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» Online Classroom   » Celestial Navigation   » Public Discussion of Cel Nav   » On taking the first sextant sight

   
Author Topic: On taking the first sextant sight
John Nussbaum


 - posted April 30, 2005 03:58 PM      Profile for John Nussbaum           Edit/Delete Post 
"I was beginning to get uneasy the day I tried my first sextant shot.

It was a shoddy affair. I spent the day capturing the shifty sun in terms of an angle, and working out a questionable noon sight from a maze of figures. Late that evening, after juggling ciphers and sights all afternoon, I arrived at a position which put me some where inland in central Panama. I gave up for the night."

John Caldwell, Desperate Voyage

From: NW PA
David Burch


 - posted May 01, 2005 12:23 AM      Profile for David Burch           Edit/Delete Post 
Well....
I would have to recommend this fellow take a course in cel nav. Our students always average about 1 mile uncertainty in their first round of sights (the average of the full classs). This has been true for 20 years. This is from land, but it is not much different underway in normal conditions. And this is from groups doing their first sights.

From: Starpath, Seattle, WA
engsolnorm


 - posted June 01, 2006 09:35 AM      Profile for engsolnorm           Edit/Delete Post 
Too funny...

Some years ago, I bought the cheapie Davis plastic sextant, and tried following the included directions. Since I could only guess at where the horizon was (the gutter line of the apartment building next door), my first "fix" showed that Eugene OR ia a suburb of Sea.ttle WA.

Now I have a Astra IIIB coming, plus the artificial horizon, and am doing the Starpath home study course. I expect my next attempt will at least place Eugene in the state of Oregon.

Norm

From: Oregon
David Burch


 - posted June 01, 2006 10:12 AM      Profile for David Burch           Edit/Delete Post 
Yes, shouold definitely do better with a more suitable horizon.

We have notes online in using the Artificial Horizon, but also if you are near a lake (Lake Foster?) then using dip short as explained in Chapter 2 is usually much more realistic practice, plus more versatile.

From: Starpath, Seattle, WA


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