NavList:

David, you wrote:
"To Gary, I would say that computing a fix by plotting, ie an analog couputer, allows even the mathematically unsophisticated to do a complex calculation and that is way too much fun to give up for mere numbers."

Maybe I'm wrong here, but I don't think Gary was suggesting "mere numbers" but rather the system of MOO and MOB tables, not so well known in modern marine celestial navigation, which is every bit as worthwhile as the more familiar system of advancing lines of position. Does that make sense?

It may also be useful to emphasize "beam" sights (thanks for the contributions on names for these last fall!). When you shoot sights "abeam" of your course made good, advancing them is a non-event. For modern boaters, this is an excellent option. It's easy to plan to shoot one Sun sight (or a few averaged) when the Sun is abeam. Then any Sun sight a few hours before or after that can be crossed with it, yielding a fix at the time of the "non-beam" sight. And of course, Noon Sun sights can be advanced very easily simply by shifting the latitude by the amount of "southing". A little planning saves the effort of plotting and advancing.

Frank Reed