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Overview
Guiding a craft using one of the oldest of the mariner's
arts-celestial navigation
As romantic–sounding as sailing to Tahiti did centuries ago, using the sun, moon, planets, and stars to guide one's boat on the seas is enjoying a comeback. For those who do not wish to be caught short when modern technology fails on board, knowing how to chart a path with the aid of a sextant is an essential navigating skill. In Celestial Navigation, veteran yachtsman, Tom Cunliffe, reveals how any boat owner can master this seafaring technique, without complex mathematics, using his simplified approach. Readers begin with a sound foundation of basic concepts and definitions, before moving on to the hardware-the sextant and how to use it. Within a few pages, you'll be working out your latitude from a noon sight, and learning how to plot a position from observing the sun, planets, moon or stars-or wherever you may be on the world's oceans.
- Helps readers prepare for the RYA Yachtsmaster Ocean Exam, which includes celestial navigation as a requirement
- Includes clear diagrams and worked examples to help guide the novice navigator
- New edition has downloadable material, a new chapter on electronic navigation as well as the bonus feature of online video demonstrations
Whether setting out to sea on a short or long journey, Celestial Navigation is an essential guide to using the sun, moon, planets, and stars as your guideposts home.
Synopsis
Celestial navigation is one of the oldest of the mariner’s arts – and one of the most awe-inspiring. To guide a small boat across the trackless oceans using a simple measuring device – the sextant – and a knowledge of the Sun, Moon and stars is a skill that borders on the magical. It is also essential for every ocean sailor who wants to be able to fix his position should the GPS fail.
In these pages Tom Cunliffe shows how to master the art in easy stages. His talent is to educate without intimidating. Starting from a sound foundation of the basic concepts and definitions, he moves on to the hardware: the sextant and how to use it. Within a few pages you’ll be taking your first sight. From there it is a short step to plotting your position, wherever you may be on the world’s oceans.
NEW EDITION FEATURES:
- Revised text and new photographs
- Video tutorials accessed online
- Access to downloadable calculation sheets
Whether you need to pass an exam, want a back-up to GPS positioning or simply choose to delight in the wonder of the cosmos, this is the perfect guide.
Tom Cunliffe is Britain’s leading sailing journalist and writer. He learned his sextant skills during numerous ocean passages, many of them made in the days before GPS. Tom is a RYA(R) Yachtmaster[R] Instructor Examiner and has acted as consultant for US Sailing. He has lectured extensively around Britain and the USA and writes regularly for Yachting Monthly, Yachting World and SAIL magazine. He also wrote and presented the BBC TV series, The Boats That Built Britain.
Wiley Nautical recommends this title for the Celestial Navigation section of the RYA [R] Ocean Yachtmaster [R] course.
ISBN: 9780470666333
UK £11.99 / US $19.95 / CDN $23.95
www.wileynautical.com
Front cover image: TAMAYA TECHNICS INC.