NavList:

   

Reply

Bruce,
I agree something seems amiss with this sight. The ship was located off the
north east coast of New Guinea just north of the island of Mussau. On the
morning in question (I picked March 30 as a typical Northern Spring day) in
1847 sunrise was at 0651 approx and Spica set about 50 minutes later at 0743
approx.

However taking a mer passage sight would have been difficult. The star
culminated at 0141 at an altitude of 81dd 11'. (All approx)

I assumed DRP of 152dd 35.5'E and 1dd 33'N.

Don't know what they were doing but they got the right answer or thereabouts
as the subsequent latitude by noon sight shows. If they were taking a mer
passage of Spica during the night, how could they do it? Highly unlikely
that an artificial horizon was used.

In relation to your other queries.
Sailing by and large
Sailing full and by
Sailing large
Sailing close hauled

Are all expressions used on a square rigger to denote the wind. When I
sailed on H M barque Endeavour several years ago the first officer used
these terms, and others all the time. Alas I can only remember a couple.
Sailing large was with the wind coming almost straight over the quarterdeck
and hitting you in the back when standing at the wheel. Sailing close hauled
was up into the wind as close as she would go, which in the Endeavour, which
is a keel-less cat more like a barge with masts, wasn't very close.

Kieran Kelly
Sydney
Australia







-----Original Message-----
From: Navigation Mailing List
[mailto:NAVIGATION-L@LISTSERV.WEBKAHUNA.COM]On Behalf Of Bruce Stark
Sent: Tuesday, 13 January 2004 5:08 AM
To: NAVIGATION-L@LISTSERV.WEBKAHUNA.COM
Subject: Re: Latitude by Spica


Star altitudes at 8 AM on a spring morning, at that latitude? I'm guessing
the terms AM and PM got mixed up. I believe Spical would have been on the
meridian at 8 PM about the middle of June.

I'm interested in "Course full and by." Does this mean they were on whaling
grounds and cruising back and forth across the wind, keeping their reckoning
only in the back of their heads? That would have been the reasonable thing
to
do, it seems to me.

Bruce

   

Reply