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View Poll Results: Keeping celestial nav skills alive
Never learned, too many sight reduction books to haul around 13 28.26%
Learned, but no longer practice 17 36.96%
Learned, practice every chance for that perfect pin wheel 16 34.78%
Voters: 46. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 13-02-2012, 13:58   #1
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Who Still Practices Celestial Navigation ?

Be honest, no one should dump on you. Grad requirement from Maritime Academy (CMA)
Learned, but a bit rusty.
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Old 13-02-2012, 14:23   #2
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?

I'd go for option 3 if the new sextant I ordered ever arrives :/
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Old 13-02-2012, 14:25   #3
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There should be a fourth option that includes: learned and use it every once in awhile so I can pretend I still know how. I would check that one
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Old 13-02-2012, 14:28   #4
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?

i do. actualy i can not be on the sea not to take at lesat one sight. even when i am on ancor, just for fun. sometimes even from my balkony.


"Never learned, too many sight reduction books to haul around"

actualy you do not need one single "reduction" book, apart nautical almanac to take, let say, noon sight or polaris sight for latitude
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Old 13-02-2012, 14:32   #5
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?

Quote:
Originally Posted by foolishsailor View Post
There should be a fourth option that includes: learned and use it every once in awhile so I can pretend I still know how. I would check that one
+1
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Old 13-02-2012, 14:34   #6
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?

There is still another choice which is that I am working on lesrning it now. Have all the gear and tables aboard.
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Old 13-02-2012, 14:38   #7
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?

I do celestial navigation all the time. I use the artificial kind of satellites and let a receiver called gps deal with them

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Old 13-02-2012, 14:39   #8
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?

I myself know how ,and actually still have books &sextant[prob needs oiling],but I am going with {foolishsailor} on this one
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Old 13-02-2012, 14:51   #9
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?

By popular request, have put up a new and improved poll.
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Old 13-02-2012, 14:53   #10
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?

Unfortunately you did not have a poll option of "have a sextant and intend to learn". I bought a C. Plath Classic sextant after looking around for a few months. It was a steal compared to what they use to sell for. I just want to learn to use it for noon sites for little else than intertainment and knowing it will be a hand up if anything happens to the 3 GPS's I have on board.
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Old 13-02-2012, 15:00   #11
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Celestialsailor View Post
Unfortunately you did not have a poll option of "have a sextant and intend to learn". I bought a C. Plath Classic sextant after looking around for a few months. It was a steal compared to what they use to sell for. I just want to learn to use it for noon sites for little else than intertainment and knowing it will be a hand up if anything happens to the 3 GPS's I have on board.
I just did, by popular demand here in Navigation Topics. I wish I could pull this poll because everyone is correct, I didn't give enough choices.

It is a big jump to this link
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...oll-76732.html
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Old 13-02-2012, 16:29   #12
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?

Quote:
Originally Posted by foolishsailor View Post
There should be a fourth option that includes: learned and use it every once in awhile so I can pretend I still know how. I would check that one
That would be me. To be fair, I still buy the tables each year so if I feel like practicing, it's as easy as bringing the sextant with me.
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Old 13-02-2012, 16:32   #13
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?

Quote:
Originally Posted by foolishsailor View Post
There should be a fourth option that includes: learned and use it every once in awhile so I can pretend I still know how. I would check that one

Yeap thats ME

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Old 13-02-2012, 16:44   #14
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?

by the way, any one have or know link for "polaris (pole star) tables" for 2012. i am using nautical almanac from this site Download but they do not have this one.

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Old 13-02-2012, 16:50   #15
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Re: Who still practices celestial navigation?

Learned it, used it for 2 runs PNW to South Pacific and back, then the programmable calculator came out and made it a whole lot easier, then GPS handheld size, suddenly it was very easy. I can live with paper charts and a pair of battery operated $50 GPS but like my chartplotter, radar and other goodies.
Do I need them no, but as said I would keep handheld and paper charts, too many 4-5 days periods without a sky view and looking for a landfall that should be there. Sometimes you couldn’t even get a star sighting, and then near land remember LORAN and RDF?
No need today, I won’t even pack a sextant for good old time sake. We use to sit in the cockpit of a boat with several bottles of wine and group of friends and play point out that star, normally it would go through 5 alphabets before someone stumbled on a letter, that with 6-7 people playing, now that was the good old days.
Now as a hobby for someone I wouldn’t kick them off the boat if they brought one on, but I also wouldn’t rely on their ability to use it. If their want to take shots and then confirm with the boats systems I would applaud them.
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