The New and Improved Celestial Navigation Poll

[deckofficer]

By popular demand.

[IslandHopper]

Learned, but only practice to keep the skills

Well i do own three Sextants.....

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by IslandHopper

Well i do own three Sextants.....

Hope one isn't plastic like Tania's.

[rebel heart]

Learned, only practice to keep the skills up.

All the rest of the navigation is manual but I think you'd be silly to not make use of a GPS receiver for fixes, sog, and cog. I think it's also silly to head offshore and be one lightning bolt away from figuring out the importance of celestial navigation. Being able to identify the planets, stars, and constellations is pretty cool beyond the navigational benefit.

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

Learned, only practice to keep the skills up.

All the rest of the navigation is manual but I think you'd be silly to not make use of a GPS receiver for fixes, sog, and cog. I think it's also silly to head offshore and be one lightning bolt away from figuring out the importance of celestial navigation. Being able to identify the planets, stars, and constellations is pretty cool beyond the navigational benefit.

Ouch. I was hoping no one would say anything negative about cruising without a sextant and 75 lbs of sight reduction books. I plan to do just that because I want my small and light cat I'm planning on to stay light. I learned how because it was a graduation requirement from CMA as well as any other maritime academy. I might take a sextant and only a couple of the books just to keep the skill set, and only shoot the same 3 or 4 stars. On the first poll, which I hope folks ignore, I for one will always except as the truth, any poster that checked the first box for any other posts made, as to be honest here IMHO, gives future credibility.

I doubt we will ever have sun spot activity that would knock out on a permanent basis our GPS birds. As to a lightning strike, that is the reason you keep one handheld GPS tucked away in the metal tool box or ditch bag.

[IslandHopper]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Hope one isn't plastic like Tania's.

No on the plastic, i have 1 Astra lll Pro and 2 C. Plath Navistars....

[deckofficer]

Now that is what you call directed marketing. Has anyone noticed the ad banner for this thread? It worked, I clicked on it and low and behold, that company has everything you need on CD for your computer, no need for all those book bound tables. So now I wish I could change my vote from "Learned, but no longer practice" to "Learned, but only practice to keep the skills". O-well.

[bobconnie]

I use my sextant everyday at sea,but use the gps everyday also! gee even if all you do is shoot the noon sun, and ck against the Gps position you get a lot of pratice if nothing else! An ya can get somehwere with justa sun site ! the square riggers did it forever LOL Just a thought Bob and Connie

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by bobconnie

I use my sextant everyday at sea,but use the gps everyday also! gee even if all you do is shoot the noon sun, and ck against the Gps position you get a lot of pratice if nothing else! An ya can get somehwere with justa sun site ! the square riggers did it forever LOL Just a thought Bob and Connie

It sounds like you folks might be the type that will scramble to get as many sights as possible while the horizon is still detectable, just to see if you can get the perfect pin wheel. I'll admit while on the training ship Golden Bear, I was in that mind set. Many times missed the perfect 6 or 7 line pin wheel, but on the rare occasion I did, what a sense of satisfaction.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Ouch. I was hoping no one would say anything negative about cruising without a sextant and 75 lbs of sight reduction books. I plan to do just that because I want my small and light cat I'm planning on to stay light. I learned how because it was a graduation requirement from CMA as well as any other maritime academy. I might take a sextant and only a couple of the books just to keep the skill set, and only shoot the same 3 or 4 stars. On the first poll, which I hope folks ignore, I for one will always except as the truth, any poster that checked the first box for any other posts made, as to be honest here IMHO, gives future credibility.

I doubt we will ever have sun spot activity that would knock out on a permanent basis our GPS birds. As to a lightning strike, that is the reason you keep one handheld GPS tucked away in the metal tool box or ditch bag.

Well fair enough then, but really, you'd feel comfortable offshore armed only with your GPS gear? You've spent more days at sea than I have; I'm not in anyway saying my approach is the right one.

I'm just imagining no electronics and being in the middle of the ocean. The idea just freaks me out to no end.

[bobconnie]

Ahh Ive been useing my old Plath for so long just 1 or 2 are enough for me LOL I don't really worry about Pinwheels but sometimes ya get one lol sorta fun to do sunsites and run lines of longitude like the old boys !! makes it easy to get to Hilo LOL at least from the west coast anyway LOL Bob and Connie

[rebel heart]

If anyone wants to learn celestial navigation, here's a great (free) pdf. "Celestial Navigation in a Teacup".

http://mysite.verizon.net/milkyway99...tionTeacup.pdf

[Rigamarole]

Maybe you could add one more category. Joined the 21st Century so I don't need a 300 year old instrument to guide me anymore.

[belizesailor]

I'm using 2012 as motivation to brush-up on my celestial nav. Some interesting astronomical stuff going on this year.

[msponer]

I'm self taught -- what is a pinwheel? I've never heard of it...

I really enjoy celestial navigation, but have not gone further than sun shots. Even at that beginner level we were able to do quite a few passages without turning on the GPS. The islands always appeared on the horizon in the direction and day we expected them, anyways, but I would not have even noticed if we were off by a couple of miles.

I had one of those cheap plastic sextants that you have to let warm up for a few minutes outside before using it. .. And two cheap watches that never agreed, so I kept notes on how many seconds to add or subtract from them every day.

I do miss it on the passages we don't do it. The background thoughts I have on a passage are different with the GPS.