NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: Sean C
Date: 2015 Dec 21, 01:55 -0800
All joking aside, the noon sight for latitude and longitude was the first method I learned. Chiefly because it is explained in the manual for the Davis Mk. 15, my first sextant. (The same manual comes with the Mk. 25, which Lee has indicated he is using.) I remember phoning the local West Marine store and asking if they carried the Nautical Almanac..."the one with the equation of time", I said. At that time, I had no idea what else the N.A. contained, or what other use it could possibly have. :)
But yes, it is quite difficult to get an accurate longitude using the noon sight. However, I believe the concept is relatively easy to grasp and can be executed with nothing more than one simple, short table (also included in the Davis manual). The downside being that the lack of accuracy can be slightly discouraging to the novice. It was for me, anyway. But, take heart, Lee. With perseverance and a little help from your friends (us), you will succeed! Welcome to NavList!
Sincerely,
Sean C.
