Sail On Course With Your Sailing Compass
If you've ever tried to navigate a compass course accurately
, you've probably found that you "wander" off your path a lot such that simply steering with your sailboat compass isn't enough. In short, you are going to need a reference that's when help you stay on course. There are, however, some sailing compass navigation tips can help you succeed with staying on course.
The simple fact is that if you stare at a sailing compass for more than three to four minutes at a time, you're going to be mentally and physically tired -- and you will probably be off course, too. However, you can fix this by doing the following.
Focus ahead when you can see the shoreline- Take a look out in front of your boat. Do you see some sort of object that you can "line up" with the pulpit of your bow? Maybe it's a house, a pier, a tree, etc., on the shoreline. Once you're there, look back down at your sailboat compass. Do a little tweaking, and then take a look at the object and again, realigning yourself as necessary.
Continue to steer at the object for one minute, and then take a look at the compass. Do this every 60 seconds or so, switching back and forth from your physical point of reference to your compass, and you will usually find it easy to stay on course.
When you switch courses, do the same thing -- first, focus on your compass, then pick a physical point of reference and line up with it, then take a look at your sailboat compass again and adjust as necessary. Repeat.
Use the stars if you're away from the shoreline -- or use a cloud as your point of reference. If you don't have sight of land, you're not going to be able to use a physical, on land points of reference as you will with the above tip. For that, use the stars at night, or low-level clouds during the day.
Cumulus clouds, those that are puffy and look like cotton balls, are the best. Clouds do move, unlike fixed points of reference on the shore, so check your compass often, more often than you do inland.
Again, after the sun sets, you can use a planet or star to "line yourself up" and stay on course. Sailors the world over used this method for thousands of years. Take some fixed part of your standing rigging, like a stay or shroud, and line it up with the planet or star you've chosen.
Again, check your sailing compass frequently, staying on course; as you need to, you can change the planet or star you're focusing on some that you stay on course. This will make your eyes much less tired, and will also make it easier to watch things at night.
Tacking through the wind: Special considerations- You're not going to be able to do much of anything if you have to tack through the wind. For that, simply use over the shoulder bearings so that you tack accurately and stay on course with a new tack. Stand at center in front of the wheel or tiller and then face the bow directly.
Then, turn your head windward and look back over your shoulder. If you're inland, pick something on the shore, and if you are out of sight of land, pick a star or cloud as you do with night sailing. Make your check and then line up with the object. Fine-tune your object and sail trim after you do the tack. It's easy and fast, and a lot more fun than other methods.
Using a sailing compass doesn't have to be tiring. Use the above tips to make your sailboat compass a valuable tool -- without being a slave to it and without getting off course.
by: Jacque Crook
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