This course is for students interested in the sextant and how to use it for navigation at sea. Students will need some basic navigation skills such as those from the RYA Day Skipper Course and be able to plot latitude and longitude and measure bearing and distance on a chart. Some simple arithmetic and chartwork will be used. The course will be partly classroom theory and partly practical sessions on a public beach a short walk away.

What the course covers:

The sextant: how it works, how to check for errors and how to use it to measure angles.

Measured angles for coastal navigation.

Terrestrial and celestial objects.

The nautical almanac and sight reduction tables (AP3270)

How to prepare a “sight” and work out a position line.

By the end of the course students should be able to check a sextant for errors, make various measurements and use the results to determine a position line at sea. Some students may go on to the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean course or continue self-study to practice and better understand the sextant.

Pre Course Experience: None required

Course duration:  1 day

Times: 09:00-17:00