Gould 0738 wrote:
The only people who like mph are
inland boaters, and those who'd like to inflate their numbers.


This poor horse is going to get beat to death.

If you walked into a donut shop and asked,
"How much for a half dozen maple bars?"
and the donut kid answered, "Sir, I'll sell you six maple bars for $4," is he
trying to make you think you're getting more fatty poison than you're paying
for? After all, the word "six" represents a higher number than the term
"one-half".

No. You're using two different standards to express the same thing, and both
are accurate. If you give the kid $4 and he gives you six maple bars instead of
"half a dozen" you would have no basis at all for complaint about the quantity
received.

Now, if the kid tells you he's going to sell you half a dozen for $4, and sacks
up only half a single maple bar instead.......that's deceptive. :-)


Maybe I'm wrong Chuck but I've never thought of you as an inland
boater.


Like the vast majority of boaters in the Pacific NW, I do spend the bulk of my
time in "Inland Waters". Inland COLREGS apply everywhere south of a point at
the head of Admiralty Inlet, east of Deception Pass, and all the way up the lee
side of Vancouver Island. The most time I ever spend in a typical year in any
area not considered "inland" is on the occassion or two that I might cross the
Strait of Juan de Fuca rather than do an end run up the lee side of Whidbey
Island.

We can and do experience some lumpy
conditions at times, with steep waves at short intervals. Am I, or most boaters
in the Pacific NW, routinely braving 6-7 foot
breaking waves and flying spray? No. Been there, proved my boat is capable of
handling it, and would prefer to avoid frequent repetitions of same. If I'm
heading north and the Strait is a snarly mess, I'm not too proud to run up the
inside. As I have often told the Mrs. when we're pounding through head seas and
collecting
eel grass in the windshield wipers.. "All that screaming isn't helping a damn
thing."

My little tug travels in knots. Heck, you could multiply some of my cruise
speeds by 1.15 and still wind up with single digits.

A whizzy express cruiser zipping along on plane can be accurately logged in
either MPH or knots, and as long as the standard being used is disclosed there
is
no element of deception involved.


You've missed the point Chuck.

(i) "Charts" are in nautical miles (1 min of latitude) so if you are
traveling true nth/sth then you can translate you speed in knots X the
time at that speed directly onto the chart as your distance traveled
(save currents etc etc ).

(ii) Traveling east west, then a minute of longitude is only 1 nautical
mile when you are on the equator. That's why "charts" have a different
scale for the longitude at each particular latitude, so you can
determine distances with dividers if you so wish.

(iii) To determine distance off or traveled or much else any
distance/speed etc relative to a "chart" in a marine environment, you
need to calculate it with any of the myriad spherical triangle formulas
(say diff lat X secant course), because you rarely travel far directly
true nth/sth or est/wst, most tracks are an amalgam of latitude (@ 1 min
= 1 n/mile) & longitude (@ various & constantly varying as your latitude
changes)

(iv) Most charts (not all) are mercator projection, which somewhat
distort (particularly in higher latitudes where you are), however so
long as everyone uses n/miles then the diam of the earth ensures we all
get the same answers.

(v) Miles kilometers etc are used on "maps" & for runabouts etc where
it's not really important.

If a boat is used as a real boat the speed should be expressed in
knots, it's just so embarrassing when people use MPH because in true
navigation it's as meaningless as m/s, or chains per hour, both are a
true measure of the boat's progress through the water, but not much use
when assessing the progress of a boat on a chart.

Deceptive boat broker types usually have no clue as to the subtle but
most important difference between knots & MPH so instinctively spruik
the higher number & lower fuel consumption number. Some don't do it
deliberately it's just how they make their way through life.

K