Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen » (Revised)

Mary Blewitt was involved with sailing for most of her life. Formerly a top ocean-racing navigator as well as secretary of the Royal Ocean Racing Club for a number of years, she was also chairman of Racing Rules Committee of the Royal Yachting Association.

There is deep mystery and profound satisfaction in finding your position on earth by reference to the sun, moon, and stars—not to mention profound relief when the GPS receiver stops working in mid-passage. That is why knowledge of celestial navigation is still a rite of initiation, and its practice still a favorite pastime among serious cruisers.

That this edition of Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen should appear 44 years after the first British edition and 27 years after its first publication in the U.S. is eloquent testimony to the author's clear, concise explanation of a difficult skill. Through those years, Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen has been the best-known, best-loved primer on the subject throughout the English-speaking world. It successfully teaches sailors who have been demoralized by bigger books. It remains "the famous little book" on celestial navigation.

Among other changes, this edition substitutes the Nautical Almanac for the Air Almanac, discusses the "short" tables based on H.O. 211, expands the discussion in a few areas, fine-tunes it in others, and shows how to advance a line of position for a running fix from sun sights. The only mathematics involved are straightforward addition and subtraction.

Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen has spawned many imitators over the years, but it's still the best—with this new edition more than ever.

Mary Blewitt was involved with sailing for most of her life. Formerly a top ocean-racing navigator as well as secretary of the Royal Ocean Racing Club for a number of years, she was also chairman of Racing Rules Committee of the Royal Yachting Association.

Sailing

&'grave;I go to sea as an instructor whose specialty is the demystification of celestial navigation. . .the only book I have room to bring, and the one that is best-suited should my mind go blank, Is. . .[this book]. . .I never shove off without it. . .No matter what your ability, if you have only one book on celestial navigation, this should be it.''

ForewordsPrefaceEditor's NoteThe TheoryThe Heavenly BodiesThe Geographical Position (GP)DeclinationHour AngleThe ZenithThe HorizonAltitudeZenith DistanceThe Elevated PoleAzimuth and Azimuth AngleGreat CirclesUniversal Time (UT)The Position LineSpherical TrianglesThe InterceptSextant Altitude and Observed AltitudeDip; Refraction; Semi-Diameter; ParallaxThe PracticeAlmanacs and TablesAlmanacs; Sight Reduction TablesA Sun Sight in WinterUsing the Sextant; Recording the Sights; Correcting the Data; Using the Almanac; Using the Tables; Plotting the SightA Sun Sight in SummerA Moon SightA Running FixPlanet SightsMeridian SightsStar SightsSidereal Hour Angle; Declinations; Twilight and Preparation of Star Sights; Using the Meridian PassagePole Star SightsNotesSextantsCalculators"Short" Sight Reduction TablesPractice SightsPlotting SheetsAppendicesA. Nautical Almanac, 1990, for December 6, 7, 8B. Nautical Almanac, 1990, for July 15, 16, 17C. Nautical Almanac, Increments and Corrections for 56m and 57mD. Nautical Almanac, Altitude Correction Tables, 10 degrees - 90 degrees - Sun, Stars, PlanetsE. Nautical Almanac, Altitude Correction Tables, 0 degrees - 35 degrees - Moon and 35 degrees - 90 degrees - MoonF. H.O. 249 Vol. III for Lat. 52 degrees, Declination (15 degrees to 29 degrees) CONTRARY name to Latitude, LHA 69 to 0G. H.O. 249 Vol. II or III, Table 5H. Nautical Almanac, 1993, for October 10, 11, 12I. H.O. 249 Vol. I, Epoch 1995.0, for LAT 33 degrees N, LHA Aries 0 to 179Index