Going Further in Celestial Navigation (Part 4: A Day with the Sun)
This video is part of the "Going Further in Celestial Navigation" video series.
Part 4 of "Going Further in Celestial Navigation" features a vessel on passage from Grenada to Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands. We carry out the navigator's routine of the day for an entire day, featuring a morning sunline, the noon sight, an afternoon sunline, and a magnetic compass deviation check.
Please note: In the afternoon sunline example, I improperly noted the index error as -2.0 instead of -1.2. I covered it up with a digital title, so the math works correctly but the image is a bit messed up. Sorry!
Navigation Materials
The example problems in this episode use the 2014 nautical almanac, instead of the 1981 nautical almanac as usual.
1. The 1981 Nautical Almanac
Hardcopy 1981 Training Nautical Almanac - http://www.amazon.com/The-Nautical-Almanac-1981-Training/dp/0914025260
*Note you can also download for free or minimal price online by searching google, for example https://ebookpie.com/ebooks/300803-the-nautical-almanac-1981-for-training-purposes-only. You can download it from lapware.com if you pay the monthly fee for access. Sidenote - lapware is an amazing training tool!
2. HO229 - Sight Reduction Tables for Marine Navigation
Free download - http://msi.nga.mil/NGAPortal/MSI.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=msi_portal_page_62&pubCode=0013
3. Other materials of use
Free written training materials pertaining to celestial navigation, also produced by the Navigation Training Channel group. http://www.scribd.com/cdnolan
Free download of Bowditch (The American Practical Navigator) - http://msi.nga.mil/NGAPortal/MSI.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=msi_portal_page_62&pubCode=0002
USCG licensing website. This contains all the possible questions on USCG exams - http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/training/exams/deck/default.asp
The book I used to learn celestial navigation myself, and I think one of the best celestial navigation books out there, is "Common Sense Celestial Navigation" by Hewitt Schlereth - http://www.amazon.com/Commonsense-Celestial-Navigation-Hewitt-Schlereth/dp/0809272199
Here are a couple other great books to add to your library (list not all inclusive -- there are many awesome celestial books out there).
The Barefoot Navigator
http://www.amazon.com/The-Barefoot-Navigator-Jack-Lagan/dp/1574092324
Emergency Navigation
http://www.amazon.com/Emergency-Navigation-Improvised-No-Instrument-Methods/dp/0071481842/
Celestial Navigation in a Nutshell (an awesome primer for the basic theory)
http://www.amazon.com/Celestial-Navigation-Nutshell-Seafarer-Books/dp/1574090585/
Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen
http://www.amazon.com/Celestial-Navigation-Yachtsmen-Mary-Blewitt/dp/0070059284/
Celestial Navigation in the GPS Age (deals more with the math behind the theory)
http://www.amazon.com/Celestial-Navigation-GPS-John-Karl/dp/0939837757/
Celestial Navigation
http://www.amazon.com/Celestial-Navigation-Tom-Cunliffe-ebook/dp/B00EQ8J4I6/
Produced and presented by Christopher D. Nolan, USCG cutterman (8 years) and US merchant mariner (500 ton Oceans). Currently on sabbatical aboard S/V Navigator.
Thanks for watching and for all the great comments with our two celestial navigation series. We'll start work on "Advanced Concepts in Celestial Navigation" in the next few months.
Regrettably, our sabbatical is ending this summer. Future videos will depend on our workload!
Special thanks to Kellee for all the help filming and math-checking during this series.