Ipad 3

[mastreb]

Ditto Dave's recommendation to learn how do perform deduced reckoning and navigation by physical chart, compass, and protractor (which I keep aboard).

Perfect addition to your iPad: The Bowditch in PDF. The Bowditch is published by the Navy and is a free download. It teaches ded. reckoning, navigation by charts, including celestial navigation, piloting in restricted waters, right of way, communications protocols--everything a seaman needs to know.

You can download the full text of the 2002 edition (latest) here in one chapter per PDF format:
http://msi.nga.mil/NGAPortal/MSI.portal ... bCode=0002

[Divecoz]

Hummmmm
Really???? Your on a Macgregor 26' sailboat.. Pretty much Inshore sailing... as has been discussed at length.. Pretty much.... insight of land or at least its just over the horizon..( Few Here Have Ever .. sailed much beyond the horizon on Their MAC.). There's No Discovering of New Worlds... or even being out of sight of land, for 1 day let alone several days...let alone weeks and months.. DR in a matter of keeping track on a VERY Regular Basis of where you are..Yes without knowledge of currents and wind direction blablablabla Its Not Going to Happen..... Are some of you sure you don't want to add Night Time Celestial Navigation too?.I am seeing a lot of stuff being tossed out that's no less than pretty far fetched for what is basically a day sailor we use on a limited basis for camping on the water..... on small bodies of water at that.. Say Charlotte Harbor no less than 8 miles by 20 Miles..

Ditto Dave's recommendation to learn how do perform deduced reckoning and navigation by physical chart, compass, and protractor (which I keep aboard).

[mastreb]

It depends on whether you consider yourself to be a sailor or a boater I suppose. I love my Mac, but it wasn't my first sailboat, and it won't be my last. My goal is to eventually do some serious blue water sailing, so so this stuff is important to me. I understand that's not everyone's goal nor should it be, but I also find the Bowditch to be interesting in its own right, and as a free download on your iPad it costs you nothing to have around. You don't even need to read it in advance, you can learn what's in it and use it as a reference when the issue comes up.

I would say that knowing basic chart navigation is critical even for common litoral crossings as the Bermudas and Catalina. You should be able to get home on sails and skills with no battery or motor as a basic safety precaution in my opinion. I will concede that ded. reckoning and celestial navigation are esoteric for the Mac--as long as you have a manual compass and a chart you'll be good.

Another good book to have around in PDF form if you can find it is Ashley's Book of Knots, but again, only if you're intent on becoming salty.

[Catigale]

. Pretty much Inshore sailing.

I thought so too, until I hit my first fog on the Cape with about 100 feet of visibility...you are suddenly offshore

I became acutely aware of wind, depth, compass,audible cues (breakers on shore and beach) GPS, and port and starboard watches.....all information required!!!!!!

[DaveB]

I didn't think anyone reads Bowditch( American Pratical Navigator) anymore. I still have both hard copies volumes. Dutton's, Navigation and piloting is also another excellent book.
I learned from both of them and did my 3 year trip to Carribean useing Celital Navigation.
Dave

Ditto Dave's recommendation to learn how do perform deduced reckoning and navigation by physical chart, compass, and protractor (which I keep aboard).

Perfect addition to your iPad: The Bowditch in PDF. The Bowditch is published by the Navy and is a free download. It teaches ded. reckoning, navigation by charts, including celestial navigation, piloting in restricted waters, right of way, communications protocols--everything a seaman needs to know.

You can download the full text of the 2002 edition (latest) here in one chapter per PDF format:
http://msi.nga.mil/NGAPortal/MSI.portal ... bCode=0002

[K9Kampers]

. Pretty much Inshore sailing.

I thought so too, until I hit my first fog on the Cape with about 100 feet of visibility...you are suddenly offshore

I became acutely aware of wind, depth, compass,audible cues (breakers on shore and beach) GPS, and port and starboard watches.....all information required!!!!!!

Same here. Returning to Rockland Harbor from Fox Island Thoroughfare, about 12 miles motoring thru rain & fog with 500 ft. +/- vis. Only other traffic were lobsterman and ferries. Only used chart to navigate to next waypoint / bouy.

... and port and starboard watches...

Why does he keep two watches??... Because he can!!

[innervations]

I am in the same boat as Mastreb (pun intended ). Once a year we bareboat charter in Asia or the Med and this involves whole day passages. No night sailing as not permitted on charter boats. Always use charts and manual navigation as a backup as well as practicing the skills. Same with the Mac at home even if just on a day sail along the coast. I am not that bright and have to continually practice navigation to retain even a modest level of ability. All these preparations are working toward our dream of long term live aboard cruising around Australia and through Asia. In any event, more charter companies are requiring RYA day skipper theory and practical quals before they will rent you a boat. Navigation by dead reckoning is a large portion of these courses.

Cheers
Rob

[DaveB]

You will also need a good time clock and get BBC or other time short wave receiver for current atomic time. Very important for Celetial Navigation. Just 3 seconds could put you off 10 miles or more.
Reduction tables 249 are best for most but 229 much more accrate. Today it is all done with a computer until it quits.
Dave

It depends on whether you consider yourself to be a sailor or a boater I suppose. I love my Mac, but it wasn't my first sailboat, and it won't be my last. My goal is to eventually do some serious blue water sailing, so so this stuff is important to me. I understand that's not everyone's goal nor should it be, but I also find the Bowditch to be interesting in its own right, and as a free download on your iPad it costs you nothing to have around. You don't even need to read it in advance, you can learn what's in it and use it as a reference when the issue comes up.

I would say that knowing basic chart navigation is critical even for common litoral crossings as the Bermudas and Catalina. You should be able to get home on sails and skills with no battery or motor as a basic safety precaution in my opinion. I will concede that ded. reckoning and celestial navigation are esoteric for the Mac--as long as you have a manual compass and a chart you'll be good.

Another good book to have around in PDF form if you can find it is Ashley's Book of Knots, but again, only if you're intent on becoming salty.

[Divecoz]

I have NO Doubt ...that all that hands on .. old school Magellan type Navigational stuff is COOL.. If your Planing and SAVING!$$$$for a Life Aboard... etc etc and INTEND..( not dreaming ..) To circumnavigate The globe... its all very cool maybe even necessary!
We had a guy here a few years ago that was all over all that stuff.... Insisted The Gov. Regularly shut down GPS Sat's. BS! Humm.....SO.. I Made some calls and sent some e-mails.. Humm No One Anywhere Along The Gulf Coast was aware of That ...Fact (????) .. Hummm That inquiry involved 100's of OFF Shore Underwater Hunters.... Out There everyday for YEARS! Humm
I USED TO ... TOO.. Hummm USED TO .. Being the Key Words..I Don't anymore.... Ski for days and days and even a week or longer ( all by my self..) in and across Miles and miles of deep snow.... ( Baxter State Park ring any bells? for one... my Christmas Vacations and often did it alone..)and I often snow camp by myself ..I Used to ......need a lot of ability and knowledge that 99.999% of Cross Country Skiers will never EVER need.. and I dont need them anymore either.. I didn't have every latest greatest piece of equipment and I still won a LOT of long Distance Races..
I have pictures and the bragging rights other than that... its now all USELESS to me...Same thing with Martial Arts and.. Scuba.. I am a NAUI OWSI but you dont need to be one to have years and years and thousands of hours of enjoyable time / dives ...under water and 99.9% are Not.. Yep I have been to 265 FSW ... numerous times on 21% Ox../ AIR.. 21% is Very Dangerous after 180 and can be very deadly after 200.. I did it a lot.. But You will never need the skills or the ability..Unless Your Going There and NONE of you are.... Humm you bought a New Camaro and now your saving up for a Flame suit a Nascar Helmet a Roll Cage and an Inert gas fire suppression system? REALLY??? Hahahaha
Are you seeing my point yet?

[mastreb]

Perfect clock for accurate time on a boat? (to do that celestial navigation)

Citizen Eco-drive Radio Controlled watches. They're solar and will never need a battery, last a lifetime, are waterproof to 200m, and they receive the U.S., European, and Japanese atomic clock radio broadcasts to correct their time every night. And they're accurate to 2 seconds per year if you're out of range (but most of the pacific is covered by the Japanese signal). Best of all they're only around $300.

[DaveB]

There you go, back in 1980 when I did the trip there was no Watches you have stated. Today you have computers that can do the calculations for reduction tables, tell you what stars/planets to pick and give the location.
I like the old school of if every thing fails (if sh:tt happens it will) . That reverts back to dead reconing, charts compass and a good time watch.
I still would ck your watch with the atomic time, last time I cked there was at least 3 stations in the US to ck your time. They are always 24/7 giving the time tick. Many others thruout the World do the same.

Dave

Perfect clock for accurate time on a boat? (to do that celestial navigation)

Citizen Eco-drive Radio Controlled watches. They're solar and will never need a battery, last a lifetime, are waterproof to 200m, and they receive the U.S., European, and Japanese atomic clock radio broadcasts to correct their time every night. And they're accurate to 2 seconds per year if you're out of range (but most of the pacific is covered by the Japanese signal). Best of all they're only around $300.

[Phil M]

Ditto Dave's recommendation to learn how do perform deduced reckoning and navigation by physical chart, compass, and protractor (which I keep aboard).

Perfect addition to your iPad: The Bowditch in PDF. The Bowditch is published by the Navy and is a free download. It teaches ded. reckoning, navigation by charts, including celestial navigation, piloting in restricted waters, right of way, communications protocols--everything a seaman needs to know.

You can download the full text of the 2002 edition (latest) here in one chapter per PDF format:
http://msi.nga.mil/NGAPortal/MSI.portal ... bCode=0002

Well, you cannot download that file with the IPad. I just tried, and it comes as a compressed zip file.

Phil

[Catigale]

Phil, download to computer, unzip, then you can save the PDF in iBooks ...

[DaveB]

Actually, back in the early 80's GPS was for large freighters and cruise ships. GPS was semi accurate to 200 ft. (Gov. restriction) and Gov. could shut it down if a threat would acure. Today they still can shut it down in areas. They lifted the 200 ft. back in the early 90's.
Now your good within 15 ft. in most location.
If they ever did shut down GPS in your location, you can revert back to dead reconing.
Dave

[quote="Divecoz"] We had a guy here a few years ago that was all over all that stuff.... Insisted The Gov. Regularly shut down GPS Sat's. BS! Humm.....SO.. I Made some calls and sent some e-mails.. Humm No One Anywhere Along The Gulf Coast was aware of That ...Fact (????) .. Hummm That inquiry involved 100's of OFF Shore Underwater Hunters.... Out There everyday for YEARS! Humm

[Divecoz]

Maybe... Could Be..( come on.....) Not how I live my life.. too far fetched.... and remember guys..... your/we're ALL on a Macgregor Trailer Sailors.. In The Last 7 YEARS my brother has put on his boat alone.....( and there are 3 to 4 of them who trade trade off ) but he has OVER 3000 hours on his motors.... Documented!!
He has made 100's of trips beyond 30 miles from shore and who knows except him, how many beyond 50 - 60 -70- 80 miles.... past Boca Grande Pass .. All On GPS PLus all the trips he makes with his buiddies.. ..How many trips has this board made collectively, over the last 7 years on their Mac's.. over 50 milers from any shore line? Give Me a Break.. But lets say you have made a trip on your Mac and sailed for 12 hours straight out..
All Of A sudden.. "they" shut down GPS.. are you really ready? The Honest answer is NO! What WILL you depend on? The last screen shot and Your compass.. I know how to DR and its a LOT Harder when your in the forest on ski's for days.... at a time.. A Lot more variable you have to have down pat..