NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: Tony Oz
Date: 2019 Aug 20, 00:47 -0700
Hello and thanks for the comments!
Dear Brad, I measure my HoE (when on the groyne) by looking at the people near me - the place is very shallow, when someone is standing in the water "abeam" of me - I ask for his height and estimate my HoE from that. The very last session was taken with the HoE equal to 1.3 meters - it was the shortest intercept. Before that I simply guessed my HoE looking down the boulder I was sitting on - the sessions with the assumed HoE of 1 meter and 1.5 meters were with bigger intercepts - so I thought there must be significant sensitivity to the actual HoE. But may be that was only a coincidence too.
Next time I'll take a gauge tape with me. :)
Regarding the tide - in my part of Finnish Gulf (60°7.1'N 29°56.5°E) it is barely noticeable - unless it is strong wind on or off the shore. I always try to measure from the water itself. When I do sights from the beach I estimate my HoE more crudely - I measure how many heights of a man's figure (standing at the water's edge) fit between the visible horizon and man's head - and I assume HoE from the average height equaling to 1.8 meters. Apparently, as Frank supposes - the error is less critical in that case.
Warm regards,
Tony
60°N30°E