.

"Aniculapeter" wrote in message
k...
Ganz wrote:

It's also quite dependent on weather.

Yes.

It's also tedious to do the numbers.

No, not unles you venture into lunar distances or trying to do it by pure
math. Using H.O. 249 or doing noon hights is not that complicated.

But, I agree, it's worth knowing. Then, when you miss Hawaii, you can
say
with certainty... well, I only probably missed it by 60 nm.

You have a point. Celestial navigation on a boat does not have the
accuracy
that we get used to from GPS, but I think you should be able to do at
least
10 times better.

Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
 

Aniculapeter wrote:

.....Yes. And probably even more so if you have captured the german Plath
yourself, but I assume you are not quite that old.

What do you mean old? CA just 'captured' it from a German a few months ago!

DSK

Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
 

Bertie the Bunyip wrote:

"Simple Simon" wrote
GPS ain't never going down for the count. ...

Until you sail into an area that's been suppressed.


Ah ... er ... where's that? N.Y.? Gay Bay? ???

Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
 

DSK wrote in message ...
Aniculapeter wrote:

.....Yes. And probably even more so if you have captured the german Plath
yourself, but I assume you are not quite that old.

What do you mean old? CA just 'captured' it from a German a few months ago!

DSK

Actually I captured it on ebay, But it is a WWII era sextant.

Capt American


25%&^ Halliburton stock that is. 4U2C