This Ancient Art

Celestial navigation, an ancient art, Used to chart a course, right from the start, With sextants and charts, measuring angles and heights, And plot their course with the starry lights. Polaris, the North Star, was their guide, As they sailed across the ocean wide, Using its position to find their way, Through storms and waves, … Read more

By the sun and stars

Celestial navigation is a method of determining one’s position on Earth using the positions of celestial bodies, such as the sun, stars, and planets. In the northern hemisphere, celestial navigation involves using the altitude of Polaris, also known as the North Star. To use celestial navigation, the navigator needs a clear view of the night … Read more

Nautical Navigation

Nautical navigation, the practice of guiding ships and boats from one location to another, has been around for thousands of years. The earliest forms of nautical navigation likely involved following the coastline and navigating by landmarks, such as mountains or distinctive shorelines. In ancient times, sailors began to use celestial navigation, which involved using the … Read more

Navigation by stars

Celestial Navigation is an art and a nautical tradition. A technology of the stars based upon observation. If this is something you’re interested in click on the link and take the plunge.

Nautical Chart Updates

Are your nautical charts up-to-date? It never hurts to check. NOAA has a nice list of charting products for boaters. We know we’ve covered this topic before, but it never hurts to be reminded from time to time. There are always new navigational hazards out there. It’s best to avoid them.

Vaka Moana Canoes reach San Franciso

A group of traditional type Vaka Moana Canoes, outfitted with some modern technology, have just reached San Francisco from New Zealand. This is part of a 15,000 nautical mile journey planned by the group sailing the canoes, who are trying to raise awareness about the importance of good environmental stewardship. They’ve been navigating by the … Read more

Critical Updates (nav charts)

We just got a tweet indicating that there have been some critical updates to Navigational Charts on the NOAA wesbsite. The link above should take you to the site so that you can download the updates. We’re always happy to share this information.