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Hello Alexander,

You wrote:

> Are you sure that the wormscrew is made of alluminium?
> I never disassembled the trommel, but I tried to look
> inside (you can see part of the worm through the slit
> in the trommel on SNO-T when the
> sextant is set on
> the minimal or maximal angle). My impression is that it does not look
> like aluminium (it is dark yellow).


It is not the wormscrew that is made of aluminum. It is hard for me to
explain without an illustration and without having the Frieberger in front
of me (I sold it several years ago). The release mechanism for the worm
screw is aluminum and rotates within an opening at the end of the aluminum
drum. It looks pretty much the same as the Russian sextant that you have.
Essentially what you have are two moving parts: one that rotates within the
other and both are made of aluminum.

You wrote:

>> As for boxes, I agree with Bruce Bauer on the desirability
>> to have a sextant case large enough that the sextant can
>> be stored with the scope attached.
>
> Have you used it on a small boat?
> What size boat?
> If yes, could you share with me your experience:

I've used it on a few different boats, the largest being an 88 foot steel
training schooner formerly owned by the Ocean Navigator folks out of
Portland, Maine. I have used it on vessels from 28 feet to 36 feet. My
experiences in using a sextant on small vessels is no different than others
on this list: when it is rough out, it's hard to pin down the sight and
consequently, the accuracy falls off. I did get lucky one time on Chesapeake
Bay on a friend's boat when the weather was rather testy. I was reasonably
close but would have to go through my sextant log to get you the figures.

In the end, I just prefer a scope to an open sight. I'm not saying that it
is better, only that it is my own preferred option. To each his own.


> 1. Where exactly
> did you store the Celestaire plastic box on the boat?

I generally try to store it close to the sole of the vessel. On my boat, I
keep in in a compartment underneath my bunk in the bow. That way, it can't
fall to the floor because it is already there! Because the case is plastic
and the sextant is encased in soft foam, it suffers no shocks or damage.
Like I said: I love that case. It protects my precious sextant.
>
> 2. Are you always able to catch the high sun
> when the waves and wind are strong, without detaching the scope?

I have never found this to be a problem, although I should add that I have
not got a lot of open ocean cruising experience. All of my cruising is
coastal. I live at the head end of a large, long -- 130 miles -- bay so if I
use a sextant, it is just for the pleasure and fun of it, otherwise I just
go by my charts and compass. Occassionally, I do go offshore, but not often
and when I do, I tend not to linger for very long because the weather in my
part of the world is notoriously foul and unpredictable.

cheers,

Robert

   

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