Way, way back when I was in school, a slide rule was a kind of a status symbol for a certain group of math, engineering, physics techie types in the days before electronic calculators. They had a certain cachet, and if you knew what you were doing and had the right kind of slide rule, you could do square roots and cube roots as well as mutliply and divide with limited accuracy. And of course their batteries never failed in the middle of a physics exam. While not an open ocean sailor, I look upon the sextant in these days of inexpensive and extremely accurate GPS as kind of like the slide rule. They have a certain cachet and if you get your jollies working site reduction tables and playing with the trigonometry, I imagine it could be quite satisfying to determine your position with reasonable accuracy. And their electronics never fail when you're out at sea (of course you also can't always see the sun and stars either). Is anybody out there still really using a sextant for navigation? Gary Wyngarden S/V Shibumi H335
- Status
Maybe someday.
Someday, when I get offshore, it will be comforting to know I can use one. So far only at the beach and only noon sightings. But it is fun to see how close you can calculate compared to my Garmin 12XL which I carry for cross-checking! Usually I am within five miles.
Someday, when I get offshore, it will be comforting to know I can use one. So far only at the beach and only noon sightings. But it is fun to see how close you can calculate compared to my Garmin 12XL which I carry for cross-checking! Usually I am within five miles.
Have one, but no clue...
I bought a Davis Model 25, on the advice of a coworker, who has the exact same model, and is trying to teach me. I am NOT the sort of person to always keep my checkbook balanced, so this is a bit "Finicky" for me. Maybe someday, I'll figure it out, but in the meantime, I have a Magellan 2000XL, and look to move up to a better one.
I bought a Davis Model 25, on the advice of a coworker, who has the exact same model, and is trying to teach me. I am NOT the sort of person to always keep my checkbook balanced, so this is a bit "Finicky" for me. Maybe someday, I'll figure it out, but in the meantime, I have a Magellan 2000XL, and look to move up to a better one.
Inspired but ignorant
I have an el cheapo plastic one like the one Tania Aebi used for the first part of her trip (when she couldn't get a correct fix to save her life). I bought it at a swap meet for something like $5 so it probably doesn't even work. If I were to go out on an ocean crossing though, I'd definitely take a class & learn it. LaDonna
I have an el cheapo plastic one like the one Tania Aebi used for the first part of her trip (when she couldn't get a correct fix to save her life). I bought it at a swap meet for something like $5 so it probably doesn't even work. If I were to go out on an ocean crossing though, I'd definitely take a class & learn it. LaDonna
I Still use a sextant
As Captain Ron said in the movie, "If anything is going to happen it will happen out there." On the open sea, Murphy's law reignes supreme and is multiplied by ten. Every blue water sailor should have a sextant on board and know how to use it! No one would put to sea without appropriate tools and spares in case of a mechanical breakdown, right? It should be the same with navigational tools. Sure, GPS is highly reliable and accurate. Electronic navigation is great as long as it is working. But what will you do if the electrical system fails? Things can and do break. Batteries go flat. Antenna cables corrode from the salt. Things get dropped or just wear out. It is also not beyond the realm of possibility that the GPS system could experience a temporarty and unexpected failure. I carry three GPS units aboard: one mounted at the navigation table and two hand held units with plenty of batteries. I use one or two of them on every cruise. But I also carry and use my sextant just in case. On the open ocean you can't just "pull in somewheres and ask directions."
As Captain Ron said in the movie, "If anything is going to happen it will happen out there." On the open sea, Murphy's law reignes supreme and is multiplied by ten. Every blue water sailor should have a sextant on board and know how to use it! No one would put to sea without appropriate tools and spares in case of a mechanical breakdown, right? It should be the same with navigational tools. Sure, GPS is highly reliable and accurate. Electronic navigation is great as long as it is working. But what will you do if the electrical system fails? Things can and do break. Batteries go flat. Antenna cables corrode from the salt. Things get dropped or just wear out. It is also not beyond the realm of possibility that the GPS system could experience a temporarty and unexpected failure. I carry three GPS units aboard: one mounted at the navigation table and two hand held units with plenty of batteries. I use one or two of them on every cruise. But I also carry and use my sextant just in case. On the open ocean you can't just "pull in somewheres and ask directions."
Without a sextant
Going to sea without a sextant and the knowledge to use it is like going out in a dingy without oars. Sure, oars are old fashion and a lot slower than an outboard... but when the outboard quits you can still row home. Yes, I use a sextant. It's my second choice, right behind a GPS... Ron/KA5HZV
Going to sea without a sextant and the knowledge to use it is like going out in a dingy without oars. Sure, oars are old fashion and a lot slower than an outboard... but when the outboard quits you can still row home. Yes, I use a sextant. It's my second choice, right behind a GPS... Ron/KA5HZV
We sail, don't we?
We sail our boats even though power replaced sail well over 100 years ago. Isn't using a sextant kind of the same thing for some, with the same kind of satisfaction? Plus, they're much prettier than a GPS. Kind of like a sailboat.
We sail our boats even though power replaced sail well over 100 years ago. Isn't using a sextant kind of the same thing for some, with the same kind of satisfaction? Plus, they're much prettier than a GPS. Kind of like a sailboat.
- Status