Daily Fixes
The Daily Schedule in the Sky Tool Workbook — when to shoot, and which FairWinds buttons to press.
← Back to Celestial Navigation
Open the Sky Tool → Workbook. Above the tabs you’ll see Solar Times (Sunrise / Sunset / Mer. Pass.) and the Daily Schedule checklist. The schedule is a guide, not a gate — you can take sights anytime.
If you only do one thing: get a twilight fix. Dawn and dusk are when stars and horizon are visible together. Two or three stars on the Stars tab, reduce to LOPs, Compute Fix, Save Fix.
Types of fixes
| Step | Window (Daily Schedule) | What you do in FairWinds | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| AM Twilight Star Fix | Dawn → Sunrise | Stars tab → LOPs → Compute Fix → Save Fix | Optional |
| Sunrise Longitude Fix | Sunrise ±10 min | Sun sight at Hs ≈ 0° (RISE) → Save to Log | Optional |
| AM Sun Sight | Sunrise → Noon window | Sun tab morning sight (AM) — keep for Sun-Run Fix | Yes |
| Noon Sight | LAN ±15 min | Highest NOON sight → Compute Lat/Lon → Save to Log | Yes |
| PM Sun Sight / Running Fix | Noon → Sunset | PM sight, then select AM+PM → Compute Running Fix | Yes |
| Sunset Longitude Fix | Sunset ±10 min | Sun sight at Hs ≈ 0° (SET) → Save to Log | Optional |
| PM Twilight Star Fix | Sunset → Dusk | Stars tab → LOPs → Compute Fix → Save Fix | Optional |
The schedule also lists Sun-Run Fix as its own checklist row (after PM Sun Sight) and an optional Night Fix after dusk.
How they fit together in FairWinds
Daytime sun path
- AM Sun Sight — morning LOP
- Noon Sight — meridian altitude → lat/lon via the Sun Worksheet
- PM Sun Sight — afternoon LOP
- Sun-Run Fix — select the AM + PM sights → FairWinds advances the AM LOP by your boat track and crosses it with the PM LOP
That is sun-run-sun, not “advance the morning line to noon latitude.” Noon is its own Save to Log fix; the running fix is AM↔PM.
Twilight path
Dawn and dusk star fixes are independent of the sun chain. One good multi-star fix can reset a drifted DR completely.
Saved fixes and lon/noon/sun-run marks show in the race viewer Positions panel — use them as the start of your next DR.
Workbook cheat sheet
| Tab | Use for |
|---|---|
| Sun | Sun Sights, badges (AM / PM / NOON / RISE / SET), Sun Worksheet |
| Stars | Star sights, Saved LOPs, Compute Fix |
| Fixes | Enter Fix / Enter DR (especially Expert mode) |
The Sky Tool — full guide → · Guided vs Expert →