As part of the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean certification, you are required to demonstrate competence in celestial navigation, i.e. navigation by the Sun, the Moon, stars, and/or planets.

I took this course as a way to pass the time while I was on My First Atlantic Crossing, but due to circumstances I didn’t take the exam until over a year later.

I may or may not ever decide to go for the full RYA Yachtmaster Ocean certification. But this course was very interesting and informative, to gain an understanding as to how sailors were able to navigate while away from the shore, long before the invention of GPS.