Next message: Noyce, Bill: "Re: suggestion for a satisfactory celnav narrative"
Thank you Susan.
Hope you will participate should the necessary ingredients be
forthcoming to nail this project together for this list.
Cordially,
Courtney
On Fri, 2005-06-03 at 11:00, Susan Johnson wrote:
> My husband and I have been giving seminars (5 to 7 sessions) on
> Celestial Navigation a couple of times a year for the past 5 years
> (with mixed results). Unfortunately, most attendees want to know how
> to do everything without expending any study, practice or thinking
> time are looking for a "cookbook" Celestial Nav. We have the
> students bring their books and sextants to class and we attempt to
> present an overview that will (1) make it easier for them to go back
> to the book and understand the text and learn more and (2) allow them
> to use the Davis celestial Nav forms ... fill in the blanks.... and
> "voila" ... here's what you have....
>
> Our class (Celestial Aggravation) sylabus was as follows:
>
> I Introduction
> Tools - pencil, eraser, maneuvering board, sextant, stop watch,
> chronometer, dividers, etc...
> Basic navigation - Lines of Position, Fixes, Running Fixes, etc.
> Terminology - Latitude, Declination, Longitude, Equation of
> Time, Poles (geographic, magnetic, compass, celestial), GMT, GHA, LHA,
> Geographical Position, Height of Eye, Dip, Parallax, etc.
>
> II The Sextant
> Parts of and comparisons
> How to Use
> Errors and how to test and correct for
> Theories on how often to take shots, best methods, averaging,
> graphing, etc.
>
> III The Almanac -
> What information is available
> How to read (interpolation)
> Time and Longitude
> Predicting local noon, sunrise, sunset
>
> IV Practical
> Go to Imperial Beach pier where there is access to sun shot
> from 1 hr before noon until sunset. (we live on the Pacific ocean).
> Take a series of "morning" shots, "noon" shots, "afternoon" shots,
> and if the moon's available - a series of moon shots.
>
> VI Computation (this frequently stretches over a couple of
> sessions)
> Using HO 229 and/or HO 249 work out the shots taken during
> the Practical and plot our position. For this, we do a "noon" shot, a
> "morning" shot and an "afternoon" shot.
>
> During a 6 session course, we do sample Moon and Start problems.
>
> Preparing for this class I have found the following to be useful:
>
> My celestial nav links: http://home.pacbell.net/sohle/appendc.htm
>
> Books:
>
> In 1975, I used Reed's Almanac w/ versine tables to successfully
> navigate a sailboat from England to Madeira, through the Carri bean,
> to Florida with sextant and short-wave radio.
>
> Practical Celestial Navigation by Susan P. Howell
>
> Celestial Navigation for Yachstmen by Mary Blewitt
>
> One Day Celestial Navigation by Otis S. Brown
>
> Dutton's and Bowditch
>
> Hope this is helpful....
> Susan Johnson
