small sextant iconI only wish I knew as much about astro navigation as the people who created some of these websites.

Sextant User's Guide by Andrew Evans. Probably the simplest introduction to taking a sunsight on the web. The author takes some liberties with sextant corrections, but it doesn't come much simpler than this if you use my Almanac and Sight Reduction Tables.

Singlehanded Sailing: Thoughts, Tips, Techniques & Tactics by Andrew Evans is available on Amazon. Whether you just potter about close inshore or plough across oceans, if you sail single-handed, this book belongs onboard. Jester Challenge anyone?

Visit My Harbour. is an online pilotage guide providing detailed information about various ports and harbours, estuaries, rivers and inlets around the coasts of the UK. For a very modest membership fee you have access to thousands of up-to-date charts and photographs, as well as highly informative articles on every aspect of sailing. One of the best resources for amateur yachtsmen and women on the web.

A Short Guide to Celestial Navigation by Henning Umland. An excellent website with some really good Java files for you to download.

The Nautical Almanac Here you will find everything you need to navigate by the Sun, the Stars, the Moon and the Planets.

NavSoft takes Astronavigation a lot further and here you will find a wealth of detail and an interesting perspective on biblical events. The Almanac hasn't been updated for a few years, but there's still some stuff worth looking at.

NIMA Pub.229 Tables. These are the 'proper' sight reduction tables for Marine Navigation published by the US National Imagery and Mapping Agency. I prefer my Sight Reduction Tables for simple sun sights, but the choice is yours.

Astro Navigation Demystified. This is an excellent website promoting a book of the same title. Highly recommended for the clear, concise explanations.

The Nautical Sextant by Bill Morris. Nothing whatsoever on navigation, but undoubtedly the best place to learn about sextants old and new. His blogs covering the restoration of seemingly worthless piles of scrap into gleaming sextants are inspirational. Bill's coffee table book will be a serious reference work for years to come.

Yachting and Boating World Forum. The best forum on the web for anyone interested in sailing, boating, or just messing about on the water. If you have a question, someone is bound to have the answer.

Cruiser's Forum. Another excellent resource for the cruising sailor. Here you will also find a sub-forum for OpenCPN, free plotter software for Laptops and Tablets.

Bluemoment.com. A superb website with fascinating and useful articles, downloads, links, a forum, . . . oh, just go and have a browse, you're bound to find something of interest. (Currently seeking a new webmaster)

SummitElse.scot. Fancy learning to navigate on the hills and mountains of Scotland, trying your hand at a spot of rock-climbing or having an expert guide explain the history, geology and wildlife on a hike? Siobhan runs some excellent courses for both novices and for those seeking to improve their skills on the hills. She can also give guided walks to help you gain experience and confidence.