The New and Improved Celestial Navigation Poll

[Geoduck]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Did you not keep your license renewed? I'm fairly certain all code requirements have been dropped for the General ticket and new General non-code licenses have all the same phone privileges.

I never got past novice. The Army got me and I finished my schooling at the University of South Vietnam.
I learned Morse code when I was a boy scout back in 1961. A friend of mine had a general license and a bunch of radios. He got me started. I rebuilt some of his old gear and set up my own equipment. Used his call sign for a year or so and finally got licensed. Was studying for general but never took the test.
After the army, I went fishing and never had time for it. We all used double side bands on the boat - about the same as Ham - you could talk around the world on the skip. That came to an end in the 70's and we all became outlaws, talking in code, using 2-3 different radios.
The speed key I had was called a mouse - just about the same as your picture - expensive key, as I recall. High tech back then.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by rubyjean

Pretty negative...Michael..

Negative?

??
Nick.

[gixerjen]

I'll learn it - I already got a little idea where the planets and stars are at. I like to know these things just because....

I'll learn CN though because I take the general view that most items I have will fail at sometime, probably when I need them most. So if I can dig myself out of trouble, it's got to be worth knowing?!

[tamicatana]

Speaking of 'where the planets and stars are at,' Handsome Husband found this little app with which we have great fun:

Stellarium

It's free. Hiccups a bit on my 3G iPhone, but his 4G runs it much better

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by tamif27

Speaking of 'where the planets and stars are at,' Handsome Husband found this little app with which we have great fun:

Stellarium

It's free. Hiccups a bit on my 3G iPhone, but his 4G runs it much better

The iPhone/iPad versions are not official from- and not supported by Stellarium. Not a big problem when it works.

ciao!
Nick.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Why ?

cheers,
Nick.

Because in Pacific, unlike in Atlantic or Indian, if the electronics get cooked, then there is no big continent / tall islands to make your landfall. What we get in Pacific is plenty of low islands, reefs and atolls, vastly strewn, and so the landfall is likely to be either NOT ;-), or even much more likely on the winward side of a desolate reef - not a good option at all.

b.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Because in Pacific, unlike in Atlantic or Indian, if the electronics get cooked, then there is no big continent / tall islands to make your landfall. What we get in Pacific is plenty of low islands, reefs and atolls, vastly strewn, and so the landfall is likely to be either NOT ;-), or even much more likely on the winward side of a desolate reef - not a good option at all.

b.

Ah, that's what I thought you meant. But then it means one must get very good at it. I rarely managed to get 1nm accuracy which means they were lucky shots. But yet all these atolls and reefs and small islands require that kind of accuracy to find.

Aiming for the center of an island group and hoping to sight them is gonna be the method for both sextant and compass/DR navigation. In the old days the accuracy was also improved by sightings of known shapes/outlines of islands, or straight island hopping.

ciao!
Nick.

[lolarose]

hehehe, i think sv/jedy probably barely can read or write becouse he is panicking just on mentioning celestial navigatin word.

jedy, definitely you must be some of those....


Glupi Ameri - Anketa - YouTube

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by lolarose

hehehe, i think sv/jedy probably barely can read or write becouse he is panicking just on mentioning celestial navigatin word.

jedy, definitely you must be some of those....

Glupi Ameri - Anketa - YouTube

I hope it is your sense of humor that I don't get. FYI, I am not a yank

ciao!
Nick.

[lolarose]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

I hope it is your sense of humor that I don't get. FYI, I am not a yank

ciao!
Nick.

yes, of course it is joke. i just tried to provoke little bit of your stubbornness regarding astro navigation. i did not ment any offense, sorry if it sounded bit rude. they can delite post if it is offensive

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by lolarose

yes, of course it is joke. i just tried to provoke little bit of your stubbornness regarding astro navigation. i did not ment any offense, sorry if it sounded bit rude. they can delite post if it is offensive

No problem! Add a or two to make sure next time

Provoke me?! hah, impossible

ciao!
Nick.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Hey Eric,

You can answer this from a previous post of mine........

Like I said Nick, I'm glad they dropped the code requirement for the General HAM radio license, sure don't need CW anymore. I just wonder if celestial navigation will be dropped sometime in the future for Unlimited licenses? That brings me to a question for captains with a specified tonnage license, was celestial nav required for those licenses?

Hey man. Was dodging this thread as to not get into an argument more than I already have.

I heard that celestial navigation was going to get pulled entirely, but that could just be a rumor. Probably is. Right now I think it's just for the Oceans endorsement which makes sense. If you stay near coastal (~200nm, I think) then coastal nav and electronics coupled with close proximity to shore will be good.

I can't imagine they'll ever let true sea captains off the hook from knowing celestial navigation. The first time the GPS system blinks for a second and "captains" don't know where to point the ship heads will roll like never before.

Personally I don't see why anyone would hold themselves to a lower standard as a mariner. A cruise ship captain has thousands of lives on his hands, and while the skipper of a yacht may only have a few, I'm sure they value their own lives and safety just as much as the thousands of folks on the cruise ship do. So why someone would expect and demand an upper tonnage captain to be competent and qualified in various aspects of navigation, but would excuse a lower tonnage from the same is beyond me.

I just saw a plastic Davis sextant for $30 used at a swap meet in my marina. Was in fine shape. So $30, a free PDF, and a couple weeks worth of independent study is too much bother for some folks? Shameful.

[deckofficer]

Tania Abei, loved her plastic sextant, but they do warp if left in the sun. Hers did, and from NY to the Caribbean she depended on her VHF asking "what's your position?" to other boats within VHF range.

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

No problem! Add a or two to make sure next time

Provoke me?! hah, impossible

ciao!
Nick.

As I mentioned in another thread, Nick doesn't need to be cool, argue, or lose his patience, he is sailing on a Sundeer 64, which brings up a question. Nick, I've noticed you stay clear of the mono vs multi debates, whereas you could throw out distance covered in a day in Jedi, and quiet down all the multi folks.

Are you too nice of a guy to do that, or never pushed Jedi?

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

As I mentioned in another thread, Nick doesn't need to be cool, argue, or lose his patience, he is sailing on a Sundeer 64, which brings up a question. Nick, I've noticed you stay clear of the mono vs multi debates, whereas you could throw out distance covered in a day in Jedi, and quiet down all the multi folks.

Are you too nice of a guy to do that, or never pushed Jedi?

Jedi will do 20+ knots in 25 knots of wind; design speed is 26 knots with a hull speed just under 12 knots, so a fully planing design. I have found that many multi folks can't handle that and even less here on CF... so I don't tend to bring it up. Sundeer 64's have done 24-hour distances of 350+ nm. Artemis did 384 nm on a video I have. I will not admit that I ever did anything below 250nm/24h

But our best friends are multi folks! We can normally only buddy boat with multi's because they can keep up.. kind of

Some mono folks have even more trouble with this, like many Oyster owners and First47.7 also get worked up. The Oysters because they paid much more $$$ and the First's never considered meeting a mean fast ketch like us

ciao!
Nick.