View Poll Results: Blue Water- is a Sextant Necessary?
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Absolutely essential
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24 |
18.75% |
Desirable, but not essential
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52 |
40.63% |
Good fun, but little practical use these days
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40 |
31.25% |
Don't waste your money and time on this
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11 |
8.59% |
Sextants make excellent dingy anchors.
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3 |
2.34% |
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01-11-2012, 07:01
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#76
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Galveston Island, Texas, USA
Boat: Amel SM 53 - BeBe
Posts: 953
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simply do not have a clue
When 90% of the people taking this poll respond in a positive nature to sextants, I am absolutely positive that the vast majority of the poll responders are either: - Answering out of ignorance,
- Giving the answer they think they should give,
- Or simply do not have a clue.
Think about this. Things change. We do not keep an ox-cart in our garage anymore. And, BTW, there is a civilian GPS system and a Military GPS system. The civilian GPS system has high priorities other than just us...encrypt it...doubtful!
We are 3/4ths complete on our circumnavigation and have met 1 boat with a sextant...nobody knew how to use it...but they had the books, just in case. If anyone is in need of a sextant, don't you think circumnavigators are?
I hope this will help some newbees out there thinking about casting the mooring lines.
Bill
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01-11-2012, 07:06
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#77
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto
Boat: CS36Merlin, "La Belle Aurore"
Posts: 7,557
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Re: Poll-Blue water. Is a Sextant Necessary?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Don Lucas
I wonder in which direction the sun rises and sets in? Does it change? If I were to lose my GPS and were to just follow the sun what would happen?
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You would sail in a circle.
__________________
Rick I
Toronto in summer, Bahamas in winter.
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01-11-2012, 07:16
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#78
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: ontario canada
Boat: grampian 26
Posts: 1,743
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Re: Poll-Blue water. Is a Sextant Necessary?
If you follow the sun you will fall off the edge of the world. Every fool knows the world is flat
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01-11-2012, 07:18
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#79
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S/V rubber ducky
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: heading "south"
Boat: Hunter 410
Posts: 20,362
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Re: Poll-Blue water. Is a Sextant Necessary?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vasco
You would sail in a circle.
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would probably need to get some wheels for the boat first
__________________
Don't ask a bunch of unknown forum people if it is OK to do something on YOUR boat. It is your boat, do what you want!
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01-11-2012, 07:20
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#80
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S/V rubber ducky
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: heading "south"
Boat: Hunter 410
Posts: 20,362
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Re: Poll-Blue water. Is a Sextant Necessary?
Quote:
Originally Posted by carstenb
I would suggest that you make a chalk mark (or similar) at the bow of your boat sometime when you know you are sailing due north.
That way, if all your GPS's and compasses do a tube job and quit on you - you'll always know which way is north!
I mean - how hard can it be?
jus' sayin'
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time to put some proven technology on the boat, like a sun dial
__________________
Don't ask a bunch of unknown forum people if it is OK to do something on YOUR boat. It is your boat, do what you want!
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01-11-2012, 07:21
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#81
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2012
Location: At sea somewhere in the Pacific
Boat: Jeanneau Sun Fast 40.3
Posts: 6,346
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Re: Poll-Blue water. Is a Sextant Necessary?
Thought wheels were standard equipment on Hunters???
__________________
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=carsten...ref=nb_sb_noss
Our books have gotten 5 star reviews on Amazon. Several readers have written "I never thought I would go on a circumnavigation, but when I read these books, I was right there in the cockpit with Vinni and Carsten"
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01-11-2012, 07:28
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#82
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S/V rubber ducky
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: heading "south"
Boat: Hunter 410
Posts: 20,362
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Re: Poll-Blue water. Is a Sextant Necessary?
Quote:
Originally Posted by carstenb
Thought wheels were standard equipment on Hunters???
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Just training wheels not good proper "brown ground" ones! They are just for appearances that apeal to dirt dwellers.
__________________
Don't ask a bunch of unknown forum people if it is OK to do something on YOUR boat. It is your boat, do what you want!
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01-11-2012, 07:55
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#83
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Somewhere in Germany
Boat: OEM, proportional
Posts: 1,437
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Re: Poll-Blue water. Is a Sextant Necessary?
Necessary? No.
Advisable? Yes: a simple, cheap, reliable, and robust navigation system completely independent of outside influences. Of course, one could modify a bucket to serve the same purpose. Good things, buckets.
__________________
Ps 139:9-10 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
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01-11-2012, 08:05
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#84
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Houston
Boat: '76 Allied Seawind II, 32'
Posts: 9,626
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Re: simply do not have a clue
Quote:
Originally Posted by svBeBe
When 90% of the people taking this poll respond in a positive nature to sextants, I am absolutely positive that the vast majority of the poll responders are either: - Answering out of ignorance,
- Giving the answer they think they should give,
- Or simply do not have a clue.
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I have one onboard, I am not ignorant, but I do enjoy playing with it and find it satisfying when I can locate myself without electronics. My sextant is not expensive nor fancy. It's plastic and functional. I cheat and use the GPS for time.
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01-11-2012, 08:11
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#85
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Palm Beach, Florida
Posts: 109
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Re: Poll-Blue water. Is a Sextant Necessary?
I've carried a sextant on all my boats, usually do a mid morning and mid afternoon sight on transits to keep a running fix going. This gives me something interesting to do during the day, keeps me in practice and quiets the little voice in my head that reminds me that electronics and salt water don't mix.
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01-11-2012, 08:15
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#86
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: La Ciudad de la Misión Didacus de Alcalá en Alta California, Virreinato de Nueva España
Boat: Cal 20
Posts: 20,441
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Re: simply do not have a clue
Quote:
Originally Posted by svBeBe
When 90% of the people taking this poll respond in a positive nature to sextants, I am absolutely positive that the vast majority of the poll responders are either: - Answering out of ignorance,
- Giving the answer they think they should give,
- Or simply do not have a clue.
Think about this. Things change. We do not keep an ox-cart in our garage anymore. And, BTW, there is a civilian GPS system and a Military GPS system. The civilian GPS system has high priorities other than just us...encrypt it...doubtful!
We are 3/4ths complete on our circumnavigation and have met 1 boat with a sextant...nobody knew how to use it...but they had the books, just in case. If anyone is in need of a sextant, don't you think circumnavigators are?
I hope this will help some newbees out there thinking about casting the mooring lines.
Bill
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So you think we are either lemmings or stupid?
__________________
Num Me Vexo?
For all of your celestial navigation questions: https://navlist.net/
A house is but a boat so poorly built and so firmly run aground no one would think to try and refloat it.
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01-11-2012, 09:01
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#87
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Houston
Boat: '76 Allied Seawind II, 32'
Posts: 9,626
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Re: simply do not have a clue
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adelie
So you think we are either lemmings or stupid?
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SVBEBE has also indirectly called my dinghy a toy as it's not a 15hp 12' RIB. So, par for the course.
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01-11-2012, 10:37
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#88
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2012
Location: At sea somewhere in the Pacific
Boat: Jeanneau Sun Fast 40.3
Posts: 6,346
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Re: Poll-Blue water. Is a Sextant Necessary?
Without having any empirical dat, I suspect that the cruisers who own/use a sextant are ocean crossers, the ones that don't are coastal cruising (I include the carabbien as coastal).
You can now all tell me I'm wrong
__________________
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=carsten...ref=nb_sb_noss
Our books have gotten 5 star reviews on Amazon. Several readers have written "I never thought I would go on a circumnavigation, but when I read these books, I was right there in the cockpit with Vinni and Carsten"
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01-11-2012, 10:42
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#89
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Skagit City, WA
Posts: 25,453
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Re: Poll-Blue water. Is a Sextant Necessary?
if you still need one of those sex-things, be sure to carry an Astrolabe as backup!
__________________
"I spent most of my money on Booze, Broads and Boats. The rest I wasted" - Elmore Leonard
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01-11-2012, 10:52
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#90
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2012
Location: At sea somewhere in the Pacific
Boat: Jeanneau Sun Fast 40.3
Posts: 6,346
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Re: Poll-Blue water. Is a Sextant Necessary?
Don't you mean Astro-babe?
__________________
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=carsten...ref=nb_sb_noss
Our books have gotten 5 star reviews on Amazon. Several readers have written "I never thought I would go on a circumnavigation, but when I read these books, I was right there in the cockpit with Vinni and Carsten"
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