Sorry Armond, I should have been more careful about your name.

I find it strange that you haven't made a value judgement about "rhumb
lines" and that you could go either way.

To advance this discussion would you mind setting out your view as to what a
"rhumb line" is.

Cheers and great sailing to you to.

jofra



"Armond Perretta" wrote in message
...
Jofra wrote:

Kerry infers that the rhumb line is the desirable route.

I haven't made a value judgment on rhumb lines. Never occurred to me that
it was necessary. Still, I could go either way on this one, so I'm
tempted
to ask how many rhumb lines you've met that really annoyed you.

It is too easy to set a way-point near the destination and head to
it slavishly. The problem is that most other cruisers and
commercial vessels may be following the same principles. The
weaving caused by the wind-vane or tidal flow or slacker course
setting may indeed be a safety factor as it spreads the vessels
over a wider track. This is especially so on an ocean voyage,
...

Can't say I've ever heard anyone seriously suggest that poor steering is a
safety technique.

Were you to ask a commercial ship operator whether, in a crossing
situation,
he would prefer that a small boat maintain a steady course, or wander in a
manner that would indicate some sort of gross steering error or
inattention,
I don't believe too many commercial operators would prefer the method you
suggest.

Those that have raced a bit will know that it may be faster to head
away from the rhumb

If you are referring to tacking downwind, then yes, it's faster in some
designs to head up a bit rather than run dead downwind. Same is true
going
uphill. Sometimes in certain designs it's better to foot rather than
point.
Given that, I don't see what these techniques have to do with steering
error.

--
Good luck and good sailing.
s/v Kerry Deare of Barnegat
http://kerrydeare.home.comcast.net/