Two years ago this month I put an entry into the Blogs here about our compass rebuild. While it's true that our new electronic plotter is the main navigation instrument in these modern times, I thought it worth noting that sometimes nothing is better than a large, readable, and properly-damped magnetic compass.
:nerd:
Before the memory fades, our recent rough trip over the Columbia River bar should be mentioned. When I spent a rather stressful hour driving the boat thru steep wave tops and the odd breaking top -- "significant waves 4' to 6' with occasional breaking waves" as the radio broadcast calmly put it -- the ship's compass was The go-to instrument when holding the wheel and bracing feet in a wide stance... :0
The bow would go up 4 and down 7 regularly, and veer to either side 20++ degrees on the way. I quickly figured out that watching the compass swing and bringing it back toward center all the time was the most productive way to steer. (That and the crew occasionally reminding me to try a bit harder to stay on course!)
No new news here to all you salty experienced Vikings, but it seems worthy of reportage when so many boat show salesmen & industry reps are strongly touting electronic nav tools and even sometimes pointedly disparaging the traditional magnetic compass. To be fair, not all reps and sales folks do that, but a lot of 'em seem to.
I guess that all this proves, again, is that you should use ALL of the navigation tools on board, and ALL of them should work properly.
Ha.... Some epiphany that turns out to be!
Loren
:nerd:
Before the memory fades, our recent rough trip over the Columbia River bar should be mentioned. When I spent a rather stressful hour driving the boat thru steep wave tops and the odd breaking top -- "significant waves 4' to 6' with occasional breaking waves" as the radio broadcast calmly put it -- the ship's compass was The go-to instrument when holding the wheel and bracing feet in a wide stance... :0
The bow would go up 4 and down 7 regularly, and veer to either side 20++ degrees on the way. I quickly figured out that watching the compass swing and bringing it back toward center all the time was the most productive way to steer. (That and the crew occasionally reminding me to try a bit harder to stay on course!)
No new news here to all you salty experienced Vikings, but it seems worthy of reportage when so many boat show salesmen & industry reps are strongly touting electronic nav tools and even sometimes pointedly disparaging the traditional magnetic compass. To be fair, not all reps and sales folks do that, but a lot of 'em seem to.
I guess that all this proves, again, is that you should use ALL of the navigation tools on board, and ALL of them should work properly.
Ha.... Some epiphany that turns out to be!
Loren
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