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#1
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Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
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. |
#2
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Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
It's pretty much a waste of time anymore.
S.Simon 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. |
#3
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Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
Sure, they teach celestial - they just don't require it. There are other skills more
important. Unless you are planning to do numerous long distance passages, celestial is useless. You may enjoy learning it, it is an interesting intellectual exercise, but it has little to do with coastal cruising. Twenty-five years ago I tried to do a sight every day; I haven't brought a sextant onboard in 8 years. -j felton wrote: 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. |
#4
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Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
I think it's worth knowing, but I doubt you'll have much use for
it, except for fun. It's too easy to have multiple GPS backups. The last extended trip I took, we had 5 handhelds and a fixed mount GPS. We ended up arguing about the .xxx digits. 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. |
#5
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Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort... Yes *if*
felton wrote:
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. What are your sailing/cruising goals? If you are planning on doing any extended cruising, then you should know as much about navigation as you can learn (ditto about electricity, engines, etc etc). Knowledge is power! 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. This is misleading. Graduating cadets are not expected to navigate ships, but line officers are. The celestial nav courses were moved to an appropriate curriculum for post grads, whereas cadets had three or four other hard courses shoved in. Is celestial anything more than an interesting exercise these days or is it worth the effort to learn for any meaningful use? If it keeps you from being lost at sea after your GPS is either fried, dropped, or soaked, then clestial skills (even if it is only shooting sun lines) will bring your butt into port alive. 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. Personally, I count all knowledge as a net gain. YMMV. Fresh Breezes- Doug King |
#6
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Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort... Yes *if*
"DSK" wrote in message ... Personally, I count all knowledge as a net gain. YMMV. Fresh Breezes- Doug King That's the funniest statement I've read so far this year. Bwaaahahahhahhahahahhahahahhahahaha! It's so funny because it comes from one of the least knowledgeable subscribers .asa has ever had the misfortune to attract. S.Simon |
#7
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Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort... Yes *if*
On Wed, 03 Sep 2003 14:19:57 -0400, DSK wrote:
felton wrote: 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. What are your sailing/cruising goals? If you are planning on doing any extended cruising, then you should know as much about navigation as you can learn (ditto about electricity, engines, etc etc). Knowledge is power! While I agree with your premise, I am really trying to determine if my time would be better spent learning something more likely to have some use to me. I tend to believe that celestial is so far down the list of skills that *might* be useful, that perhaps my time would be better invested in an amateur radio license, for example. There must be other ways to improve myself in some way that may be useful, rather than just interesting. 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. This is misleading. Graduating cadets are not expected to navigate ships, but line officers are. The celestial nav courses were moved to an appropriate curriculum for post grads, whereas cadets had three or four other hard courses shoved in. Is celestial anything more than an interesting exercise these days or is it worth the effort to learn for any meaningful use? If it keeps you from being lost at sea after your GPS is either fried, dropped, or soaked, then clestial skills (even if it is only shooting sun lines) will bring your butt into port alive. True enough, but it seems likely that I could counter those risks more easily than learning celestial navigation, but I do concede that it would be useful in those circumstances. 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. Personally, I count all knowledge as a net gain. YMMV. I do too, but I haven't signed up for piano lessons, either Fresh Breezes- Doug King |
#8
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Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
On Wed, 3 Sep 2003 13:36:10 -0400, "Jeff Morris"
jeffmo@NoSpam-sv-lokiDOTcom wrote: Sure, they teach celestial - they just don't require it. There are other skills more important. Unless you are planning to do numerous long distance passages, celestial is useless. You may enjoy learning it, it is an interesting intellectual exercise, but it has little to do with coastal cruising. Twenty-five years ago I tried to do a sight every day; I haven't brought a sextant onboard in 8 years. -j Thanks, Jeff. That is what I was thinking. The piloting and coastal nav courses I have taken have been very useful, but I need to find something else to work on to try to develop my seamanship. USPS has been good, but I need to find something worthwhile if I am going to put in the time and effort. felton wrote: 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. |
#9
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Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
I tend to agree, but you surprised me. I thought you might be more of
a Larry Pardee minimalist, Cappy On Wed, 3 Sep 2003 13:22:26 -0400, "Simple Simon" wrote: It's pretty much a waste of time anymore. S.Simon 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. |
#10
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Is Celestial Nav Worth the Effort?
It depends on where you plan to cruise, and/or how much you want to know.
If during the majority of your cruising, you will stay within 1-2 days of landfall, I wouldn't be too concerned about having the ability, except as something you would care to know about. However, if you will be making longer trips, out of sight of land, I would consider it well worth the effort and ability. You don't really need to know all the why's and wherefores of what you are doing, but mainly the steps involved in going through the sight and various tables, to come up with a solution (or basic inputs, for a computer). Although the Naval Academy does not make celestial a required course, the Maritime Academies do, for those going for a deck license. In reality, the choice is yours ..... you can carry a whole bunch of spare batteries and handhelds, or a sextant, tables, and/or a calculator. GPS advantage - turn it on and it works G Celestial - needs practice to be good, and some never do become good. otn felton wrote: 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. |
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