NavList:

Bruce,
Yes I was an absolute beginner in notebook one. I had a Davis sextant that I bought in my twenties, intending to learn, but never got around to it. I dug the sextant out of the closet, dusted off books by Dutton's and Hobbs, and taught myself cel-nav. My first sights were 6-10 miles off and I was using a tupperware dish with black tinted water for a horizon. I have traded up to and Astra and a mirro horizon. Today I expect my sights to come in at under 1 mile and will often have a majority under 1/2 mile.
I have done lots of observations to improve my accuraccy but more than that, beacuse I enjoy the experience. It is a connection with the past, with nature and a stubborn refusal to give in to the trend of using "black box" solutions to everything. I always new the sun moved through the sky, but when I first looked through that Davis scope I could actually see it move. I always saw the stars in the sky but now I can idenify 10 or more by name at any given time of year. I can mark the passsing of seconds or seasons with the clestial clock overhead that everyone else doesn't even notice. Finally, it tickles me that I can take a sextant, a watch and a book or two and sail anywhere in the world. (without batteries) We are a rare breed, we navigators.

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