Celestial Supplies Needed For Ocean PAssage

Professional Mariner Forum
1

I have a friend who is sailing as an AB seaman and wants to learn celestial navigation but his boat doesn’t have [I]any[/I] books or supplies. What does he need?

Of note he isn’t interested in learning celestial for passing an exam (yet), he does want to learn the best way to get started.

Here’s my short list from memory but I’ve heard there are simpler ways to do things than how I was tought at school (air almanac?)

A sextant (I suggested Tamaya, any other suggestions?)
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0939837889?ie=UTF8&tag=gcaptaincom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0939837889”>2011 Nautical Almanac - Commercial Edition (Nautical Almanac (Commercial Edition))</a><img src=“http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gcaptaincom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0939837889” width=“1” height=“1” border=“0” alt="" style=“border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015ZR4US?ie=UTF8&tag=gcaptaincom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0015ZR4US”>Pub. 229 Sight Reduction Tables for Marine Navigation </a><img src=“http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gcaptaincom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0015ZR4US” width=“1” height=“1” border=“0” alt="" style=“border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0939837544?ie=UTF8&tag=gcaptaincom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0939837544”>The American Practical Navigator: Bowditch</a>
Scientific Calculator (I like the <a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000A3IAHM?ie=UTF8&tag=gcaptaincom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000A3IAHM”>Casio FX-115ES </a><img src=“http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gcaptaincom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000A3IAHM” width=“1” height=“1” border=“0” alt="" style=“border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />)
An accurate watch

He also wants to know what is not required but might be nice to have. Here’s what I have so far:
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZZWE10?ie=UTF8&tag=gcaptaincom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B003ZZWE10”>Rite In The Rain Pocket Journal - 3x5</a><img src=“http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gcaptaincom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B003ZZWE10” width=“1” height=“1” border=“0” alt="" style=“border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001NXDFDM?ie=UTF8&tag=gcaptaincom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001NXDFDM”>Fisher Space Pen, Space Beam with White LED Spotlight, Matte Black (S400B-WBEAM)</a><img src=“http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gcaptaincom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001NXDFDM” width=“1” height=“1” border=“0” alt="" style=“border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” />
Celesticomp
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002MZZX9E?ie=UTF8&tag=gcaptaincom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B002MZZX9E”>A Cheap Handheld GPS</a><img src=“http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=gcaptaincom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B002MZZX9E” width=“1” height=“1” border=“0” alt="" style=“border:none !important; margin:0px !important;” /> for checking the time and double checking his results

What else?

2

I like the TI-83 graphing calculator. I prefer doing celestial by the equations and a graphing calculator makes that much easier.

And a star finder. You may take a sight on an unknown star and want to find out which one it was. Also, if you do the proper planning then you will know which stars will be the best for a fix that night and use the star finder to approximate a bearing and altitude so you are sure to shoot the correct one.

The star finder would probably be necessary but not absolutely required to do it (like the sight reduction tables).

The graphing calculator would be in the second category of nice to have.

3

The nautical almanac actually has an explanation of doing celestial nav, but it is very rudimentary.

Dutton’s does a good job of explaning it, and would be a good reference. It also has a chapter on star identification, as does the almanac. Bowditch is pretty dry reading. Actually, if you can find an old Bowditch published in the '60’s, they actually have some nice color star maps with overlays to help id stars and constellations.

A very good book which is very readable is [U]Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen[/U] by Mary Blewitt. It has been around since the '60’s, and a revised edition has been published since. I used it to teach myself celestial on a passage in the Pacific one time, and it worked well - we found the islands we were looking for :slight_smile:

You can also use HO 249, which is a more compact volume for sight reduction. HO 229 has quite a few more volumes, covering 15 degrees of latitude each. HO 249 covers more, and would be less to carry in luggage.

If he is going to use sight reduction tables, a very simple calculator will suffice for adding and subtracting. A TI-30XIIS is pretty simple, solar powered, and will still do sin, cos, tan, square root, pi, as well as add and subtract in degrees, and costs about $20. Others on this site have recommended the TI-36 model, which is a few dollars more.

He will also need a good digital watch and shortwave radio for time ticks, unless he has access to the ship’s chronometer.

Ebay actually has a good selection of marine sextants for sale. He might be able to find one nearby so he could inspect it first.

Here’s a good site to peruse for celestial gear: http://www.celestaire.com/ There are others out there, too.

Good luck to your friend!

4

you can download Bowditch and 229, 249 (along with a lot of other useful stuff like sailing directions)for free from the website the coastguard uses for notice to mariner updates www.nga.mil, might also want some plotting sheets.

5

He also might want a Celestial Navigation program so he can check his answers. No use getting frustrated when you keep getting the wrong answer and have nothing to check it against. Make sure it shows the math so he can learn from his mistakes. I got one online from a guy in Brazil for about $45. It works real well, does all the math and has a good interface including a star finder.

I enjoy the ritual of celestial NAV so I only use when I am pressed for time.

6

Tons and tons of free stuff on the internet. Should be able to learn the theory behind everything without spending any money. Then get some hands on with you on the vessel. If he doesn’t want to go for his license now he can still take the Celestial course that satisfies the STCW required training and assessments and it doesn’t expire so if he ever decides to get a license he has that portion knocked out. Some schools supply the sextant for training so all you would need to learn is plotting tools and a calculator. I don’t see buying a sextant in order to learn, especially a cheap one that has a lot of error built in.

7

There’s always SkyMate - you’re supposed to pay for it, but there’s ways of getting it for free.

8

I would recommend a Davis MK25 sextant. Inexpensive, accurate enough, and very light weight; a nice feature when learning to take sights. I have used one for years with consistent results of less than 1nm deviation from GPS positions.

9

[QUOTE=BMCSRetired;45543]He also might want a Celestial Navigation program so he can check his answers. No use getting frustrated when you keep getting the wrong answer and have nothing to check it against. Make sure it shows the math so he can learn from his mistakes. I got one online from a guy in Brazil for about $45. It works real well, does all the math and has a good interface including a star finder.

I enjoy the ritual of celestial NAV so I only use when I am pressed for time.[/QUOTE]

Another celestial program to look at is WinAstro (www.winastro.com) - the free trial lasts 30 days, so this may be enough for his needs. The site also reviews a number of sextants and books on the subject.

10

I recommend the Celesticomp V site reduction pocket calculator with ephemeris data for identifying visible stars and planets, determining sunrise/sunset, DR calculation, advancing a fix, computing running fixes, noon latitude shots, etc… While no longer commercially produced, I have one like new for sale. If interested, I can be reached at wddogger@gmail.com.