Lost tech of Ancients

Make sure the eyes are tightly shut before directing false gaze towards sun. One physicist was following a rocket through binoculars when it transitted the face of the sun, blinding him instantly.

 

http://www.celestaire.com/HO-229-Marine-Navigation/View-all-products.html

 

BATAAN
Thanks for your post. Is there anything interesting in Meteorology in that Higgins book. Like: "Mackeral skies and mare's tail make tall ship's carry low sails." or the well known "Red at night sailors delight, red in the morning, sailors take warning."
I'm intriqued by the self suficiency of our forebearers.
Any vessel without a barometer on board has a fool for a captain. IMHO

 

I type like Columbus. First I discover it; then I land on it.

 

Absolutely Hoyt. Eyes squeezed tight. The idea is nobody would attempt to emulate you more than once, keeping navigation secret. I was being laconic, but ancient masters did exactly those things to discourage the crew from learning navigation.
Gratefully, we live in better times, not the "Good Old Days"

 

Earlier on I mentioned Mutiny on the Bounty. Now, I've read Norhoff and Halls 3 books, 'Mutiny on Bounty', and 'Men Against the Sea' and "Pitcairns Island'. Stories. Based on true events, but stories, not history.
I also have 3 of the movie versions on my computer (and about 500 more movies and 577 episodes of 723 Star Trek eps produced).
I believe the 1965 Mutiny on the Bounty, with Marlon Brando as Fletcher Christian, is probably nearest true, and certainly best written dialogue.
I suspect Captain William Bligh has been maligned in popular history.
He was a commoner who rose to command a King's ship at a time when officers were almost entirely exclusively aristocrats. He must of been very inteligent, dedicated, hard working, and courageous. Certainly he would have been a book man, a stickler for regulations. The entire British armed forces, army and navy, mutinied in mass not many years after the Bounty was lost. The troops and seamen gained a daily ration of lime juice and flogging was abolished, settling some of their grievances that erupted in mutiny. Perhaps, Bligh was a victim of his times. Social change on the brink, and he caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Having risen above his class, and not welcome in the upper class, must of been a lonely man. But self sufficient.

 

I was on a destroyer once where the captain had 'come up through the hawes pipe.' Which means that having risen through enlisted ranks to chief petty officer before becoming a commissioned officer, his command was pretty much the high-water mark of his career -- in contrast to the young CO's of other destroyers, whose positions were stepping stones to bigger and better things.

He was a hard-nosed S.O.B. And as you say about Bligh, he always struck me as a lonely man -- with no one he could relax around.

 

I came up the hawse pipe and not through the cabin window. I think being a mustang helps me identify stronger with my crews problems. Been there, done that. Depends on the man I reckon. Some are born SOBs and some have to practice at it.

 

Troy, How long had that "mustang" destroyer captain been in command? Obviously lots of service time, and leadership time, but how long as CO? If it wasn't but a few years, he probably had "captainitus". It takes a while to realize that you aren't GOD, when you are first given command.

 

I suspect that was Blighs failing, the Bounty was his first captaincy.
Americans identify with rebels and love under dogs, and Hollywood knows that. I bet Fletcher Christian wasn't the abused hero the movies paint him.
Family lands and titles went to the first born son. Younger brothers had few acceptable options. Busines was beneath their class. That left the church, politics, the army, and the navy.
Christian was an aristocrat, so obviously a younger brother. Probably chose navy as least of evils, or under pressure from family who bought his commision for him. It's inconcievable that Christian and Bligh were friends as suggested in "The Bounty" with Mel Gibson. In fact, I strongly suspect Christian deeply resented taken orders from a commoner like Bligh.
He probably, consciously or not, showed his disdain frequently, and of course Bligh would hate him for it. The Bounty was a powder keg only awaiting a spark to ignite. IMHO

 

On a small craft beating to windward, the physical technique of recording sun elevation is critical to repeatable results.

I was taught to always preset the sextant to an even, non decimal, minutes setting on the micrometer...as in 28 degrees 17 minutes, then allow the limb of the sun to rise or fall to this setting and ..Click.. mark the time with a stop watch.

Simultaneously adjusting the micrometer and grabbing time can introduce error.

Working with decimal minutes can introduce error

Elevation ONE is recorded, the micrometer is advanced or retarded , in relation to rising or setting sun, to the next appropriate even, non decimal, minute then as the limb kisses...Click..the Second Elevation is recorded. This is done Three times

Lower limb 28 degrees 17 minutes at XX XX XX

Lower limb 28 degrees 21 minutes at XX XX XX

Lower limb 28 degrees 25 minutes at XX XX XX


Errors will now become visible to the eye as you work the sight reduction tables and on your plotting sheet and may be averaged to generate the best LOP.

 

excellent tip. Thanks. I found shooting from the bridge wing on a 140 ft deepsea tug difficult in 8 ft swells, which are common in the carribean with the 15 kt NE trade wind. In a yacht half or 1/3 or 1/4 that size, must be a real balancing trick.

 

This is why star sights are seldom possible on a small craft.

Its best to become a pro on all aspects of Sun sights. Stuff like Longitude at noon... Azimuths at right angle to course and running latitude at landfall

 

The obvious solution is to wait for a calmer day, but calms are rare in the trades. I was bringing the tug and 4 barges from Puerto Fijo Venezuela to St. Croix, VI. The tug had been in Venezuela 2 years under tender mercy of Venezuelan crew. All the electronics were fried. I had my sextant, an almanac, and a handheld VHF I brought with me. I tried to get several sunlines and a LAN each day, and I called every ship that came within my radio range, for a position. We arrived no problem. Felt a bit like the old skippers of yesteryear. Missed having a radar most.

 

Michael, if you would please. Give us a lesson or series of lessons in ...Longitude at noon... Azimuths at right angle to course and running latitude at landfall