1978 Cassens & Plath Sextant

Great news! After a bit of a cleanup that even consisted of complete removal of the Index Mirror - gasp!!! And a session out on the deck to determine current IE - I have been getting near perfect accuracy on some sun sights.

1978 Cassens & Plath Sextant

And the illumination light now works too!

One thing that I need to do is find some ammonia so that I can gice the arc a good clean-up.

A few things that are contributing are as follows...

- correct filter application (and placement relative to horizon mirror) for sun sights
- application of IE correction before halving of Hs (thanks Alan!)
- IE determination from Bruce Bauer book - The Sextant Handbook - and comments by Frank Reed

Because I am currently shooting from my nook on the back deck, I don't have a long distance horizon that will allow me to zero out IE as professed by Frank Reed. Rather I am easily able to determine current IE by using the Bruce Bauer method as modified by Frank Reed.

To determine IE - set your sextant to 0 deg 0.0', turn the micrometer to 25.0' OFF the arc - put shades on and sight the sun. Bring the upper body down to kiss the sun - record the value and correctly read the micrometer from zero - not the other way around. Then move the body to the bottom of the sun, kiss the sun and record the value. Subtract the smaller from the larger and divide the difference by 2. Whichever value is the larger becomes the sign - ON or OFF.

As Frank Reed says - it is not necessary to hold the sextant horizontally as Bruce Bauer professes.

After determining IE this way - I have been able to get 3 near perfect sights! Way to go Bruce and Frank.

3 Sun Sights from the Stone Frigate - 27 November 2016

Toronto Boat Show 2017 Seminar

I have just received my dates from the Boat Show folks for my seminar titled...

A Practical Primer for Celestial Navigation

The dates are:

- Monday, 23 January 2017 at 5:30pm, Salon 107
- Thursday, 26 January 2017 at 2:00pm, Presentation Theatre
- Saturday, 28 January 2017 at 2:00pm, Presentation Theatre
- Sunday, 29 January 2017 at 4:00pm, Presentation Theatre

Seminar Synopsis is...

How to apply Celestial Navigation for practical on the water application for the purposes of emergency backup navigation, or for the fun of it. Celestial Navigation, once the basics have been learned and understood, can be an easy and fun way to navigate larger waters - to locate yourself and achieve landfall from these open waters with great accuracy. Learn how to easily develop and obtain navigational fixes using celestial bodies such as the Sun, Moon, some Planets and selected Stars. Gain an understanding and be amazed by the workings of the natural universe. Be surprised by how easily you can use these celestial bodies, that are in some cases incomprehensible distances away from us - to locate yourself on a big ocean. It is all highly practical and also quite magical.