theory-Practical

This advanced Astro course is 5 days long of which 4 of these cover the theory behind this wonderful skill, you will be taught how to reduce sights for the sun, stars, planets, and the moon. How to make your own chart using newly published plotting sheets sold by Imray and designed by Stokey. Finally you will discover the day in the life of a real celestial navigator by star planning and checking both magnetic and giro compasses for errors using the heavenly bodies. The tutor for this course is always Stokey so you will benefit from his life time Knowledge and experience as a real ocean sailor.  

The 5th day is a pure practical day this can be done either on a ferry to St Malo or in Ventnor on the isle of Wight.  During this day and evening you will be shown how to set up a sextant and practically shoot and reduce real celestial bodies with the real up-to-date Almanac and tables.  ideal for super yacht captains or people wanting to take their celestial skills to another level.  on completion, a certificate will be awarded showing that you have completed an advanced course and level in celestial navigation.    

A great little course for any person that has already done the Ocean theory course and now wants not only to put it into practice but also to get fully conversant with the requirements needed for the RYA Ocean qualifying passage. This is a practical “Hands On” course that is very informative with tips from Stokey that you will not read in a book. 

• 0900: Welcome coffee and chat
• 0915: Sight planning, theoretical sight procedures, sextant checks and a morning sight
• 1015: Visit Stokey’s Platform (SP) practical Astro, sextant checks, sight procedure and the taking of a morning sun sight 
• 1100: Work out morning sun sight and reduce a theoretical noon sight Midday: (SP) Take noon sight before returning back to the class room to reduce it.
• Lunch
• 1400: Work out a theoretical afternoon sight. Afternoon: (SP) Shoot an afternoon sun sight.
• 1430: Reduce the afternoon sun sight, make a chart and plot both the theoretical and the practical sights reduced that day. Compass checks, planning, and reduction
• 1600: General discussion’s on proposed qualifying trip, weather, planning and the presentation of relevant material for the oral exam.
• 1700: Course ends. 

WALK THROUGH THE HEAVENS

THE PROGRAM;

1. Size & Time & distance Of The Universe 
2. Prowl Through The Planets (Ventnor)
3. Distances Of The Known Universe  
4. Putting It All Together
5. Star Gazing (Culver Down)
6. Celestial Evening Meal  (Optional)

In October 2014, an evening in Perks Wine Bar somehow ended in an invitation to attend one of Stokey's 'Wonders of the Universe' courses the following day. Like many people, I had always looked up at the stars and planets and asked myself questions like 'how many stars are there?', 'how far away is the Sun?' and 'what is beyond the Milky Way', so I thought, why not? Stokey's presentation was accompanied by fabulous visuals, models and practical demonstrations that answered these questions and more and included the original walk.The talk was fascinating, as Stokey shared his enthusiasm for the mysteries of the solar system and a lifetime of knowledge, presented so that we laymen could grasp the concepts. Stokey led the group down to Horseshoe Bay at Bonchurch, held up a large orange balloon and pronounced it to be the Sun. He then walked us along to Wheelers Bay, pacing out the distance between the planets to. At each stop, we learned some interesting facts and figures about the planet. As we walked along it occurred to me that it would be great to see this walk marked out so locals and visitors could discover the Solar System as they enjoyed a stroll, and so the Solar System Walk was born.

Linda Davis

Follow the plaques Supported by Ventnor Enhancement that mark out the distances between the planets to scale, each one bearing some interesting facts. The walk is laid out based on the 1,000-yard model, where one inch represents 100,000 miles. 

Start from Bonchurch where a model of the Sun can be seen and a plaque explaining how many paces you then need to take to get to the first planet Mars. Once the walk is completed you will have walked a total of 1,019 paces, the equivalent to 3,666,000,000 miles! to Pluto.

This course covers all aspects of practical marine weather, starting from the very basics and ending with all you need to plan your voyages or - weekend outings - safely and efficiently taking into account the weather. This weekend course is intended to be both a practical and theoretical and aimed at the sailing fartienity. On completion it will certainly help you with your decision making whilst planning a voyage and once underway. No prior knowledge of weather is needed just the enthusiasm to learn. 

• Principles of weather
• Clouds, winds, fronts, lows, highs Understanding weather maps 
• Making observations DIY Forecasting Weather Hazards 
• Sources of weather Information 
• Using and understanding the shipping forecast