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Thread: Navigation class recommendations?

  1. #1
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    Default Navigation class recommendations?

    I have better than 15 gps receivers on the boat and a copy of David Burch's "Emergency Navigation" which I could probably read by candlelight if I was motivated and could find the candles. Now I mention it I don't think I have any candles aboard Jacqueline...fifteen GPSs and not a single candle. My point exactly!

    I think I ought to up my low tech game. Never know when the bad guys are going to zap the GPS constellation or all the electrical dies or both. I can get the candles easy but I don't know celestial navigation.

    I could take an online course but my Wife says I'm turning into a hermit since I retired and I need to spend some time with real humans.

    Anyone aware of an in person nav training class (including celestial) they would recommend?

  2. #2
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    The US Sailing Coastal Nav and Celestial classes at Club Nautique are very good. But you'd probably have to go through the hassle of showing that you meet the standards of the lower level classes (up through Bareboat Cruising, I would guess) as prerequisites.
    Max

  3. #3
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    definitely not a recommendation, because i have never even been there, but ...

    Cal Maritime Academy NAU 202 & 202L, Celestial Navigation, plus Lab as an "Open University" student.
    Perhaps NAU 102 & 102L (Navigation 1 and Lab) are prerequisites.

  4. #4
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    Offshore Sailing School offers a 3 day course, followed by a 3 day offshore passage making course. YOu could just take the first. It is in Florida...... taught by Jeff Werner just a fabulous guy. I also have a great 1970s german sextant we could discuss ownership with..... Realistically with the amount of things that rely on GPS it seems unlkely it would be down very long....given sailboat speeds to make a difference...... but Celestial is a lot of fun.....unfortunately it has been a year plus and I have forgotten most of it.....
    Best,
    Chris (Ventus)
    PS Starpath navigation book is pretty good and you can almost self teach yourself.....but the class is nice complement and the west coast of Florida is quite nice as well

  5. #5
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    Thanks for the ideas.

    My Son graduated from Cal Maritime, I didn't know you could take courses in an open university environment. That would be pretty cool. Having "assisted" my kid with tuition I know more about class costs that I want to. Might be a bit pricey.

    I like Florida even more. I wonder if I could get a pass from the Boss to go out there for a week?
    Last edited by mike cunningham; 10-16-2016 at 05:12 PM.

  6. #6
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    Surely there is a Celestial Navigation for Dummies book ? Or maybe an SSS member could give a class and then there could be an "open SSS University lab" to follow, perhaps while on a short offshore passage to ... Santa Cruz? Do you want to learn it or obtain a certificate guaranteeing that you met the requirements? We are surrounded by sailors w this knowledge.

  7. #7
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    Starpath Navigation is pretty good.....not Cel for Dummies but pretty good. It is focussed on taking you through the tables step by step for all the various celestial bodies (it is short on theory and high on practical table usage) . It has enough examples to figure out where you are going wrong. Spherical trig is simpler in some ways, but you can debate if having trig tables is better or worse reliability than site reduction tables.

    I am assuming that you are trying to survive the large EM pulse associated with the Zombie Apocalypse so your calculator and smart phone apps will be lost......

  8. #8
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    A zombie apocalypse? While watching Walking Dead I said to myself, "Don't worry! When they come for you in Oakland you can just get aboard DM and sail away!" I can see now that I am not the only one who thinks this way.
    Attached Images Attached Images  

  9. #9
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    pogen is offline Sailing canoe "Kūʻaupaʻa"
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    That dinghy looks familiar...

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Philpott View Post
    A zombie apocalypse? While watching Walking Dead I said to myself, "Don't worry! When they come for you in Oakland you can just get aboard DM and sail away!" I can see now that I am not the only one who thinks this way.
    To get away you're going to need to know where you're going. Those zombies walk on the bottom (I read the book) so you gotta find deep water. Thus my desire for a course.

    BTW we spent a fun as hell week in Florida after watching "World War Z". We would have a couple of beers and evaluate the zombieproofness of buildings in Ft. Lauderdale. My assessment is Ft. Lauderdale would be excellent last stand territory.

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