Celestial Navigation Course in Puerto Sherry aboard the Giraldilla
On 1 May, the first workshop organised by the Fundación Vela Clásica de España took place in Puerto Sherry. It was a celestial navigation course for beginners, aboard the historic Giraldilla, a classic vessel launched in 1963.
Victor Paez, a Maritime Transport student in Cádiz, taught students in a light-hearted and traditional manner how to use a sextant, an instrument used to measure the angular distance between two objects, generally the sun and the horizon. The students learnt how people navigated before the invention of electronic devices. According to Victor, ‘navigating with a sextant is good fun, simple and thrilling’, suitable for all ages.
Giraldilla sailed around the bay until 6.00pm. When she arrived back, smiles, admiration and a feeling of going even further filled the air. The management was very pleased with the end result, ‘It was clear that all the participants wanted to repeat the experience and tell their friends all about it. We’re already thinking about the next workshop’, said Maribel Vergara, Director of the Fundación, at the end of the day.
