I'm writing a short item this morning about hand held bearing
compasses.

I carry one on my boat, and could find it in an instant. I suspect,
however, that in this age of electro-nav gimmicks I'm now in the
minority.

Three questions:

1. Do you carry a bearing compass?

2. Whether you carry one or not, do you know why anybody would want
to?

3. Do you have any charts aboard, or are you running depending
strictly on an uninterrupted supply of DC power and counting on 100%
reliability from your electronics for navigation information?

On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:42:12 -0700, Chuck Gould
wrote:

I'm writing a short item this morning about hand held bearing
compasses.

I carry one on my boat, and could find it in an instant. I suspect,
however, that in this age of electro-nav gimmicks I'm now in the
minority.

Three questions:

1. Do you carry a bearing compass?

Yes.

2. Whether you carry one or not, do you know why anybody would want
to?

Yes.

3. Do you have any charts aboard,

Yes - current and up to date including a current Eldrige.

or are you running depending strictly on an uninterrupted supply of DC
power and counting on 100% reliability from your electronics for navigation
information?

Yes.

Of course, my situation is a little different than most because I have
enough uninterruptable DC power available to last me for a week.

Anything else? :)

Around 7/27/2007 8:42 AM, Chuck Gould wrote:

I'm writing a short item this morning about hand held bearing
compasses.

I carry one on my boat, and could find it in an instant. I suspect,
however, that in this age of electro-nav gimmicks I'm now in the
minority.

Three questions:

1. Do you carry a bearing compass?

When camping, haven't ever carried one when boating. Both Commando and
Blue-Boat have hard-mounted compasses.


2. Whether you carry one or not, do you know why anybody would want
to?

Of course.


3. Do you have any charts aboard, or are you running depending
strictly on an uninterrupted supply of DC power and counting on 100%
reliability from your electronics for navigation information?

Yes to paper charts.

The only navigation gizmo on either boat is a Garmin eTrex that takes 2
AA batteries and doesn't have any mapping capability. I only use it for
lat/long, speed, and marking where I've dropped a crab pot.



--
~/Garth - 1966 Glastron V-142 Skiflite: "Blue-Boat"
"There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats." -- Kenneth Grahame
~~ Ventis secundis, tene cursum ~~

Fri, 27 Jul 07, Chuck Gould wrote:

1. Do you carry a bearing compass?

Yes

2. Whether you carry one or not, do you know why anybody would want
to?

Of course. There's no way I'd leave the harbor without a ship's
compass. Hand bearing compass too, although mine is used mostly for
race committee work setting race marks. Quite a few other uses though.
It's the last piece of nav equipment I would expect to fail (my hand
compass won't float though).

3. Do you have any charts aboard

Absolutely

or are you running depending
strictly on an uninterrupted supply of DC power and counting on 100%
reliability from your electronics for navigation information?

No way.

Rick

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm writing a short item this morning about hand held bearing
compasses.

I carry one on my boat, and could find it in an instant. I suspect,
however, that in this age of electro-nav gimmicks I'm now in the
minority.

Three questions:

1. Do you carry a bearing compass?

Yep. It's for an event that rarely happens: A blackout, so all land-based
lights are out. The official nav markers on Lake Ontario use 12v flashlight
bulbs, so they're not much help more than 100 feet away, especially when
completely covered in seagull turds.


2. Whether you carry one or not, do you know why anybody would want
to?

Yes, I know why.


3. Do you have any charts aboard, or are you running depending
strictly on an uninterrupted supply of DC power and counting on 100%
reliability from your electronics for navigation information?

I rely 0% on electronics for navigation. I have, however, navigated Tupper
Lake (Adirondacks) at night, in fog, using the air horn to create echoes off
island cliffs. Count the islands, get home. Ba da bing.

"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
ups.com...
I'm writing a short item this morning about hand held bearing
compasses.

I carry one on my boat, and could find it in an instant. I suspect,
however, that in this age of electro-nav gimmicks I'm now in the
minority.

Three questions:

1. Do you carry a bearing compass?

A/ Certainly...

2. Whether you carry one or not, do you know why anybody would want
to?
B/ navigation... taking relative bearings to local landmarks to pinpoint my
position on a chart

3. Do you have any charts aboard, or are you running depending
strictly on an uninterrupted supply of DC power and counting on 100%
reliability from your electronics for navigation information?

C/ Yes... have charts. older GPS used as backup.

On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:52:39 -0300, "Don White"
wrote:


"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm writing a short item this morning about hand held bearing
compasses.

I carry one on my boat, and could find it in an instant. I suspect,
however, that in this age of electro-nav gimmicks I'm now in the
minority.

Three questions:

1. Do you carry a bearing compass?

A/ Certainly...

2. Whether you carry one or not, do you know why anybody would want
to?
B/ navigation... taking relative bearings to local landmarks to pinpoint my
position on a chart

3. Do you have any charts aboard, or are you running depending
strictly on an uninterrupted supply of DC power and counting on 100%
reliability from your electronics for navigation information?

C/ Yes... have charts. older GPS used as backup.

What's with the A/,B/,C/?
I thought compasses had NSEW.
Some kind of nav chart notation?
I plan to learn to read charts, but you're scaring me here.

--Vic

"Vic Smith" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:52:39 -0300, "Don White"
wrote:


"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
roups.com...
I'm writing a short item this morning about hand held bearing
compasses.

I carry one on my boat, and could find it in an instant. I suspect,
however, that in this age of electro-nav gimmicks I'm now in the
minority.

Three questions:

1. Do you carry a bearing compass?

A/ Certainly...

2. Whether you carry one or not, do you know why anybody would want
to?
B/ navigation... taking relative bearings to local landmarks to pinpoint
my
position on a chart

3. Do you have any charts aboard, or are you running depending
strictly on an uninterrupted supply of DC power and counting on 100%
reliability from your electronics for navigation information?

C/ Yes... have charts. older GPS used as backup.

What's with the A/,B/,C/?
I thought compasses had NSEW.
Some kind of nav chart notation?
I plan to learn to read charts, but you're scaring me here.

--Vic

No...nothing so complicated...
Chuck labeled his questions 1, 2, & 3......so I labeled my answers A/, B/, &
C/

"Don White" wrote in message
...

"Vic Smith" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:52:39 -0300, "Don White"
wrote:


"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
groups.com...
I'm writing a short item this morning about hand held bearing
compasses.

I carry one on my boat, and could find it in an instant. I suspect,
however, that in this age of electro-nav gimmicks I'm now in the
minority.

Three questions:

1. Do you carry a bearing compass?

A/ Certainly...

2. Whether you carry one or not, do you know why anybody would want
to?
B/ navigation... taking relative bearings to local landmarks to pinpoint
my
position on a chart

3. Do you have any charts aboard, or are you running depending
strictly on an uninterrupted supply of DC power and counting on 100%
reliability from your electronics for navigation information?

C/ Yes... have charts. older GPS used as backup.

What's with the A/,B/,C/?
I thought compasses had NSEW.
Some kind of nav chart notation?
I plan to learn to read charts, but you're scaring me here.

--Vic

No...nothing so complicated...
Chuck labeled his questions 1, 2, & 3......so I labeled my answers A/, B/,
& C/


You Canucks always have to complicate things.

On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:50:02 -0300, "Don White"
wrote:


"Vic Smith" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 13:52:39 -0300, "Don White"
wrote:


"Chuck Gould" wrote in message
groups.com...
I'm writing a short item this morning about hand held bearing
compasses.

I carry one on my boat, and could find it in an instant. I suspect,
however, that in this age of electro-nav gimmicks I'm now in the
minority.

Three questions:

1. Do you carry a bearing compass?

A/ Certainly...

2. Whether you carry one or not, do you know why anybody would want
to?
B/ navigation... taking relative bearings to local landmarks to pinpoint
my
position on a chart

3. Do you have any charts aboard, or are you running depending
strictly on an uninterrupted supply of DC power and counting on 100%
reliability from your electronics for navigation information?

C/ Yes... have charts. older GPS used as backup.

What's with the A/,B/,C/?
I thought compasses had NSEW.
Some kind of nav chart notation?
I plan to learn to read charts, but you're scaring me here.

--Vic

No...nothing so complicated...
Chuck labeled his questions 1, 2, & 3......so I labeled my answers A/, B/, &
C/

..it get I now, Okay

--Vic