NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Navigating the Indies
From: Ross Henderson
Date: 2026 Oct 7, 02:55 -0700
From: Ross Henderson
Date: 2026 Oct 7, 02:55 -0700
Hi Assuming a declination of S07 40.3 and EofT +13m 35s, Dip 13ft, I have reduced LAN to 23°38´.6 N 74° 38.5´ W at 16:45 UT, advancing to 18:40:20 UT, I get 23° 34.9´ N 74° 43.5´ W which puts me 6 nm SE of Rum Cay - so Rum Cay is 305° or in Columbus's day NW by W. I have probably got the maths wrong again, but at least I'm in the right ocean this time!!
I take it your anniversary is of Columbus landing on SanSalvador on the 12th October 1492, altough he thought that he had reached the Indies - hence the modern name of West Indies. He never actually reached mainland North America. As an aside, the first European to reach America is credited to Leif Erickson at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland around 900 AD
Cheers Ross
