Detailed Solutions to “100 Problems in Celestial Navigation” Vol. 1 Problems 1-1 thru 7-3

New and improved with more solutions in each book!  Vol. 1 covers problems 1-1 thru 7-3 and Vol. 2 covers problems 8-1 thru 19-2.  Trip names and notes in each solution and the page footer make it easier to locate the solution in the book.

If you don’t already have “100 Problems in Celestial Navigation” by Leonard Gray, please pick it up.  The solutions presented here are somewhat out of context without the clearly stated problem.  Mr. Gray does a great job of laying out the scenarios as if you are actually on the voyage and provides a lot of great details on planning your sights. If you want to find your fix by hand (no computer), all of the necessary Nautical Almanac and Pub. 249 tables to work the problems are also included.  You will be busy for months working through these problems and be ready to be a navigator for Columbus when you are done!

That being said, Mr. Gray gives absolutely NO information on HOW to solve the problems.  It is like a test with all of the problem details and an answer key. The answer key consists of the expected fix and a statement about its reliability.  If your solution doesn’t match, where did you go wrong?

“Detailed Solutions” is the work you need to show to get full credit on the test.  It fills in all the data between the problem and solution in a format consistent with solving the problem by hand. Each solution consists of a 1-page summary of the inputs and outputs, a graph of the resulting LOPs showing the fix, and a completed plotting form for each sight showing every value you will use from the Nautical Almanac and Pub. 249/229.