Using a Sextant....anyone out there ??

Read what you like - I managed to navigate all sorts of vessels from 900 ton up to 440,000 ton without problems. I passed tickets that would make the average person weep in tears.

I shall bow to your superior knowledge.

I gave that link as a quick and simple instead of pulling out Bowditch, Admiralty, and other authoritive quotations.

As to artifical horizon machines - it's already been shown countless times they are worthless at sea - otherwise don't you think ships would have used them when so often horizon is indistinct but cellestial bodies were visible.

I rest and leave it to you to inform. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Artificial horizon sextants are for special use, I agree. The biggest user used to be aircraft before IN and GPS, and they are still fitted into submarine periscopes, though I suspect the current ones are all electronic rather than electromechanical as the one I used were.

I agree completely that for yachts and targets there is no cost or performance benefit in having an artificial horizon sextant.
 
I have my Fathers Bubble Sextant that he used to bring a B17 over from Canada for the movie War Lovers (Steve McQueen flies it into Dover Cliffs at end ....).

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My father was ex RAF and a friend had a company that supplied aircraft for movies. They flew Berlin Airlift and various together. With this guy and his team they flew this old girl for the movie.

As for my Plath Mariner - my Brother nicked that ! Actually come to think of it - I think he nicked the Bubble job as well !!
 
He visited uk and while I was away he helped himself to the cupboard.
Not only the sextants, but also my Seamanship books etc. that I had kept from my long gone College days !

Oh by the way - he's a Classification Surveyor with DNV - you'd think they could afford stuff !! save nicking it from kid brother.
 
DNV were always the cheapskates in the business, more interested in collecting fees. Had bother with them when I was involved in the re writing of tanker steering gear regulations after the Amoco Cadiz.
 
He's actually Principal Surveyor ... do you want his address ?

Knowing Ken - he's a stickler and wouldn't cut corners. But he's tighter than a rats ar*e when it comes to spending money ! Blimey I'm bad - but he gives lessons.

His main line is Passenger Ships now.
 
I left the commercial marine business just after then so have no real need to try to keep in with Classification Societies. Mind you the politics in IMCO, now IMO in those days was both fascinating and bl**dy annoying if you were trying to approach safety at sea from a sensible standpoint. For example Warsaw Pact countries voted as a block, no dicent at all.
 
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I left the commercial marine business just after then so have no real need to try to keep in with Classification Societies. Mind you the politics in IMCO, now IMO in those days was both fascinating and bl**dy annoying if you were trying to approach safety at sea from a sensible standpoint. For example Warsaw Pact countries voted as a block, no dicent at all.

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You're being diplomatic about IMCO / IMO !!
 
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You're being diplomatic about IMCO / IMO !!

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Yes

By the way my son may bonp into your brother he is a naval architect designing and installing offshore stuff. Though I think he will be in your part of the world for the forseable futue, some pipeline going down the baltic.
 
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