Celestial navigation is the one of the oldest of the mariner's arts - and one of the most awe-inspiring. To guide a small boat across the trackless oceans using only a simple measuring device - the sextant - and the knowledge of the sun, moon and stars is a skill that borders on the magical.

In these pages Tom Cuncliffe shows how to master the art in easy stages. Starting from a sound foundation of basic concepts and definitions, he moves on to the hardware: the sextant and how to use it. within a few pages he has you down on the beach, shooting the sun. From there it is a short step to working out your latitude from a noon sight, and learning how to plot a position from observation of the sun, planets, moon or stars - wherever you may be on the world's oceans.

"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