Celestial Navigation

This four-day shore-based course is offered by Offshore Sailing School for those taking the Offshore Passage Making course and for coastal sailors who want to learn about Celestial Navigation. During this course, you’ll stay ashore at The Moorings base or elsewhere in Tortola, attending class for a minimum of five hours each day.

In addition to learning the extensive theory that supports this ageless navigation tradition, drills each day include the use of HO 249 and Nautical Almanac tables to reduce sights to lines of position on a chart. Various scenarios are presented in exercises to make the process of calculating positions easier each day.

Steve Colgate above is practicing taking a sight. Of course, when you're out on a boat underway, it gets a bit harder than this. And that's the beauty of taking this course and heading out on the Offshore Passage Making sequence.

All of this is in preparation for using a sextant aboard to calculate a sailboat’s position based on the sun, planets and stars. All materials needed for this course are provided. At course end you will be tested for US SAILING Celestial Navigation certification.

The pre-requisite for Celestial Navigation is US SAILING Coastal Navigation certification.

Generally the schedule for this course is Wednesday through Saturday, with arrival in the British Virgin Islands Tuesday evening and departure Sunday morning. If you are going on to the Offshore Passage Making Course, you will board a Moorings 51.5 Sunday evening.

Celestial Navigation packages

The package price per person, for this course starts at $2720 double occupancy, lowest season., and includes:

The comprehensive four-day Celestial Navigation course ashore
Five nights accommodations ashore, double occupancy, with applicable tax (ask for private rates)
Course materials
Diploma and certification