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Old 28-02-2007, 10:14   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hellosailor
Raven, I think she commented on that in one of her articles. Her exact words were something along the lines of being extremely lucky to be alive, because she couldn't figure out the sextant and celestial and she could have easily missed Bermuda (her first landfall) entirely.
Tania learned by doing and made it around. She's proof to the old adage, "what doesn't kill you will make you stronger."

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Personally, I find the sextant itself to be easy, and the tables/calculations to be a great way to screw up. So I've got nav software in my Palm . . .
Same goes for the way the PC/Palm versions of tide and current software revolutionized another task. I always found it so easy to mess up with the sub-station correction factors, daylight savings time, etc. It's been years since I've consulted those printed tables . . .
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Old 28-02-2007, 12:51   #17
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William F. Buckleys book "AIRBORNE" give the simplist explanation of sextant use.
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Old 07-05-2007, 18:05   #18
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Tania Aebi's book, Maiden Voyage, about her singlehanded circumnavigation in the late '80's is a good read. In it, she writes of trying to learn celestial navigation after setting sail from NY, en route to Bermuda on the first leg of her journey. (I believe she had along her dad's correspondence course materials on the topic.) She was unable to make it all work and ended up finding Bermuda through a combination of intuition, luck and an a.m. directionfinder. It wasn't until she was in the Pacific that she discovered that her sextant was damaged and eventually got the navigation sorted out.
I love that book. Her plastic sextant was warped and that is why she was off. Not sure why she didnt pull her metal one out sooner.
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Old 09-05-2007, 20:42   #19
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I was thinking of buying a Cassens & Plath horizon ultra sextant.

Cassens & Plath Horizon Ultra Sextant

This might seem a bit much but I was thinking it would be something i would have forever. My mother also wants me to get something to remember my father by and i think this would be neat for that as well.

Does anyone know anything about artifical horizons? Is there a need to spend another $1000 on one?
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Old 10-05-2007, 05:58   #20
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Celestaire.com probably will sell the same thing for substantially less, but I'd pass on the artificial horizon, that's mainly for land navigators. The Horizon Ultra has a number of "small" features that make it a cut above, including a slight green tint in one optical path and a red one in the other--so the image also "snaps" into a neutral color shift when it is fully aligned.

A very nice piece of equipment.

When you register it with C&P they will send you a small brass plaque to put on the sextant (or case) and if you tell them about your father, I'm sure they can arrange a few extra words in his memory. (Short words, it is a small plaque.<G>)
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Old 10-05-2007, 11:00   #21
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So would this be the best one to get if money is no object? Are there any accessories i should get with it?
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Old 10-05-2007, 16:31   #22
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I learned to do celestial navigation in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. Celestaire sells World War II Aircraft bubble sextants, and I have taken hundreds of sights using a bubble sextant in the Arabian Desert learning how to do celestial.

When I navigated in the desert, I would keep a DR track, and at the end of the day do a star sight, and then check my position with a GPS.

My DR position was off by about 7 miles after driving 70 miles on multiple desert tracks. The star sight using the bubble sextant would get me within about 2 to 3 miles of my GPS position.

If you want to learn how to do celestial, you don't have to go to sea to do it. A bubble sextant works great anywhere.

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Old 10-05-2007, 16:41   #23
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Very likely the best one still made, arguably the best made period. The only necessaries for it would be a good flannel for cleaning it and if they are still being shipped in the wood presentation case (which is a nice case with a very unique mount to attach to a ship's bulkhead, and an equally unique "hand" to secure the sextant) you may prefer to also order a Pelican case for better protection and easier carrying.
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Old 10-05-2007, 16:47   #24
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Haven't used an artificial horizon myself, but if you were planning on using celestial as a primary nav tool, then it might be worth the money. Spent enough time with a clear sky and no horizon - fog, haze or night-time - to wish I had one.
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Old 10-05-2007, 19:49   #25
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I was hoping you guys would talk me out of spending more. Being a photographer I love pelican cases.
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Old 10-05-2007, 21:51   #26
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What you might want is different than what you need. You don't need an artificial horizon. A few days a year you might want one. Most folks use GPS nowadays just in case the haze or fog does roll in.
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Old 10-05-2007, 22:50   #27
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I would not mind te ability and practice of being able to mak sights on land. If i found the equipmnt to not be useful would it b hard to sell?
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Old 11-05-2007, 01:41   #28
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Aloha 5,
On page 280 of The American Practical Navigator (Bowditch) there is a description of how you can use any reflected surface such as a pan of water as an artificial horizon. The water has to be sheltered from the wind so there are no ripples. You don't need a special sextant or an added piece to your sextant.
Anyway, give it a try.
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Old 11-05-2007, 07:34   #29
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Well, if you had to sell the artificial horizon not many of them come up for resale. So either you might get nothing for it (no interest) or one very interested buyer. Highest odds are it would be a big loss. On the sextant you might get half of what you pay for it--might. There is a larger market for used sextants but many folks just don't want to pay a lot for one.

There's also a much less expensive artificial horizon sold by Celestaire, $100 or $150 new, which would be good enough for practice work and for "don't hit that continent" while at sea.<G> If you MUST have one.
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Old 19-07-2007, 22:08   #30
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For learning on land, the pan of a shiny viscous liquid (oil or molasses, but water will do) is really much better than the bubble horizons... which you end up chasing around. On a moving boat they are useless; I'd add that $50 to the sextant budget and learn with a baking pan.

My first post was going to be over in the introductions forum, but I'm just going through the sextant learning curve now and couldn't resist. I have an Astra IIIB.

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