NavList:

re. Lightning strikes.

That is scary. Does anyone know how  a metal sextant and quartz watch would fare  in that type of strike? Presumably, my plastic back-up Davis 3 and 3 quartz watches in proper Faraday cages (i.e, not just wrapped in foil, but wrapped in neoprene rubber, then metal box) should survive? Were the crew aboard at the time? If not , would they have survived this if they had been? Would a quartz watch, not fried, still give accurate time after a big EMP burst nearbye? My Bygrave slide rule, (no metal) would hopefully survive, but my Fuller and Otis King have metal components???? My Doniol cards should be ok.

My fundamental question is therefore "is a a sextant, (plastic or metal) and a quartz watch less prone to lightning strike damage than electronics?

If so, maybe this is the main truly logical reason for cel nav as a back-up?

Otherwise, I'm happy to just do it because  I enjoy doing it. If the quartz watch is lightning proof, then the chances of loosing GMT are remote and  lunars are just for lunatics who enjoy it like me?

Francis