Celestial Navigation

Celestial Navigation: ASA Course 107

Classroom Location

Sailcrafters, 7450 Oxford Street, St. Louis Park, MN 55426

Description

We offer both traditional Celestial Navigation (ASA 107) and the new Basic Celestial Navigation (ASA 117). Either one can be taken in a classroom or an online course.

Both Basic Celestial Navigation (ASA 117) and Celestial Navigation (ASA 107) meet the standards for Offshore Passagemaking (ASA 108).

This course covers how to find position at sea from timed sextant sights of the sun, moon, stars, and planets plus other routine and special procedures of safe, efficient offshore navigation. Coastal Navigation (ASA 105) and Basic Celestial Navigation (ASA 117) are prerequisites. The only math involved is arithmetic (adding and subtracting angles and times). This is a practical, how-to-do-it course, which also includes clear explanations of how it works and how to do it well. Plus this course includes other crucial factors of ocean navigation besides just finding out where you are from the stars, such as logbook procedures, dead reckoning, error analysis, route planning, etc. At the end of this course, you will be ready for ocean navigation. Thousands of students have successfully learned celestial from these materials and gone on to cross oceans or circumnavigate the globe.

All text materials are provided to complete the course. The only thing extra you might need are basic plotting tools (parallel rules, dividers and protractor). If you have no tools now, then our plotting tool kit will provide what you need... not just for the course, but for all of your future navigation underway as well.

You do not need a sextant to do the course. We provide sextants in the class to help you establish familiarity.

Celestial Course Topics include:

Lat, Lon, and nautical miles
Principles of celestial navigation
Sextant usage and care
Noon sights for latitude
Running fixes from the sun
Ocean dead reckoning
Time keeping
Sextant sights and sight reduction of sun, moon, stars, and planets
Star ID and sight planning
Daily procedures and logbooks
Route planning
Compass checks at sea
High seas radio usage
Landfall procedures
Use of calculators
Use of NAO sight reduction tables
Plus emergency navigation techniques and notes on the latest developments in GPS

We start from the basics in Basic Celestial (ASA 117) which is why Basic Celestial and Coastal Navigation are prerequisites. Many thousands of students have successfully learned celestial navigation from these materials and gone on to do everything from extended day sailing to bareboat chartering or even world cruising in their own boats.

With the electronic components, you can take the complete course with you as you travel, or use it to search the complete set of materials for specific topics. If you prefer to work on your own without computers, you have a complete syllabus with practice exercises and answers in the printed materials. If you want extra structure to your training, then take part in the online course for more discussion and individual quizzes at each lesson. See online / correspondence option below!

Northern Breezes' Starpath Online Course

This course can be completed by students who are remotely located. The Starpath Celestial Navigation Online Course includes a total paper course package as well as a comprehensive electronic version of the entire course as a download. With this combination you can choose the media that is most convenient to you at the time. Use the search engines and software resources from the computer and use the printed texts for study away from a computer.

Why take the Celestial Navigation Online Course through Northern Breezes and not directly from Starpath?

Northern Breezes	Starpath
$329.00 for course, materials, and no shipping cost.* $30.00 for test with no charge for ASA certification.*Orders are priced for shipping to USA customers.	$349.00 for course $30.00 for test $29.00 for ASA certification Plus shipping cost

Available for purchase

Navigation instruments by Weems & Plath.
2102-D Star Finder: $85.00
12" Parallel Rules: $29.00 - or - 7" Compact ParaLock Plotter $42.00*
Ultra light 7" dividers: $26.00
Nautical Slide Rule: $32.00
Chart Protractor: $31.00
Chart No. 1: $25.00
Coast Guard Navigation Rules: $13.00

*Both instruments are ideal for chart books. They are lifelong instruments.

Note: No sales tax when purchased with the class. Extra shipping charge is required for tools purchased with Starpath Online courses.

CLASS SCHEDULE for Celestial Navigation Classroom Course

Currently offered only as correspondence course will conduct classroom class upon demand. Please express your interest by sending us a form.

Starpath Online Course Fee

$329, including text materials. Optional Star Finder and sextants sold separately. Cancellation Policy

Directions to Sailcrafters for Classroom Course

7450 Oxford Street, St. Louis Park, MN 55426

From Hwy 169
Take exit for Hwy 7 East
Hwy 7 east to Louisiana Ave S
At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto Louisiana Ave S
Turn right onto Oxford St, Sailcrafters will be on the right

From Hwy 100
Take exit for Hwy 7 West
Hwy 7 west to Louisiana Ave S
Turn right onto Louisiana Ave S, make a U-turn
At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit and stay on Louisiana Ave S
Turn right onto Oxford St, Sailcrafters will be on the right.

Prerequisite for this course

Coastal Navigation (ASA 105) and Basic Celestial Navigation (ASA 117)

Call Northern Breezes Sailing School at 763-542-9707 to register or with questions.