What is this Compass thing?

[shakey55]

I was a deckie before owning my own boat. Seems like yesterday I was using and reading the Furuno paper sounder and yes my mate turned the paper around many a time to save a dollar. Memories


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[tunaticer]

To be honest, some of the old paper sounders produced images at least as good as the best current digital sounders....My old Fuso 108 was amazing how sensitive it was.
Back to the thread....I used compasses a lot in my teens and never really had any problems with deviation.....then again we took readings of found structures in the boat and returned to them regularly with next to no variation.

[Danf]

So boats outfitted today with the latest electronic navigation equipment, with basically tv screens placed centrally in front of the skipper, do compasses still play an important role?
If the state rules don't [EDIT] even make them mandatory, are they still an integral part of a boat fit out?

[Mopheus]

If the state rules do even make them mandatory, are they still an integral part of a boat fit out?

I wouldn't want to go beyond sight of land without a compass. It gives basic navigation ability (ie which direction is land) during overcast conditions or at night should your electronics fail. If circumstances are bad enough that I have no electronics and no idea where land is, just getting close enough to shore to get phone / VHF reception or set off a flare is a solid outcome.

[TheRealPoMo]

Never been out of sight of land like you salty sea dogs but I do remember one glassy early morning winter crossing from Scarborough to Tangers where the fog started to appear about 3nm out. When visibility got down to about 15 metres, I was glad of Mr GPS. Without that I would have had no idea so a compass backup sounds good, even in the bay.


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[GBC]

We used to go out to the edge of the 60 mile radar’s range of any point for a running fix, drop 2 radar Dan buoys and go again, then trawl off those two points. Needed to be sure of the skills, and be sure you’d anchored the bloody buoy correctly haha. Had one drag once.
The steering and autopilot compasses would be reswung every refit yearly or when any electrical/welding work was done on board. They were the lifeline.