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Frank Reed wrote:
>
> George H wrote:
> "Gordon Talge has told us he likes to consult the original manuals,
> but few
> of us have easy access to that sort of library. "

I got my original manuals from www.abe.com "The Advanced Book Exchange"
off the internet. Just do a search for navigation and set it to
search for the most expensive books first. You'll come up with
stuff they want $5,000 or more, but eventually they will work
their way down to around $150 to $200, not much more than a
couple of college text books.

> Ah, but we do all have easy access to at least one example of the
> original manuals! I know you personally are aware of it, but since
> people come and go on lists like these on a regular basis, I'll point
> out again that the COMPLETE text of Norie's Epitome of Navigation from
> 1828 is available on the Mystic Seaport Blunt White Library web site
> (go to mysticseaport.org and follow the links to the library's digital
> collection). In addition there is a complete copy of the Nautical
> Almanac from 1804 and numerous log books from the era many of which
> include actual navigational calculations.
>

Great! I wish more historical stuff was on the net.

BTW, I know a lot of talk has been given to "Lunar Distance" methods,
and it is fun to see how they did them, but it does not seem to me
to be a very practical methods. There are at least three simultaneous
observations that have to be done and tons of calculations, and then
it may not be right. I can see why they "dumped" these methods as
soon as they got decent chronometers. They were usually right on with
the latitude, the longitude required time and that may be a little
fuzzy.

I remember reading about some ship finding an island and noting
the position. A few years latter another ship spending days trying
to find the island without success. Then another ship finding the
same island again without any problems!

I think Pitcarin Island was remote and mischarted and that is
why the British ( or any ship for that matter ) didn't sight
island for years leaving the mutineers to their own devices.

-- Gordon



--
                              ,,,
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+-------------------------ooO-(_)-Ooo------------------------+
| Gordon Talge WB6YKK           e-mail: gtalge AT pe DOT net |
| Department of Mathematics      http://www.nlmusd.k12.ca.us |
| Norwalk High School                   Norwalk, CA          |
| (o-    Debian / GNU / Linux                                |
| //\    The Choice of the GNU Generation                    |
| v_/_                  .oooO                                |
|    - E Aho Laula -     (  )   Oooo. - Wider is Better -    |
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