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Author
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Topic: *C02 — P012 Practice Question 02 -- finding a better position with watch alone
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David Burch
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posted March 30, 2006 06:33 PM
Following the quote in Practice Question 01, there is this quote:
"Under favorable conditions, you might find your position from scratch to within about 100 miles, or maybe even 50 miles."
From: Starpath, Seattle, WA
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Dan Cline
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posted June 03, 2007 02:59 PM
I assume that the point of this problem is to identify what “favorable conditions” may be and what effect they have on the accuracy of fixes using a watch alone (and perhaps some driftwood).
In general, clear skies and calm water are what we want. Clear skies facilitate sights of celestial bodies, making it easier to determine the times of sunrise and sunset, to use shadows to determine the height of the sun at LAN, and to see zenith stars. Calm water reduces boat motion and makes it easier to hold our measuring instrument steady, whether it is a kamal or a stick.
Another favorable condition is the observer’s actual location; locations in middle to higher latitudes allow for longer sun shadows, reducing measurement error, and the closer one is to a latitude that equals the declination of a navigational star, the more accurate the zenith star method becomes.
From: Midland, MI
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