NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: And even more celestial-in-case-GPS-goes-down silliness
From: Tom Sult
Date: 2016 Jul 19, 18:44 -0500
From: Tom Sult
Date: 2016 Jul 19, 18:44 -0500
Lu
I have been posting much the same thing for years. But it is possible to improvise a sails and cut off the ballast bags. That is why my ditch bag has a GPS also an EPIRB, Sat phone and radio.
A cheep GPS is smaller and for all practical purposes just (more) as reliable as a sextant and papers (that my go overboard).
Perhaps on a war ship in a hostile environment were satellites are going down due to EMP or something a pure on board navigation system is important.
CelNav is a hobby for recreational boaters. Not a serious emergency plan. Perhaps a backup to prevent an emergency. But a backup GPS is far more likely to solve the problem. I have sailed Vic to Maui and Newfoundland to Denmark as well as many shorter trips sextant and watch (and books) alone. Just to test myself. But in an emergency I'm pulling out my hand held GPS. Better yet I'm calling for help and staying put. Big ships with big motors will get to me long before my improvised sail will take me to elephant island al la Shackleton
Tom Sult, MD
Tom Sult, MD
Author: JUST BE WELL
