Online / Correspondence Dayskipper

[capnsensible]

There is complete coverage of all the theory you need to know on my Aztec Sailing website.

At the moment I am re-drafting the whole thing, and the new 'beta' version is now available on Aztec Sailing Home The intention is to update it and make it slightly more user friendly for small screens.

The content is free to access and free of advertising. Subscriptions via Paypal are welcome. I would also welcome feedback and constructive suggestions on the relaunch site - direct to me by email if you don't mind!

All the material is clearly explained and there are questions to test yourself. If anyone has any difficulty they are welcome to contact me.

I reckon you have produced a most excellent reference source. Clear explanations. Must have taken a lot of effort. Will happily recommend your site. ?

 

[markspark7]

I reckon you have produced a most excellent reference source. Clear explanations. Must have taken a lot of effort. Will happily recommend your site. ?

X2

SWMBO and I have just completed our DS with a view to moving on to Coastal skipper / Yacht master in the coming year.

 

[Sealong]

Tippecanoe Boats it's long but he does it the "right" way around with terminology at the end.

Thanks. I have often touched the surface of this topic and pulled back because I am not able to learn through memorising a set of steps. Will Lesh, however, avoids all that nonsense and provides a very clear explanation of the principles. Once grasped the rest is actually very simple.

 

[lustyd]

I found the same, getting the useful bits in your head at the start makes the boring bits much more palletable! For some reason all of the books drone on about terminology for what seems like weeks before covering anything useful or fun

 

[capnsensible]

I found the same, getting the useful bits in your head at the start makes the boring bits much more palletable! For some reason all of the books drone on about terminology for what seems like weeks before covering anything useful or fun

Yeah. Whenever I talk to people about ocean stuff, as soon as possible we get the magic machine out of its box and take a sight. Gets the interest level up straight away.

 

[fien397]

I found the same, getting the useful bits in your head at the start makes the boring bits much more palletable! For some reason all of the books drone on about terminology for what seems like weeks before covering anything useful or fun

Well I've watched part one. All 2 h 40 mins of it! I now actually get it. Never managed to get stuck into the cunliff book. But this was great. Just got the 7h part 2 to watch now!

Out of interest, is there a way of checking the accuracy or calibrating a second hand sextant? Seems to be plenty about.

 

[lustyd]

adjusting a sextant is very easy, just follow the instructions. I'd have no issue with a second hand one now that I've done the process. When I bought mine new it was nowhere near correct and I thought I'd wasted my money, but 5 minutes with the instructions and it was and is perfect.
Glad you found it as useful as I did! Total game changer for me. Fair warning part two is worked examples...for a while...

 

[capnsensible]

Yup adjusting the mirrors is straightforward. Don't be worried about adjusting it to very wonky and then redoing it ten times or more. Like everything boaty, it's all about practice.

 

[capnsensible]

Interesting thread drift, mind!

 

[capnsensible]

adjusting a sextant is very easy, just follow the instructions. I'd have no issue with a second hand one now that I've done the process. When I bought mine new it was nowhere near correct and I thought I'd wasted my money, but 5 minutes with the instructions and it was and is perfect.
Glad you found it as useful as I did! Total game changer for me. Fair warning part two is worked examples...for a while...

Top tip. Go and take a load of real sights and reduce them. ?

 

[TernVI]

There's 4 parts to Astro nav.
1 A very simple princple (angle from horizon/vertical shapes a cone which puts you on a circle)
2 Knowing what the star/planet/whatever is and where it will be at a given time
3 A lot of little angles and correction factors with funny names to learn
4 Some hard sums.

A lot of people seem to try to learn/teach parts 3 and 4 without getting a grip on part 1.
When I did my ocean YM theory, the course was quite interesting from a teaching/learning psychology point of view.
Teaching anything maths-related to adults requires skill and patience IMHO.

 

[Gary Fox]

.....
When I did my ocean YM theory, the course was quite interesting from a teaching/learning psychology point of view.
Teaching anything maths-related to adults requires skill and patience IMHO.

Totally, my Ocean Theory course was harrowing as, in late middle age, I just couldn't hoist the maths on board as fast as the others ( half my age or less). But back in the day, I remember getting my physics A-level almost without trying, in my teens.
If you want to learn astro navigation, the best advice is do it as young as possible, or even younger..

 

[TernVI]

Totally, my Ocean Theory course was harrowing as, in late middle age, I just couldn't hoist the maths on board as fast as the others ( half my age or less). But back in the day, I remember getting my physics A-level almost without trying, in my teens.
If you want to learn astro navigation, the best advice is do it as young as possible, or even younger..

Although that gives you longer to forget stuff, by the time you can afford to retire and go ocean sailing.
I think I'd have to re-learn astro now.

Likewise when I did my YM practical, I found I'd forgotten quite a few odds and ends which are on the YM Shorebased syllabus but I rarely or never used. Although I reckon a canny instructor could challenge most people when it comes to (e.g.) knowing what every letter and symbol on a chart means.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

SWMBO is interested in using this lockdown and long dark evenings to do her DS theory.

Does anyone have any recommendations or "avoid" for companies offering this?

Thanks in advance

Recommend navathome for DS and YM theory but my experience of ocean theory was less satisfactory. I'm told there were mitigating reasons.

 

[dune16]

Another vote for Navathome. Really great course, if you're the kind of person that can learn online, alot can't and up doing classroom based (although not in current times!)

 

[capnsensible]

Totally, my Ocean Theory course was harrowing as, in late middle age, I just couldn't hoist the maths on board as fast as the others ( half my age or less). But back in the day, I remember getting my physics A-level almost without trying, in my teens.
If you want to learn astro navigation, the best advice is do it as young as possible, or even younger..

It's just adding up and taking away. The students who have the most difficulty are younger ones. Summing and subtracting with degrees and minutes often needs a maths lesson separate to the course. Or a cunning app.

 

[Sealong]

It's just adding up and taking away. The students who have the most difficulty are younger ones. Summing and subtracting with degrees and minutes often needs a maths lesson separate to the course. Or a cunning app.

Ah yes. We of a certain age were brought up with LSD; of course I mean the pounds, shillings and pence variety.
What with that and sixteen ounces to a pound, 1760 yards to a mile and also eight pints to a gallon we can manipulate numbers in any base.

 

[Alicatt]

Yeah. Whenever I talk to people about ocean stuff, as soon as possible we get the magic machine out of its box and take a sight. Gets the interest level up straight away.

oooh I like magic boxes...

Mr Catt under instruction from the Master. On the wing bridge of the Maersk Seville

 

[Denek]

Another vote for Navathome. Did mine whilst living in Americ.

 

[Alicatt]

I'm having a look at my son's vaarbewijs books, he has got himself a small Zodiac and to sail that around Belgium he still needs a ticket.


The folded chart is of the eastern approaches to the Channel (Not for Navigation)

Altair, when I called them, advised me not to do their course as the language would be too difficult for a non native speaker.