Scott: I understand your hesitation on use of the sextant but the MORE you
use it the more your confidence will increase. Yes it is true that ideal
conditions are few and far between but any sight taken even if only one can
establish a position. The main ingredient is to keep a dead reckoning track (based
on speed, time and distance). So let us say you take and reduce one sight on
Tuesday that is plotted as a LOP. Then on Thursday (or later) you get another
sight and LOP. Advancing the first LOP (based on your DR) to your 2nd LOP
will give you a fix. Hey we're not looking for instant positions as our cruises
are lengthy. The real crunch comes in making a landfall. If the landfall is
visible then revert to AP tactics. If not visible (fog, low clouds,rain
squalls, etc.) then it becomes more difficult but not impossible. I'll not go into
the exact details on how to proceed in this situation unless requested. I am
not anti-electronic but you should have a way to get into port if the
electronics fail. All this takes practice and more practice but the result is a high
level of confidence and a good feeling in being able to navigate safely.
Regards. Leonard Stern, Indifference.
Scott: I understand your hesitation on use of the sextant but the MORE you
use it the more your confidence will increase. Yes it is true that ideal
conditions are few and far between but any sight taken even if only one can
establish a position. The main ingredient is to keep a dead reckoning track (based
on speed, time and distance). So let us say you take and reduce one sight on
Tuesday that is plotted as a LOP. Then on Thursday (or later) you get another
sight and LOP. Advancing the first LOP (based on your DR) to your 2nd LOP
will give you a fix. Hey we're not looking for instant positions as our cruises
are lengthy. The real crunch comes in making a landfall. If the landfall is
visible then revert to AP tactics. If not visible (fog, low clouds,rain
squalls, etc.) then it becomes more difficult but not impossible. I'll not go into
the exact details on how to proceed in this situation unless requested. I am
not anti-electronic but you should have a way to get into port if the
electronics fail. All this takes practice and more practice but the result is a high
level of confidence and a good feeling in being able to navigate safely.
Regards. Leonard Stern, Indifference.
