NavList:

Thanks Henry

An appreciation of the merits of the Rude star finder would seem to fit well with the Navlist mission statement at the head of this page.  We don’t spend a lot of time discussing the astrolabe or the back staff, so I suppose that these tools must be classed as archaic rather than traditional.  However, we are still here and can testify to the usefulness of 2102-D in real life under fairly normal (i.e. adverse) conditions at sea, particularly in the North Atlantic.  It is good to note that this is appreciated by Sean, Alan and others who have different backgrounds, but can muster the essential supporting arguments for Captain Rude’s, no batteries required invention, without much trouble.  

The 2102-D was still popular in the 1960s for the reasons you expanded on, in particular the problem of identifying stars through fleeting gaps in the cloud with a brief, time limited usable horizon and no constellations visible.  So, a useful and traditional addition to the navigator’s tools, even if it has probably ‘seen its day’ - a bit like the sextant, the lunar distance, nautical astronomy generally and all the other traditional items of interest we share on Navlist.

 Regards to all and best wishes for the festive season and 2016!

 John