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Evening All,

Someone spoke about celestral navigation in an unrelated post.

Here is a beaut little book for those who wish to use a sextant.

Easy Nav.
Instructions to a Position Line
Lifetime Almanac Tables.

By Frank Dinkelaar
PO Box 2019
Chrischurch
New Zealand 8005

Printed by Macprint
PO Box 287
Christchurch
New Zealand 8005

ISBN 0 9598046 0 9

Phillip
SEAKA

Phil,
Was this one of the many books you got a chance to read on your last trip?

Celestial Nav, maybe not worth learning anymore, what with GPS here(here to stay??).

Peter (ex Marinka), is doing Celestial Nav' as part of a course, & is as I type a couple of hundred miles offshore practising it,

would be good to get some thoughts from people.

cheers

Shaun,

Yes I had a sextant with me and the book I mention in the first post.

It is now in the pile of stuff that is not going back onboard.

Reason, well you are always, almost, in sight of the coast when coastal sailing.

Second, the sextant will only give you a position after some work and time,
not really quick enough for coastal sailing, but OK for blue water sailing.

Third, I had my charts on which I marked my position every hour, a thing not possible with a sextant.

I have two GPS's and will stick with them, my charts and my hand compass!


Phillip.

PS. Not really into reading columns of figure as a passtime!