At 12:01 AM 12/24/2004, you wrote: >I'm going to schedule a class, and see if I can maintain the skills. I >figure if people have been learning to do this for hundreds of years, and >I can't, maybe I would fail the Darwin test out on the ocean? I find that learning these and other skills to be a great part of the enjoyment of this pastime. I enjoy working on the ship, learning to splice, and want to learn celestial navigation. It ties us into the history of the environment and celestial navigation gives me a great method to learn more about all those stars up there every night. This is the joy of the passage rather than the chore. -Wray Wray West M/V Anjumal (Cape Horn 65) Portsmouth, NH www.anjumal.com