NavList:

Frank you wrote: Yikes. You have confused yourself mightily!

Thanks Frank.  I saw most of that the first time.  I just wasn’t sure what to do between noting the direction of my thumb and finding a north point on my horizon.  I tried to go over the top of the celestial sphere to the horizon behind me.  Substituting a card is easier to understand.  Just look horizontally along the card (See diagram).  This does beg the question; the card probably won’t be vertical, except at merpas, so how should you look along the card to find a point on the horizon?  Should you follow the slant of the card or go straight down, but therein lies the path to madness, so let’s not go there.

I have actually steered by Polaris (at least I hope it was Polaris).  My first ever night passage in TIKI motor sailing up the coast between Spurn and Whitby, the light failed in my compass.  I found that if I kept Polaris just off my starboard spreader, I got the course I wanted without spoiling my night vision by shining my torch at the compass every few minutes.  DaveP

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