Hello
I was up in my loft last night getting my Hornby trainset and Scalectrix down as I have eventually been persuaded to give them to the Hospice my eldest daughter works at, all the other halves in the family say I am too old to play with them anyway yet it was them that brought me the train set etc!
Whilst searching for all the boxes I came across an forgotten treasure trove, all my old Sight Books and Courses and Distance books from my 3rd and 2nd Mates days. These give a record of every voyage I made giving courses and distances between all the ports and also in the sight books the noon positions.
All worked out by Marc St. Helair, Rhumb Line and Great Circle sailing routes.
I was up there that long that the family thought I had fallen asleep!,
Now I wonder in this day and age if any of todays 2nd Mates (or who ever does the courses and distances or Voyage Planning to give it its modern title) ever bother to keep their own personal records of courses and distances etc. given that Electronic Charts, Computers etc. have all taken over the long handed methods of working out the course and distance between two ports and should the electronics fail who on board these days could still work out celestial sights, rhumb line or great circle routes...
makes you think does'nt it.
rgds
Capt. John Arton (ret'd)
