[Rhodes22-list] Navigation 101

[Steve Alm]

Bill,

Thank you very much.  I'll take all the help I can get!  I've looked into
the nav courses offered in my area and you're exactly right--the classes are
either evenings or early weekend mornings and neither works for me.  So
yeah, man, bring it on!  Greatly appreciated (and needed).

Slim

On 4/8/05 10:28 AM, "Bill Effros" <bill at effros.com> wrote:

> Slim,
> 
> For most people at this point we simply direct them to the local Coast
> Guard or Power Squadron navigation courses, and move on to the next
> thread.  However, in your case, we realize that you are working when
> these courses are given, and so we're inclined to cut you a little slack.
> 
> Navigation is a kick and a half.  It's more fun than sailing on most
> boats. 
> 
> It's useful for those of us who know how to navigate to clear out the
> cobwebs from time to time, and review what we learned many years ago.
> If others help put together this mini-course, you will at least
> understand the basics of navigation by the time you hit Lake Superior.
> I'll start, but I'm hoping others will contribute because boating season
> is starting here, and I'll be spending more time in the cockpit than on
> the keyboard.
> 
> I'm working on the syllabus, but I'll jump right in with Chapter 1 which
> would have to be the topic you originally raised -- compass.  Each
> chapter will be a separate thread so others can jump in.
> 
> Like music, you will find everything is easy to understand, but it takes
> practice to get good at it.
> 
> Bill Effros
> 
> Steve Alm wrote:
> 
>> Ed, Brad, Bill, Jim, Saroj, Richard, et al,
>> 
>> Thank you for all the great info.  We're planning a Lake Superior trip in
>> Aug.  We'll probably trailer up to Grand Portage, MN (Canadian border) and
>> join one or two other boats and friends who will be sailing all the way from
>> Duluth.  They do this every summer.  I won't be out there alone.  We'll sail
>> to Isle Royale and/or other islands in the vicinity of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
>> But it'll be my first time skippering the Rhodes on such big water.  I'm
>> very excited, scared, humbled, nervous, calm and confident -- all.  At this
>> point, I'm not sure if we will lose sight of land (although fog happens) but
>> I'm definitely going to have to improve my navigational skills and tools, so
>> this discussion has been invaluable to me.  Thank you all!
>> 
>> Ed, I'm trying to work out a trip to SC soon.  I'll keep you posted.
>> 
>> Slim
>> 
>> On 4/7/05 8:00 AM, "ed kroposki" <ekroposki at charter.net> wrote:
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>> Slim:
>>> If you are going to keep the compass on the boat, then do a basic
>>> calibration.  If your drive is paved, then get a cheap scout compass and a
>>> piece of chalk.  Plot N-S, E-W on the driveway, or street in front of your
>>> house.  Adjust the compass to N-S, then E-W, then S-N, then W-E and again to
>>> fine tune.
>>> The headings may not be perfect, but they will give you the general
>>> direction, so that you do not do Brad's trick of going in circles.  If you
>>> decide to do serious navigating then do more serious calibrations of the
>>> compass.  Keep in mind it will never be perfect to a degree.
>>> As to which way do charts use, just look at a navigation chart in
>>> the light.  The answer is usually somewhere on the chart in degrees.
>>> Bill said that a GPS is referenced from where you are coming from.
>>> On my Magellan Meridian, it tries to show a heading of where it is pointed.
>>> If you use a Meridian GPS, you should be able to calibrate the compass to
>>> within a few degrees.
>>> Are you planning a cruise across Lake Superior this summer?
>>> Are you planning a visit to your mother's anytime soon?
>>> 
>>> Ed K
>>> Greenville, SC, USA
>>> Addendum:  Navigators answer:   A number of different approaches are being
>>> tried. (We are still guessing at this point.)
>>> 
>>> 
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>>>    
>>> 
>> 
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>>  
>> 
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