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Title: Celestial for the Cruising Navigator by Merle B Turner ISBN: 0-87033-341-0 Publisher: Cornell Maritime Press Pub. Date: 01 April, 1986 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4 (1 review)

Rating: 4
Summary: A Pragmatic Text
Comment: I regained an interest in navigation as a result of my desire to improve my ability to read technical material. I had graduated from Navy OCS in the mid 60's my initial exposure. My interest has been inspired by Patrick O'Brian novels.

I made little progress with celestial navigation by reading various editions of Duttons and Bowditch. Was surprised HO 214 was obsolete! Made tremendous progress using 'A Star to Steer Her By." But, came to the rapid conclusion that HO 229 sight reductions were tedious, slow, and error prone if you lack sleep or are under pressure. This is despite excellent tools such as the Davis workforms. Maybe Im just error prone!

Knowing that O'Brian era navigators and midshipmen did and learned navigation with use of only an almanac and logarithm tables? I looked for a method to do sight reductions using a scientific calculator. "Celestial for the Cruising Navigator" answers that need.

I also believe texts designed for amateurs (Sail Boat Types) should be enjoyable to read and be easily seen as being practical and useful to you. Merle B. Turner does an excellent job here.

I particularly like the way Turner introduces you to Nautical Astronomy facts and fundamentals - this adds fascination to the subject. Have you ever opened an Elderidge Coastal Pilot and wondered why declination alone is given? Do you know about amplitudes and their uses at sea? Turner sheds more than a little light on these types of applications of celestial navigation.

Finally, I have one complaint - minor, and one final area of praise. The complaint is that Turner occasionally assumes you know more than you do. Keep Bowditch handy and it's no big deal. Finally, The book conveys a lot about the personality of its author. Turner is very intelligent, knowledgeable, occasionally likeably eccentric and entertaining. But, don't use this as your first celestial text. Start with something like "A Star to Steer Her By." This will boost your confidence, de-mystify the subject and whet your appetite for more. Collect a Bowditch and then read this text. The navigation space on a typical sailing cruiser is pretty cramped, the crew is limited, and you will come to appreciate the efficiancy using a calculator. Someday, GPS may fail you.

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