NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: David C
Date: 2025 Jul 24, 20:47 -0700
Gary wrote
In 2010 we were sailing from Bora Bora to Raiatea. The course is about 120 You have to find the pass through the reef which is south of the north end of Raiatea. It is difficult to spot the pass from seaward. About ten miles off shore I was trying to spot the pass when I got an idea. The sun was directly on the starboard beam, bearing 210, so I took out my sextant and shot a "courseline" sun line. Did the computations and found that we were a 1/2 a mile to the left of course so altered slightly to the right and when the reef came into view the pass was right in front of us.
Isn't that what Sumner did all those years ago? The difference is that Sumner's course and position line through the lighthouse were the same whereas your course and position line through the reef were offset by 1/2 mile.
David C
