The Sextant Handbook (Paperback)

~ Bruce Bauer (Author) "Perhaps the earliest and certainly the simplest of the ancient antecedents of the measuring instrument we today call the sextant was the latitude hook of..." (more)
Key Phrases: sextant scope, double reflecting instrument, latitude hook, The Nautical Almanac, Attachments And Accessories, Timing The Sight Accurately (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It is an excellent book, unique in its field." -- The Ensign

"The wealth of useful material is prodigious and by the time onw has reached the back cover, the sextant is an old friend." -- Yachting World

"This is a good book... The author writes clearly and knowledgeably." -- Sailing

Product Description

Loran and GPS notwithstanding, there will always be a place for the sextant aboard any blue-water boat, if for no other reason than the thrill and mystery of finding one's position on earth by gazing at the heavens. Here is the indispensable reference that should accompany the instrument aboard. Cmdr. Bruce Bauer, a professional navigator and master mariner with the U.S. Merchant Marine, has distilled years of hands-on experience into an eminently readable guide to buying, adjusting, using, and repairing sextants.

The Sextant Handbook is dedicated to the premise that electronic navigation devices, while too convenient to disregard, are too vulnerable to rely on exclusively. The book is designed to make beginner and expert alike conversant with this most beautiful and functional of the navigator's tools. Topics include:

• Assembly and Disassembly
• Vital Adjustments
• Avoiding Problems
• Rough Weather Sightings
• Oiling and Cleaning
• Immersion Baths
• Emergency Silvering
• Finding and Buying Used Sextants
• And Much More

You'll also find a list of distributors, manufacturers, and dealers worldwide, a discussion of future trends, and numerous helpful hints, including sighting with eyeglasses and using a Rude starfinder. All in a thoroughly revised edition of a book acclaimed by navigation professionals.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 2 edition (February 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070052190
• ISBN-13: 978-0070052192
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,258 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for the sextant lover, May 15, 2001

By	Yves Arrouye (Sunnyvale, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Sextants are bautiful instruments that let us determine our position by observing stars and planets. They are very precise optical instruments, and today, the least expensive new metal sextant costing around $... Such a precious and expensive instrument needs to be cared for properly.

This book contains very helpful information on how to adjust (or how not to adjust, to avoid damage) your sextant to ensure accurate sightings. The book also covers what can be done to continue to use a sextant after damage, including what repairs can be done by its user. It covers the use and storage of the sextant at sea, gives good tips on how to get good sights and times, and describes a number of sextant types, apparels, and accessories, along with their pros and cons. It also contains interesting information about the history of celestial navigation. I bought my sextant new, but there is a really good section on buying a used sextant. Cmd. Bauer also gives numerous contact information for sextant manufacturers, importers, and retailers, though I haven't checked if they are still up to date. At the very least they will be a good guide for the prospective buyer of a new or used sextant.

The pricing information on the book is outdated, and so are some of the things that are described, like Davis' prism to ensure verticality of the sextant, which is not manufactured or distributed anymore. But it is really well written, full of good information, and a very nice companion to your sextant, or a good guide before you buy one, used or new. Obviously, Cmd. Bauer knows what he writes about, and how to present his knowledge in a compelling manner.

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sextant repair and use, July 11, 2001

By A Customer

This book is a necisity for anyone that wants to sail beyond the coast. It has excelent advice on the use adjustment and purchasing of your primary navagational aid. Yes I know you have a gps (genuine piece of ) you must be able to find your way without it.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars How to read signts--Nowhere in the handbook, September 5, 2007

By	Irritabis Crabones - See all my reviews

The most important use of a handbook is to tell you how to read sights taken by the sextant. That, you cannot find here; thus the 1 star.

To be fair, there are 2 attempts at this, but by way of captions to figures or drawings. The first is Fig. 2-3 at page 41. The supposed reading is 29* 42'.5. The 29* is easily shown by the arrow pointed to the scales in the arc; and so is the 42" indicated in the micrometer drum. But how can you tell .5 minutes from the vernier?

The second is Fig. 7-4 at page 129 that demonstrates index error corrections for "on the arc" and "off the arc" index errors. Again, the "minutes" portion of the readings are easy, but that for fraction of "minutes" is pure guess work.

The handbook should have devoted an entire section to correct reading of the sextant.