Celestial Navigation

[HenryC]

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately...I've been remodeling the house.

I'm renewing my celestial navigation offer of a few years back, just in case there are new contributors here not familiar with my earlier posts on that topic.  My course notes on celestial navigation are still here (just do a search on "celnav") and feel free to ask if you have any questions. 

I would also like to renew my offer to teach you the art of celestial navigation, face-to-face, hands-on, free of charge, if you are willing to commute to my location (I live in Fort Lauderdale).  The course notes I mentioned above will give you an idea of the course.  The course can be completed in about 10 hours of teaching (not counting homework)

At any rate, if you're interested, get in touch with me through the site.  Celestial is becoming a dying art, like hard-hat deep sea diving, Morse Code, or muzzle loading firearms, but I love teaching, and it helps keep my skills sharp.

Yr most hum. & obd't servant, etc etc..
Hank

[wroundey]

I tried searching for celnav and did not come up with anything (maybe I was doing something wrong.) Where can I find these notes? It has been along time since I did any celestial work and I would like to teach my daughter the skill.

[Salty19]

Click home, then search on the word celnav. Tons of hits...

[HenryC]

I tried searching for celnav and did not come up with anything (maybe I was doing something wrong.) Where can I find these notes? It has been along time since I did any celestial work and I would like to teach my daughter the skill.

The class notes are in the "Articles" section, CelNav Zero Celnav One, etc.  Also I usually use the abbreviation "CelNav" in my posts on the topic, so a search can help you turn up other references in other sections, on related topics.. 

Henry

[Jhansen]

Sorry I haven't been posting much lately...I've been remodeling the house.
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I am interested in learning celestial Nav.  Perhaps i could come down to Ft Laud in the spring...?  lets stay in touch toward that end,.  Ill review the notes.  Thanks for the offer.

James Hansen
Seneca, SC  James@JamesHansen.net


I'm renewing my celestial navigation offer of a few years back, just in case there are new contributors here not familiar with my earlier posts on that topic.  My course notes on celestial navigation are still here (just do a search on "celnav") and feel free to ask if you have any questions. 

I would also like to renew my offer to teach you the art of celestial navigation, face-to-face, hands-on, free of charge, if you are willing to commute to my location (I live in Fort Lauderdale).  The course notes I mentioned above will give you an idea of the course.  The course can be completed in about 10 hours of teaching (not counting homework)

At any rate, if you're interested, get in touch with me through the site.  Celestial is becoming a dying art, like hard-hat deep sea diving, Morse Code, or muzzle loading firearms, but I love teaching, and it helps keep my skills sharp.

Yr most hum. & obd't servant, etc etc..
Hank

[HenryC]

Hi, Jim

Yes, I'll be delighted to teach you celestial.  Since you you live in SC it will involve you coming to South Florida, so if you have any friends or relatives you can stay with here, it would be ideal.  Unfortunately, I have no place where I can put you up myself, and I would advise against you finding a hotel or  other paid lodgings.  Tourist digs are expensive here, especially around Spring Break time, and it would be difficult to predict how long the course will take. 

The material should take about 10 hours to teach, but I don't think you can pick it all up in one marathon session.  It would be necessary  to spread the course over several days so you can absorb the material from each lesson and master it before moving on to the next session.  Read over the course notes carefully and you might be able to get an idea of about how long it will take you to get through the material.  It will depend primarily on how much basic piloting and dead reckoning you already know.  Fortunately, CelNav does not require you to know much astronomy or mathematics, but you do have to be able  to plot a course, lay out a DR track, plot bearings on a chart, and manipulate angles, do basic time, speed, distance calculations and understand how to interpret a compass. 

You will need a 2014 Nautical Almanac ( I recommend the "Commercial Edition", available from Celestaire, on the Internet foir about $30).  I can teach the course so you do the sight reductions with "Celestial Navigation with the S Table" by Mike Pepperday, (about $10) or you can use any scientific or student  pocket calculator that can handle trigonometric functions and basic angle calculations. You will also need simple drafting tools: a pair of dividers and set of parallel rulers or triangles, and a booklet of Universal Plotting Sheets, all available from any chandlery or the Net.

I have a metal sextant, but you would be best to bring  your own for practice shots.  A plastic sextant will do to pick up the basics.  An accurate timepiece, one that will gain or lose less than a few seconds per day is also an essential.  I would also recommend you buy a nautical chart of the area.

Keep in touch and give me plenty of warning so I can make arrangements before you come down. I will send you a copy of this message by email so you can get my email address.

Henry

[skip1930]

How did those 'lines' that tell mariners where they are come about?

Here is the answer. It's such a good book.

Who lives in Matthew Fontaine Maury's home now? It's the Nation's home for our Vice President of the United States.

skip.