Posted by Jock on October 28, 2007 at 09:14:54 from 87.105.81.146 user Jock.
In Reply to: Re: Longitude, was Time Ball, was Signal Stations posted by David Bamford on October 27, 2007 at 20:59:50:
Encouragingly Wikipedia in its entry on Celestial Navigation states,
Most people can master simpler celestial navigation procedures after a day or two of instruction and practice, even using manual calculation methods.
From further reading from Wikipedia, it seems that there is an alternative method of celestial navigation. Instead of calculating latitude and longitude independently, the intercept method allows both to be calculated at the same time. Presumably that is what Laurence's skipper was doing on Board the Excelsior.
Perhap's (like using a PC!) it is easy?