Celestial Navigation

Celestial navigation is one of the oldest of the mariner's arts – and one of the most awe-inspiring. It is also essential for every ocean sailor who wants to be able to fix his position should the GPS fail. Tom Cunliffe shows you how to master the art in easy stages. Within a few pages you'll be taking your first sight. From there it is a short step to plotting your position, wherever you may be on the world's oceans. Whether you need to pass an exam, want a back-up to GPS positioning or simply choose to delight in the wonder of the cosmos, this is the perfect guide. With photographs, charts and diagrams to help your learning, you will be able to master the sextant and navigate using the sun, moon, planets and stars.

Praise for Celestial Navigation

"Tom's warm and humorous writing style makes the book easy to digest, while still explaining the subject in detail."
— Yachting Monthly

"He writes with the authority of a man who knows that his methods work in the most testing of all examination rooms, a small boat sailing on the open ocean."
— Bill Anderson, Formerly RYA Training Manager

About the Author

Tom Cunliffe is Britain's leading sailing writer. A worldwide authority on cruising instruction and an expert on traditional sailing craft, he learnt his sextant skills during numerous ocean passages, many in simple boats without engines or electronics, voyaging from Brazil to Greenland and from the Caribbean to Russia. He is the author of the yachtsman's guide to the English Channel.

Tom's nautical career has seen him serve as mate on a merchant ship, captain on gentleman's yachts and skipper of racing craft. He has owned a series of traditional gaff-rigged vessels that have taken him and his family on countless adventures from tropical rainforests to frozen fjords, but he now sails a modern classic 44-foot cutter which he keeps in Scandinavia.

Tom has been a Yachtmaster Examiner since 1978 and has a gift for sharing his knowledge with good humour and an endless supply of tales of the sea. He has monthly columns in Sailing Today, Classic Boat, Yachting World and SAIL (US) magazines. He wrote and presented the BBC TV series, 'The Boats That Built Britain' and the popular 'Boatyard' series.

About Fernhurst Books

Fernhurst Books was founded in 1979, initially publishing books related to dinghy racing. The list soon expanded to include cruising and other watersports. In 2006 the business was sold to John Wiley, but in 2013 a group of sailing enthusiasts (including the original founder) bought the list and name back, once again creating an independent nautical publisher owned and run by sailors. Fernhurst continues to publish books that instruct, inform and inspire those with a passion on, in or under the water. Their 140+ titles range from how-to guides to narrative to coffee-table books, covering sailing, surfing, canoeing, kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, swimming, diving and fishing.