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Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
I was just told by a friend that I should learn celestial navigation before sailing around the world because GPS devices don't work that well in the middle of the ocean and can malfunction if they get wet, etc. Does my friend have a point even if I intend to bring 3 independent GPS systems with me ? How about if I just get a cheap sextant and the book "Celestial Navigation When Your GPS Fails" and bring them with me ? TIA |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation?
I take 6. They fail all the time.....
And the stars failed to appear in the Pacific... I wait until they make BETTER gps before I go... Hanz wrote: I was just told by a friend that I should learn celestial navigation before sailing around the world because GPS devices don't work that well in the middle of the ocean and can malfunction if they get wet, etc. Does my friend have a point even if I intend to bring 3 independent GPS systems with me ? How about if I just get a cheap sextant and the book "Celestial Navigation When Your GPS Fails" and bring them with me ? TIA |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
On Sep 16, 6:51 am, wrote:
I was just told by a friend that I should learn celestial navigation before sailing around the world because GPS devices don't work that well in the middle of the ocean and can malfunction if they get wet, etc. Does my friend have a point even if I intend to bring 3 independent GPS systems with me ? How about if I just get a cheap sextant and the book "Celestial Navigation When Your GPS Fails" and bring them with me ? TIA Sure, learn celestial navigation. Or group theory, or some other arcane area of knowledge. Or bring some good books, like Moby Dick. It gets pretty boring out there in the wide blue sea. But learn celestial navigation as a backup for GPS? You've got to be kidding. First, GPS works great in the middle of the ocean -- and everywhere else, for that mattter. Second, definitely bring backup GPS units-- we have 3 aboard, in addition to our primary one. Put one in your ditch bag and remember to inspect it regularly to see the batteries are good. But don't worry about the satellite system failing -- the US Government (and everybody else, from commercial airlines to farmers) is too reliant on GPS to let it fail (or turn it off, which is what the Europeans seem to fear). It's celestial navigation that fails, mainly because it depends on clear skies, which, in the middle of a storm, there ain't any of. One reason the Carolina coast is littered with shipwrecks is that the Gulf Stream is almost always covered with clouds, so those ancient mariners went for days on dead-reckoning -- and with a 2-knot current with lots of swirls and eddies, that's not a good thing. If they'd had GPS, they would have been far less likely to run onto the sandbanks. Good luck on your circumnavigation. See you out here. Rob |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
If you have to ask this question then you're probably nowhere near prepared
to circumnavigate. wrote in message ... I was just told by a friend that I should learn celestial navigation before sailing around the world because GPS devices don't work that well in the middle of the ocean and can malfunction if they get wet, etc. Does my friend have a point even if I intend to bring 3 independent GPS systems with me ? |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation?
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Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
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Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
wrote in message
... I was just told by a friend that I should learn celestial navigation before sailing around the world because GPS devices don't work that well in the middle of the ocean and can malfunction if they get wet, etc. Does my friend have a point even if I intend to bring 3 independent GPS systems with me ? How about if I just get a cheap sextant and the book "Celestial Navigation When Your GPS Fails" and bring them with me ? TIA Learning something new (or in this case old) is always a good idea. That said, the GPS sat system works just fine. The biggest issue is that your batteries die. Bring spares of batteries and GPSs. Your friend has a point on the top of his head. -- "j" ganz @@ www.sailnow.com |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
wrote in message ... I was just told by a friend that I should learn celestial navigation before sailing around the world because GPS devices don't work that well in the middle of the ocean and can malfunction if they get wet, etc. Does my friend have a point even if I intend to bring 3 independent GPS systems with me ? How about if I just get a cheap sextant and the book "Celestial Navigation When Your GPS Fails" and bring them with me ? TIA Don't worry about it. Just get a plastic sextant, an instruction book and some HO 249 tables. Any moron can learn celestial on the fly. I learned it on the fly in two days, enough to make a cocked hat about a mile on a side. Still, for a man who loves precision, I prefer GPS. Consider getting at least one GPS portable that uses the Russian constellation in case the US constellation gets shot down by the Chinese one of these days. Portables are pretty immune from going to hell provided they are kept in a water proof case like a Pelican case and then stored inside a metal case. Even a lighting strike to the mother ship rarely harms them. If you're paranoid, store three or four portables in different places around the ship. Get plenty of batteries or have a means to charge rechargeable batteries independent of the motor. (solar) Wilbur Hubbard |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
On Sep 16, 1:23 pm, "Wilbur Hubbard"
wrote: wrote in message ... I was just told by a friend that I should learn celestial navigation before sailing around the world because GPS devices don't work that well in the middle of the ocean and can malfunction if they get wet, etc. Does my friend have a point even if I intend to bring 3 independent GPS systems with me ? How about if I just get a cheap sextant and the book "Celestial Navigation When Your GPS Fails" and bring them with me ? TIA Don't worry about it. Just get a plastic sextant, an instruction book and some HO 249 tables. Any moron can learn celestial on the fly. I learned it on the fly in two days, enough to make a cocked hat about a mile on a side. Still, for a man who loves precision, I prefer GPS. Consider getting at least one GPS portable that uses the Russian constellation in case the US constellation gets shot down by the Chinese one of these days. Portables are pretty immune from going to hell provided they are kept in a water proof case like a Pelican case and then stored inside a metal case. Even a lighting strike to the mother ship rarely harms them. If you're paranoid, store three or four portables in different places around the ship. Get plenty of batteries or have a means to charge rechargeable batteries independent of the motor. (solar) Wilbur Hubbar Electronics fail. It's one of the constants on a boat in a salt water environment. Celestial navigation is not for morons, GPS receivers are. Intelligent blue water sailors learn celestial navigation. It is the back up. It can save your life. Don't think of it as a chore, it is part of the fun of blue water sailing if you let it be. |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
On Sep 16, 5:51 am, wrote:
I was just told by a friend that I should learn celestial navigation before sailing around the world because GPS devices don't work that well in the middle of the ocean and can malfunction if they get wet, etc. Does my friend have a point even if I intend to bring 3 independent GPS systems with me ? How about if I just get a cheap sextant and the book "Celestial Navigation When Your GPS Fails" and bring them with me ? TIA I would learn celestial navigation if I were you. There is safety in redundancy as you obviously know by bringing 3 gps sysems with you. If you learn celestial you could reduce that to just two perhaps. It seems that most experienced blue water sailors know how to use a sextant. There is some satisfaction in navigating by the stars for some of us instead of relying on electronics. Its part of the charm of blue water sailing for me. |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
It seems like every joe blow average is cruising out there. Its like
Mount Everest, everyone is climbing it these days or trying to, wearing designer climbing clothings listening to their ipods while trying to reach the summit or dying in the process. Why not rise above the crowd and learn celestial navigation. It is not an obsolete skill and people respect those that know how to do it even if they won't admit it. |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
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Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
"roger" wrote in message ups.com... On Sep 16, 1:23 pm, "Wilbur Hubbard" wrote: wrote in message ... I was just told by a friend that I should learn celestial navigation before sailing around the world because GPS devices don't work that well in the middle of the ocean and can malfunction if they get wet, etc. Does my friend have a point even if I intend to bring 3 independent GPS systems with me ? How about if I just get a cheap sextant and the book "Celestial Navigation When Your GPS Fails" and bring them with me ? TIA Don't worry about it. Just get a plastic sextant, an instruction book and some HO 249 tables. Any moron can learn celestial on the fly. I learned it on the fly in two days, enough to make a cocked hat about a mile on a side. Still, for a man who loves precision, I prefer GPS. Consider getting at least one GPS portable that uses the Russian constellation in case the US constellation gets shot down by the Chinese one of these days. Portables are pretty immune from going to hell provided they are kept in a water proof case like a Pelican case and then stored inside a metal case. Even a lighting strike to the mother ship rarely harms them. If you're paranoid, store three or four portables in different places around the ship. Get plenty of batteries or have a means to charge rechargeable batteries independent of the motor. (solar) Wilbur Hubbar Electronics fail. It's one of the constants on a boat in a salt water environment. Celestial navigation is not for morons, GPS receivers are. Intelligent blue water sailors learn celestial navigation. It is the back up. It can save your life. Don't think of it as a chore, it is part of the fun of blue water sailing if you let it be. If you carry multiple GPS backups the chance of all of them going bad on a circumnavigation is less than the chances of your dropping your sextant overboard. I didn't say celestial navigation was for morons. I said even a moron could learn it. It isn't that hard. Even that 14-year-old girl Tanya Aebi of "Maiden Voyage" fame who circumnavigated learned it as she went. And that was before they even had GPS. BTW, I heard she's in the process of going round again. This time with her 14-year-old son and a bigger boat. Time flies. . . Wilbur Hubbard |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
Larry wrote in news:Xns99ADAD78CF807noonehomecom@
208.49.80.253: Celestial Navigation, while quite romantic and "salty", are no longer necessary for worldwide navigation. Larry No longer necessary, true, but for a long distance sailor the ability to use it can/could come in handy for many reasons. Hell, we could say that the Mark 1 eyeball or soundings are no longer necessary, but we still use them and find good reasons to do so. |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doingcircumnavigation ?
On Sun, 16 Sep 2007 17:28:42 -0400, Wilbur Hubbard wrote:
Even that 14-year-old girl Tanya Aebi Assuming that's not a typo, Tania was a little older than that. She started off when she was 18. |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation?
brucepaige wrote:
How come all the advocates of a relative low tech method of determining a position never mention that the system is unusable for navigation in tight spaces, narrow channels, etc. and dead reckoning or taking sights or measuring depth will be necessary. I never hear anyone recommend having a lead line on board in case your electronic depth sounder fails or a chip log mounted on the stern pulpit in case your electronic speed log fails. I see a number of arguments in this discussion. Fist, GPS recievers, like all electronics are prone to occasional errors and failures. There are numerous stories that abound in cruiser's logs on the net of GPS readings that reported the boat to be a half mile or so inland, or in the middle of a channel but the boat hits a charted reef, etc. There are perhaps hundreds or maybe thousands of places around the world that have innacurate GPS coordinates or innacurate maps used for the GPS data. The Garmin chartplotter on the boat I usually sail on shows us on land when we are in the middle of the channel in home port (and yes, the settings are correct for the charts). So other forms of measurement are always appropriate to know. And like it or not, the Pentagon did shut down the satellite system for one day, and can do that anytime again, not to mention the likelyhood of the system having problems as the satellites age. And since I both sail and work on boats I can tell you that both the depth sounders and speed logs do fail with amazing regularity. Red |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
On Sun, 16 Sep 2007 22:06:00 -0000, otnmbrd
wrote: Larry wrote in news:Xns99ADAD78CF807noonehomecom@ 208.49.80.253: Celestial Navigation, while quite romantic and "salty", are no longer necessary for worldwide navigation. Larry No longer necessary, true, but for a long distance sailor the ability to use it can/could come in handy for many reasons. Hell, we could say that the Mark 1 eyeball or soundings are no longer necessary, but we still use them and find good reasons to do so. You know it's kind of funny. Everyone talks about using an archaic method of determining position and never mention using either a lead line to determine depth or a chip log to determine speed. How come all the advocates of a relative low tech method of determining a position never mention that the system is unusable for navigation in tight spaces, narrow channels, etc. and dead reckoning or taking sights or measuring depth will be necessary. I never hear anyone recommend having a lead line on board in case your electronic depth sounder fails or a chip log mounted on the stern pulpit in case your electronic speed log fails. I am not saying that one shouldn't learn celestial navigation or not carry extra life jackets but it is no longer a necessary skill. Bruce in Bangkok (brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom) |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation?
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Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
"jeff" wrote in message ... wrote: I carry a lead line, and use it on occasion, usually when moored in very tight quarters. when anchoring in shallow water, I use my boat hook to check the bottom. SBV |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation?
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Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
"Gordon" wrote in message ... Does anyone doubt that Columbus or Slocum would have passed on using a GPS had it been available? G Yes. ;-) |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
"Scotty" wrote in message . .. "jeff" wrote in message ... wrote: I carry a lead line, and use it on occasion, usually when moored in very tight quarters. when anchoring in shallow water, I use my boat hook to check the bottom. SBV Either you carry a very long boat hook... or your definition of shallow is different from most sailors. |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
wrote in message
... On Sun, 16 Sep 2007 22:06:00 -0000, otnmbrd wrote: Larry wrote in news:Xns99ADAD78CF807noonehomecom@ 208.49.80.253: Celestial Navigation, while quite romantic and "salty", are no longer necessary for worldwide navigation. Larry No longer necessary, true, but for a long distance sailor the ability to use it can/could come in handy for many reasons. Hell, we could say that the Mark 1 eyeball or soundings are no longer necessary, but we still use them and find good reasons to do so. You know it's kind of funny. Everyone talks about using an archaic method of determining position and never mention using either a lead line to determine depth or a chip log to determine speed. How come all the advocates of a relative low tech method of determining a position never mention that the system is unusable for navigation in tight spaces, narrow channels, etc. and dead reckoning or taking sights or measuring depth will be necessary. I never hear anyone recommend having a lead line on board in case your electronic depth sounder fails or a chip log mounted on the stern pulpit in case your electronic speed log fails. I am not saying that one shouldn't learn celestial navigation or not carry extra life jackets but it is no longer a necessary skill. Bruce in Bangkok (brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom) Actually, the lead line is something we talk about during some of our classes... -- "j" ganz @@ www.sailnow.com |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
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Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation?
Don White wrote:
I carry a lead line, and use it on occasion, usually when moored in very tight quarters. when anchoring in shallow water, I use my boat hook to check the bottom. SBV Either you carry a very long boat hook... or your definition of shallow is different from most sailors. I used my boat hook several times summer - since my boat only draws 3 feet and the hook extends to over 8 feet, I don't see where the problem would be. There have been times in the Keys when I stood on the bottom to see if we'd have enough at low. |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
wrote I was just told by a friend that I should learn celestial navigation before sailing around the world because GPS devices don't work that well in the middle of the ocean and can malfunction if they get wet, etc. Does my friend have a point even if I intend to bring 3 independent GPS systems with me ? How about if I just get a cheap sextant and the book "Celestial Navigation When Your GPS Fails" and bring them with me ? The information supplied by your friend perhaps could use some updating. The basic GPS system is very reliable and is used worldwide by many, including the aviation industry. Small, battery operated units, likely to be found on small boats are more likely to fail than those on aircraft; however, having multiple back up units on board addresses this issue. Being able to use a low cost sextant as the last opportunity navigation device, certainly has it's advantages, and basic celestial navigation is not difficult to learn. SFWIW, I have a new, still in the box, Davis, Mark15 sextant, complete with artificial horizon that I'm about to put on Craig's list. If you are interested, contact me off list. Lew |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
If you are going to use a sextant, you need a reliable clock.
The most reliable, accurate clock available today is a GPS receiver. So pack a spare GPS receiver along with the sextant. As an added advantage, you can always cheat and check your fix against what your "clock" tells you :-) -- |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
On Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:55:25 -0400, jeff wrote:
Don White wrote: I carry a lead line, and use it on occasion, usually when moored in very tight quarters. when anchoring in shallow water, I use my boat hook to check the bottom. SBV Either you carry a very long boat hook... or your definition of shallow is different from most sailors. I used my boat hook several times summer - since my boat only draws 3 feet and the hook extends to over 8 feet, I don't see where the problem would be. There have been times in the Keys when I stood on the bottom to see if we'd have enough at low. Well, if you have six foot tides you might have a problem :-) Bruce in Bangkok (brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom) |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
On Mon, 17 Sep 2007 16:29:01 -0000, otnmbrd
wrote: wrote in news:futse3pgo9nvn157klj3rkodjqh8gv0777@ 4ax.com: You know it's kind of funny. Everyone talks about using an archaic method of determining position and never mention using either a lead line to determine depth or a chip log to determine speed. How come all the advocates of a relative low tech method of determining a position never mention that the system is unusable for navigation in tight spaces, narrow channels, etc. and dead reckoning or taking sights or measuring depth will be necessary. I never hear anyone recommend having a lead line on board in case your electronic depth sounder fails or a chip log mounted on the stern pulpit in case your electronic speed log fails. I am not saying that one shouldn't learn celestial navigation or not carry extra life jackets but it is no longer a necessary skill. Bruce in Bangkok (brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom) Taking this back to the original post...... the poster was asking about offshore navigation (my assumption) and the benefits of learning and having the ability to use celestial. A cheap sextant and a few books is an easy way to add a layer of possible solutions should Mr. Murphy rear his ugly head. BTW.... watching a show on offroading, the host suggested using one of those vacumn packing/sealing machines with the plastic bags to seal parts against dirt and water/weather..... should think this would have a great potential on boats also... especially the offshore cruiser. LOL....I know..... how'd I jump this far on subject matter? Vacuum packing. Quite a number of people I meet use this system both for food and for things that they don;t want to deteriorate in the damp atmosphere on a boat. Apparently works great. 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) |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation?
wrote:
I used my boat hook several times summer - since my boat only draws 3 feet and the hook extends to over 8 feet, I don't see where the problem would be. There have been times in the Keys when I stood on the bottom to see if we'd have enough at low. Well, if you have six foot tides you might have a problem :-) Bruce in Bangkok (brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom) Here's the spot where I used the boat hook (Misery Island, Salem Bay, MA): http://www.sv-loki.com/IMGP1025.jpg The tides there are about 10 feet. The spot where we're at in the picture has about 4 feet under the keel at low, but the previous night we were on the red mooring on the far right and early in the morning I determined that we were headed for a deficit of an inch or two (because of an extreme low), so we moved over. In the Keys, of course, the tides are generally two feet or less. |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
On 2007-09-16 16:36:13 -0400, roger said:
Why not rise above the crowd and learn celestial navigation. It is not an obsolete skill and people respect those that know how to do it even if they won't admit it. Didn't Annapolis stop requiring celestial navigation a year or two back? -- Jere Lull Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD Xan's new pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/ Our BVI pages: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/ |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
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Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation?
otnmbrd wrote:
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" My father-in-law was torpedoed at the end of WWII and spent 18 days in a liferaft. They were able to track their longitude quite well because as the radio officer he knew the error of his watch. http://www.sv-loki.com/Davis/Clippings/clippings.html more stuff at http://www.sv-loki.com/Davis/davis.html Jeff...accurate clocks were being used on many ships, long before radio....radio just made it easier to monitor the rate Agreed that many ships had clocks, especially larger ships and warships. But a huge number did not, and I would guess that a large majority of coastal shipping and fishing boats only rarely (if ever) had a celestial fix. |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
Jere Lull wrote in news:2007091720575416807-
jerelull@maccom: On 2007-09-16 16:36:13 -0400, roger said: Why not rise above the crowd and learn celestial navigation. It is not an obsolete skill and people respect those that know how to do it even if they won't admit it. Didn't Annapolis stop requiring celestial navigation a year or two back? EG Annapolis is Navy..... not professional mariners.....nuff said |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
jeff wrote in
: otnmbrd wrote: 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" My father-in-law was torpedoed at the end of WWII and spent 18 days in a liferaft. They were able to track their longitude quite well because as the radio officer he knew the error of his watch. http://www.sv-loki.com/Davis/Clippings/clippings.html more stuff at http://www.sv-loki.com/Davis/davis.html Jeff...accurate clocks were being used on many ships, long before radio....radio just made it easier to monitor the rate Agreed that many ships had clocks, especially larger ships and warships. But a huge number did not, and I would guess that a large majority of coastal shipping and fishing boats only rarely (if ever) had a celestial fix. BG Been a while since we had a discussion...... At any rate...... many coastal vessels and fishing vessels would not need to use celestial....here, you would need a historian to give you an accurate reading as to the how and who did what (I'm not him/her) BG Going to be on the Cape from 26th to 1st....if you get to Hyannis, look me up (try the Black Cat) |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
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Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
On Sun, 16 Sep 2007 22:00:26 -0400, Red wrote:
brucepaige wrote: How come all the advocates of a relative low tech method of determining a position never mention that the system is unusable for navigation in tight spaces, narrow channels, etc. and dead reckoning or taking sights or measuring depth will be necessary. I never hear anyone recommend having a lead line on board in case your electronic depth sounder fails or a chip log mounted on the stern pulpit in case your electronic speed log fails. I see a number of arguments in this discussion. Fist, GPS recievers, like all electronics are prone to occasional errors and failures. There are numerous stories that abound in cruiser's logs on the net of GPS readings that reported the boat to be a half mile or so inland, or in the middle of a channel but the boat hits a charted reef, etc. There are perhaps hundreds or maybe thousands of places around the world that have innacurate GPS coordinates or innacurate maps used for the GPS data. The Garmin chartplotter on the boat I usually sail on shows us on land when we are in the middle of the channel in home port (and yes, the settings are correct for the charts). So other forms of measurement are always appropriate to know. And like it or not, the Pentagon did shut down the satellite system for one day, and can do that anytime again, not to mention the likelyhood of the system having problems as the satellites age. And since I both sail and work on boats I can tell you that both the depth sounders and speed logs do fail with amazing regularity. Red Yes, electronic devices fail and sextants get dropped knocking the mirrors out of alignment. Yes some GPS positions show you as on dry land when you look at a chart and a "cocked hat" sextant fix a mile on a side is doing really good, i.e., you are somewhere inside a half a square mile area. You can't use celestial navigation to stay in the middle of a narrow channel because you can't take shots and work the calculations fast enough, even with a calculator. The original poster asked " Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?" and to me the answer is a resounding NO! If you want to learn an archaic skill such as sword fighting, shooting the long bow, or shooting stars then more power to you but the ability to do celestial navigation is not a necessary skill in today's world. In closing let me say that I learned celestial navigation from a Lt. Colonel, the Lead Navigator in a SAC B-52 squadron and used to carry a sextant, H.O. tables and expensive watch and all that, but that was fifty years ago. Things have changed. Bruce in Bangkok (brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom) |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
On Tue, 18 Sep 2007 01:28:53 -0000, otnmbrd
wrote: Jere Lull wrote in news:2007091720575416807- jerelull@maccom: On 2007-09-16 16:36:13 -0400, roger said: Why not rise above the crowd and learn celestial navigation. It is not an obsolete skill and people respect those that know how to do it even if they won't admit it. Didn't Annapolis stop requiring celestial navigation a year or two back? EG Annapolis is Navy..... not professional mariners.....nuff said I have a good friend who is both a university trained Marine Engineer and a licensed ships officer (2nd engineer). His primary work is being a project manager on VLCC, modifications and repairs but between projects sometimes sails as second engineer on VLCC's or container ships. During the last discussion of sextants I happened to run into him in Singapore and asked him if modern shipping still used celestial navigation. He told me that on some ships junior officers still took noon sights but only because the Captain felt it was a useful skill for a ship's officer. Other ships didn't have a sextant aboard. Bruce in Bangkok (brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom) |
Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
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Should I learn celestial navigation before doing circumnavigation ?
During the last discussion of sextants I happened to run into him in Singapore and asked him if modern shipping still used celestial navigation. He told me that on some ships junior officers still took noon sights but only because the Captain felt it was a useful skill for a ship's officer. Other ships didn't have a sextant aboard. Bruce in Bangkok (brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom) The days of watching some relieving Mate come aboard with his sextant as part of his gear, are over. However, a ship sextant and the pubs to use it are still standard gear onboard. Once again, it is not necessary to learn celestial for someone doing offshore cruising, BUT, it is STILL a good safety practice to have the gear (no matter how cheap) and the minimal pubs to make use of it in an emergency |
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