No, we can’t yet as it still is a requirement of the Solas (1997) Regulations, which states that all ships of over 150 tons gross tonnage, when engaged on International voyages, shall have onboard an efficient daylight signalling lamp which shall not be solely dependent upon the ship’s main source o…

I don’t know if you ( @Kennebec_Captain ) ever experienced this departing Guam but on occasion our GPS would become erratic for several hours. When it happened on successive trips in the same general area after leaving Guam the discussion between the mates was that the navy was playing games with us.

Been to Guam a few times, didn’t see that. I can recall two times having trouble with a Sat system. Once in the Gulf of Thailand some problem with the SATNAV. I was third mate. Capt had me do a LAN. Chief mate watched over one shoulder and captain over the other while I worked it out and plotted it…

When I was sailing, I found the Casio analog-digital watch just perfect to find out where the North or the time was … [image] When I became pilot, I just bought a cheap watch to know which day it was … [image]

I kind of like it, tbh, but most Rotterdam is a pretty… “industrial” place from my trips through there. This has got some pizzazz!

[image] Dutchie: Back to basics, stuff that we learned with the boyscouts for the Navigator insignia… This “compass” works perfectly… if the watch shows noon at the true local noon. The Equation of Time is not the problem, through the year the difference is only about ±15 minutes. The time …

[image] Hogsnort: I was taught that every thing was only an aid to navigation and total reliance on any single system was negligent. It’s possible in navigation theory to get deep in the weeds. To help guys like us that have to solve problems on a practical level rules of thumb are used. Lik…

With sophisticated systems using independent verification used in the offshore industry it is impossible to spoof the GPS signal and have it pass unnoticed. If the GPS signals disappeared altogether world wide it may be a good time to pucker up and kiss your fufu valve goodbye because nothing good i…

Yes, well put. I thought this tread: Interesting Article - How Technology Grows was relevant to marine engineering in the sense of having deep understanding vs work-a-day knowledge.

When I was sailing international in the 1970’s & 1980’s, I would sometimes come across a ship in the middle of the ocean flashing some kind of Morse Code at me. I have never been able to remember Morse Code so I would simply call on VHF 16 and ask them what they want. It was always somebody just wan…

I was once part of a riding crew on a tug being towed by an AHTS from Morgan City to Bombay, India. I would perform my Cel Nav every day & night and then compare my position to the position obtained by the AHTS’s Captain, a retired US Navy Commander. We usually got between 5 to 10 miles within each …

Use of Celestial Navigation Today

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