Well, I'm touched by your comments.

However, there is nothing special about my knowledge. It's just the
basics of coastal piloting and the foundation on which you should
build your use of more advanced methods and tools.

My original comment was that, when forced to rely on these methods
alone because of economics and the availability of equipment at the
time, I found myself forced into a heightened awareness of my
surroundings and enjoying the simplicity. It's much like how a
backpacker experiences his environment differently than someone who is
driving through it. Just as there are times and places you shouldn't
be walking, there are times and places that it would be foolish not to
use GPS and other such tools now that they are universally available.

I was never actually taught any of this. I just read about it and
really paid attention when I first started going out in boats. You can
do the same although learning from people who know more is never
wasted.

Finally, I know next to nothing about celestial. I'm strictly a
coastal sailor. My big boat ocean time has always been as crew.

I'm not in a position to take time to teach you anything personally
and, as I said, it's no more that what a good piloting teacher would
teach you first. The key is to navigate constantly, even when there is
no question about your position. Read what you can, talk to everyone
you can, and just sail in an alert fashion trying different things and
paying attention to every clue you can. You should do fine.