NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: which would you choose?
From: Dan Hogan
Date: 1999 Aug 04, 3:23 PM
From: Dan Hogan
Date: 1999 Aug 04, 3:23 PM
OK. I think most of us with previous offshore navigation are taking
some things for granted. VHF, Knotmeter, depth sounder should be
considered boats equipment. I have never used a set of parallel rules.
They are too awkward to use in the confines of a small boat.
If you are going to do ANY small boat navigation, coastal/offshore you
will need a basic set of tools. My basic set will vary as I try
different gadgets or methods. The stuff I carry back and forth from the
boat is in a backpack. My tools currently are:
BASIC TOOLS
45-90-45 triangles, a pair
Weems Course Plotter (stays on the boat)
2 pair of Ultra Light dividers
A Douglas Protractor(the square ones)
A log book (college ruled) for plotting/written log
Mine is a 3-ring notebook with printed pre-calculated waypoints
and destinations. Also has numerous print outs of navigation
hints and shortcuts.
Spare wood pencils and two mechanical drafting pencils
10" Slide Rule(stays on boat)
HP32SII calculator programmed with Mercator Sailing formulae. If
the calculator gave out I would switch to Mid-Latitude Sailing.
Bushnell Binoculars 7x50(about 10 years old. Dropped several times,
stay on the boat.)
Handbearing Compass(Stays on boat)
Commonsense Coastal Navigation by Schlereth(Stays on the boat)
Rules of The Road, by David Burch
Local So. California Sailing Guide(Stays on boat)
Charts covering an area of three days sail from the marina(San
Pedro. Stay on the boat).
General coverage shortwave radio(Stays on boat).
Pocket notebook with local destinations and a log format to cover
cruise.
CELESTIAL (In addition to Basic Tools)
Sextant: Freiberger
Nautical Almanac (either flavor)
HP 32SII programmed with Dozier's formula for sight reduction.
Copy Self-Contained Celestial Navigation with H.O. 208
Copy of Sight Reduction Tables for Small Boat Navigation(229
reduced)
Three quartz watches for navigation(NOT on the wrist).
Charts for proposed area(NOAA or Chart Books)
I use home made plotting sheets.
GPS
I traded an old Garmin for a Ham Radio. I am pushing for one as a
christmas present. I do serious DR when on the boat and haven't
been on any offshore cruises lately. So I have not felt the need
for a GPS. However, a local insurance man tells me that GPS will be
an insurance requirement in lieu of the Direction Finding Radio,
soon.
Dan Hogan
dhhogan@nav.cnchost.com
