BACK BEARING

In this day of GPS, chartplotters and all manner of electronic aids, many sailors, amateur as well as professional, are using less and less the traditional methods of navigation. Take the name of this website for example; Backbearing... Traditionally, a ships 'departure' would be a position determined from a back bearing taken of the last bit of land the navigator could see. Once out of sight of land he was then solely dependent on his own experience and the accuracy of his Sextant, Almanac and Sight Reduction Tables... Often perceived as a bit of a black art, Astronavigation, also known as Celestial Navigation or simply Astronav, is a means of pinpointing your vessel's position on the surface of the Earth by measuring the angle between the Horizon and the Sun, Planets, Stars or Moon. It is an acquired skill, but one that gives a great deal of satisfaction when you make landfall where and when expected.

Also known as: Backbearing Astronavigation