In recent times, more and more yachtsmen have been taking an interest in astronavigation. On one yacht or another, it is not uncommon for a sextant to lie dormant for years in a wooden box under the chart table, which is now suddenly being brought out again. And where this is not the case, there is a noticeable increase in the willingness to purchase such an inexpensive protractor. Several thousand new sextants are sold to sailors every year.
Most of them may have predominantly nostalgic reasons for getting to grips with a navigation method that at first glance seems antiquated in the age of GPS. However, some may also be concerned that electronic systems could be vulnerable and fail as a result. Even if it's because a lightning strike could disable all the electronic devices on board in one fell swoop.
Even the US Navy put astronavigation back on the curriculum for prospective officers in 2015 after a ten-year break. This is despite the fact that the US Air Force owns and operates the GPS system itself. Here, too, the reason is as simple as it is frightening: the fear of hackers or an attack.
Handling the sextant, knowing some geographical and mathematical basics and using the extensive astronomical tables and charts - it doesn't come without any effort. But contrary to what many believe, it is not particularly difficult to learn.
Leon Schulz explainsin the new YACHT (issue 22/2016, available now at newsagents and as a digital edition)in simple, comprehensible steps how to get from the sun shot to the stateline on the chart. Schulz is a book author and RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Instructor. Among other things, he trains budding blue-water sailors in astronavigation on his yacht. To this end, his training cruises take place six months a year on the Atlantic off the coasts of Europe. In winter, he organises theory courses in Malta.
