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Thread: Examination. Masters and Mates

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    Default Examination. Masters and Mates

    My query is certain to have been aired before but I cannot spot any leads in the Forum.

    I wondered if anybody would care to answer a question I have had buzzing around in my head for some time.

    Have the electronic navigational aids like GPS and others completely caused the demise of the traditional mathematical methods to the extent that they have been deleted from the examination syllabuses.

    I sometimes dig out my old worn Nicholls's , Nories etc and realize with a shock that it might all be redundant.....the sextant too.

    With Thanks

    Pete

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    Default Re: Examination. Masters and Mates

    - - - Updated - - -

    From what I have seen of the bridge of a very large cruise ship I would say yes.
    No chart table or any evidence of Sextant or any other such equipment.
    From what I have seen only a number of screens with various info on.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

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    Default Re: Examination. Masters and Mates

    Now , just press a button, it says,........."You are Here".

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    Default Re: Examination. Masters and Mates

    Polish up your sextant and mount it and put it on the wall. I've done that with my Dad's and it looks great.
    Regards.
    Brenda

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    Default Re: Examination. Masters and Mates

    On1e day !!, with the hacking that goes on in the world, it knows no bounds, and then the basics will not be known, and then regrets. In the pleasure craft industry the same goes on, plug in your destination and go, and when the electrics all fail, you are not even capable of telling some one where you are for help. When i was sailing i did have a GPS on board, but religiously had the chart out and plotted dead reckoning to see how it tied in, and actually enjoyed basic navigation, kt
    R689823

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    Default Re: Examination. Masters and Mates

    Chartwork, the sextant (its use and how to correct it), magnetic compass, are all part of the written exams and orals for officer of the watch stcw certification along with numerous other mandatory courses, such assurvival, fire fighting, medical training, views, ecdis, lifeboat, tanker safety, chemical safety, HELM etc.
    Just put STCW syllabus for masters and mates into a search engine to get the full list. Other written examinations include bridge and navigation procedure, cargo work in port procedures.
    Rgds
    J.A.

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    Default Re: Examination. Masters and Mates

    Thank you for all replies and very pleased to know that electronics has not yet taken over the academics of celestial navigation......could be around the corner though. Hope not.

    J.A...have not yet had opportunity to google in STCW but will do so. Thanks.

    Pete

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    Default Re: Examination. Masters and Mates

    Quote Originally Posted by Pete Graham View Post
    Thank you for all replies and very pleased to know that electronics has not yet taken over the academics of celestial navigation......could be around the corner though. Hope not.

    J.A...have not yet had opportunity to google in STCW but will do so. Thanks.

    Pete
    Whilst celestial navigation is still on the STCW syllabus, in practice education and examination on it is simply a box ticking affair on the part of the nautical colleges and appropriate training boards with the minimum time possible spent on it and with very little of the principles and theory of navigation taught. Basically what happens today is that the cadets are given a pro forma showing how to do the sums (with a calculator - they aren't taught to use tables anymore) and given a very brief background on the subject, then told to go forth and rattle a few examples into their workbooks when at sea whereupon they'll likely never look at the subject ever again.
    Lack of knowledge of the subject, lack of need to practice it, lack of interest in maintaining the skills required, the universal introduction of electronic charts and the advent of enclosed bridges have all conspired to ensure that aside from us old farts who did it for real (an ever decreasing number) plus a tiny number of younger individuals who do enjoy practising traditional skills, sadly means that celestial nav is a dying animal now in it's final death throes.
    If we truly had a serious GPS outage then most modern deck officers would struggle to cope with it, if they managed to do anything at all.
    On my current ship our GPS fell over due to some technical problems and one of the first reactions of our young British OOW was to go out on the bridge wing (or what passes for it) and wave his Iphone in the air in an attempt to get a GPS signal rather than gain and plot a terrestrial fix. He was truly baffled as to why I accordingly remonstrated with him.

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    Default Re: Examination. Masters and Mates

    Yet with all the modern electronics it is often the case when at sea the mobile phone will not work, only in port.
    In Norway you will need a Norwegian sim card to get your phone to work, different system to many other countries.
    Wifi at sea is fine though.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

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    Default Re: Examination. Masters and Mates

    Funny how coincidences come up, with this query about navigation, on my recent birthday my daughter bought me a book by Micheal Palin written in 2018 called Erebus about the trip of the Erebus and the Terror to the North and South Poles, it's mainly about Navigation and how they worked out how to, so far a great read.
    Cheers Des

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