Ahoy, Mates!
The last time I went asailing - The Great Barrier Reef - I was one of the very few who did not get sick; I played the Florence/Clara role [the guy version] to the queasy upshuckers. Anywho, I have read with keen interest Dava Sobel's LONGITUDE two or three times already and saw the A&E production by the same title, starring Jeremy Irons. The comment was made that by means of a simple wrist watch a navigator could determine his bearings. In years gone by, sailors determined their location by the heavens - stars, the phases of the moons of Jupiter and Earth's moon - when the skies deigned to be cloud-free and cooperative. Even then, the reckonings appeared to be made with rather a great deal of complexity.
I find all this fascinating. I love anything to do with the sea, particularly World War II movies and documentaries like "Victory at Sea." My question to any sailors:
How do you navigate the roiling seas? I'm really clueless about determining
latitude and longitude at sea ... I get confused by left and right.
Anchors Aweigh!
Captain CoCo