Next message: Trevor J. Kenchington: "Re: Measure of All Things"
----- Original Message -----
From: "George Huxtable"
> The recent enquiry about lunars-from-altitudes was ...
> a sensible question; and because it's been dealt with in the past it was
> easy to dig out a stock reply...
At the time I didn't appreciate that Francis Chichester's proposal was
essentially the same as 'lunars-from-altitudes' that I do remember being
discussed in the past. Since then I have learned that Chichester did go on
to develop and publish this proposal, and that other navigators have also
investigated its possibilities. Apart from other possible drawbacks, the two
body fix (of moon and sun) it depends on relies on having a good spread of
azimuths between the two bodies, while being constrained by needing the moon
to lie either east or west. It seemed an idea worth looking at, as
Chichester came up with another ingenious plan, using a modified version of
following a position line (which is what 'latitude sailing' amounts to) to
find Lord Howe Island while flying across the Tasman Sea in a small plane
('The Lonely Sea and the Sky').
AS for the FAQ proposal; if fully developed wouldn't it end up being yet
another web-site on nav.? The Nav. List is different, being in the form of
dialogue, and thus interactive. In any case, is what is needed another
project, while earlier promises
'PLEASE respond with your results and thinking on these exercises to
the NAVIGATION list at large. If you have questions or problems, A
lot of folks on the list are knowledgeable and willing to help. Any
questions or doubtful areas will be responded to promptly. Let us
hear from you soon!'
remain neglected?
