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Celestial Nevigation - Book recommendations sought

4K views 20 replies 15 participants last post by  SoBre 
#1 · (Edited)
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#2 ·
I went through several before finally landing upon Starpath.com. It is an online course, but the book it comes with is by far the best and most thorough I came across. Also, it is a very complex topic, and when you get stuck on a topic, its very nice to be able to have instant access to experts who do an excellent job replying. There is an online forum classroom where almost every question you may think of has already been asked and covered. I have no vested interest in starpath, other than I feel they deserve a large amount of praise for running a great online course.
 
#3 ·
Ok, all discussion of why you would want to learn it, or how much use it is in 2012, aside.........

I did actually at a point in my life in a moment of lunacy and romanticism learn Celestial Navigation. When I asked around the book that most of those in the know recommended was celestial navigation for Yachtsman by Mary Blewitt.

It certainly proved very helpful. Other books I read were either too detailed in ways unnecessary for what is required or just difficult to follow. This book I found was the most concise easy to follow guide.

Hey if I can learn Celestial Navigation from this book then anyone can :)
 
#4 ·
When I learned Celestial, I also learned from Mary Blewitt's book. Little theory but good on essential methodology. Theory and refinements came later from a number of other texts. Most folks are really only interested in being able to lay down LOP's and take noon Lat's so Blewitt's book is quite good.

FWIW...
 
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#5 ·
Amazon.com: Celestial Navigation (9780914025016): David Burch, Toby Burch: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PJDRTBHBL.@@AMEPARAM@@51PJDRTBHBL The book that the Starpath class uses. It is also the ASA 107 certification textbook. I thought it was a great book and very informative. As for those that deride you for wanting to learn celestial..... oh well. Some folks find doing celestial fun, want to see how they did it in the old days or just have an interest..... No harm in that as far as I am concerned....
 
#6 ·
#9 ·
IIRC the introduction in Blewitt says right up front that it is designed for a lifeboat, i.e. here's what you do and screw the logic behind it, just do it.

Mixter's Primer of Navigation is a much thicker old-fashioned book that covers the history, logic, progression of navigation and presents things in a much more comprehensive fashion. I'd say there's certainly room for both approaches, because understanding how the 'machine' works, makes it a much different experience.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Exactly. The Blewitt book is pretty good at presenting the general picture of what you're trying to do, although some parts could use clearer illustrations. Getting the brain around the three dimensional "picture" of the general theory is necessary before tackling the theory behind it. The trig is not all that difficult once it becomes clear what you're trying to accomplish. I found that, as in any other new learning curve, really understanding the terminology was the most difficult. That Starpath book looks like a good one.
 
#13 ·
CN is alive and well! I use it every time I sail to confirm that I am in the vicinity of Lake Arthur in western Pa.
Me too!! Unfortunately, I'm actually on Santa Monica Bay, in California.
 
#16 ·
I too am preparing to learn this dying art. I am a bit intriqued by the whole thing and look forward to it.

There are a lot of nay-sayers out there on the subject, about how useless it is in this "modern world" of ours. But what if you were out on an ocean passage and the ultra reliable government(s) shut the GPS signal off. Or what if the Myans just happen to be right and things crash down (or up) around us and a few are left to re-discover what is left. How will they get around without a signal to lock on to with their useless techno gadgets?

I say good for you Chris. I am going to use the Starpath program; looks very good and has a lot of positive feedback.
 
#17 ·
I too am preparing to learn this dying art. I am a bit intriqued by the whole thing and look forward to it.

There are a lot of nay-sayers out there on the subject, about how useless it is in this "modern world" of ours. But what if you were out on an ocean passage and the ultra reliable government(s) shut the GPS signal off. Or what if the Myans just happen to be right and things crash down (or up) around us and a few are left to re-discover what is left. How will they get around without a signal to lock on to with their useless techno gadgets?

I say good for you Chris. I am going to use the Starpath program; looks very good and has a lot of positive feedback.
I think you got it right in your first sentence. It is an art, to be done for the reason anyone pursues an 'art' for a sense of achievement and self satisfaction. It was for these reasons I pursued it.

While I wouldn't go as far as to say it is useless, I do think the argument for it being a necessary skill for offshore sailing has now passed.

If Mayan end of world prophecy proves true, or if the US government reaches a point where it's military systems are rendered inoperable I am not sure I personally would ever want to find shore again :)
 
#19 ·
I seem to recall hearing that they recently stopped teaching celestial navigation at Annapolis. If they don't teach it there, I doubt the rest of the Navy does either.
 
#20 ·
"AFAIK, the US Navy still uses Bowditch."
And they'd damn well better, because they (NOAA, DMA, GSIA, whoever it is this week) still maintain and publish the damned thing. And of course it goes well beyond simple celestial nav.

"I seem to recall hearing that they recently stopped teaching celestial navigation at Annapolis." IIRC at least five years ago it changed from mandatory to optional?

Of course when laser-ring gyroscopes ramped down from a quarter million to a mere fifty cent integrated part, I'm sure that changed the whole field of inertial navigation systems as well. <VBG>
 
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