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ASA 117:
Basic Celestial Endorsement
This basic celestial navigation class teaches the theory and practice to determine latitude and longitude at sea using the noon sun and the star Polaris (a.k.a. the North Star) with just a small eleven-page booklet, a sextant, a watch and simple arithmetic. Experienced celestial navigators and beginners alike will enjoy this simple alternative to the intercept method-one that doesn’t depend on sight reduction tables and yields latitude and longitude directly without plotting. Naval history buffs will thrill to the romance and adventure of determining their latitude in the tradition of the Vikings and ancient Hawaiians. This course is a great introduction to the joys of navigating “celestially” without the rigors of ASA 107, and the skills learned make a nice backup in case you lose your GPS while on a voyage out of site of land.
1 evening and 1 full day
What's Included
Textbook
Hardcopy available from Afterguard office, written by instructor Doug MacPherson.
ASA 117 Written Test
You’ll take a written exam which requires a minimum score of 85% to pass.
If you do not pass the written evaluation, you’ll be invited to repeat the necessary portions.
ASA Certification
Once you’ve passed the course, ASA will mail you a certification sticker to add to your logbook.
Before the Course
Text used: Latitude & Longitude from the Noon Sun, by John Karl
What to Expect
Schedule and Crew Information:
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Meeting Location: Afterguard Sailing Academy, 1285 Embarcadero, Oakland, CA 94606
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Course Duration: This is a four-day, or two weekend, classroom course.
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Exam: The written exam takes place on the fourth day of class.