Backward compass?

[hedgie]

I was on a friend's boat when I noticed the built in analog compass was reading, to my mind, back to front. The part facing the helm was reading where we were coming from. To find out where you were going to, you had to pull the cover over and read the back.??? He muttered something about it being an "underway compass" and was perfectly alright. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif


<span style="color:blue"> </span> Use the force Luke.

 

[noby]

Used for rowing, aren't they?

 

[Salty John]

On a binnacle compass you read the far side of the card - which can sometimes be confusing, particularly if you are tall and stand over the compass looking straight down on it. Such compasses have a lubber line at the forward end (the far side of the compass as you look at it) so it's quite obvious where you should be reading the course. Some have two additional lubber lines at 45 degrees either side of the main lubber line.

Some compasses have a conical card which is very difficult to describe but in effect presents you with the same number on the front face and the back face of the compass - very cunning.

Bulkhead compasses have cylindrical cards and the lubber line is on the face of the glass so it is obvious you read the nearside of the card.
Hope this helps!

 

[hedgie]

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Hi John
Thanks for the info. Informative and much very appreciated. Now I know where I'm going to, and not coming from, when on board.

John



<span style="color:blue"> </span> Use the compass John.

 

[Salty John]

All this coming and going inspires me to paraphrase a well known dirty limerick:
There was a young sailor from Kent,
Whose compass appeared to be bent.
To save himself trouble,
He just stared at the bubble,
And instead of coming, he went.

 

[Poignard]

Seem to remember something similar happening on board the "Pequod". As far as I can recall, Captain Ahab reckoned it had been caused by corpusants.

 

[Refueler]

When as a Cadet at sea - I was shown a trick with a gimballed binnacle compass. Rotate the gimbals opposite ways to each other and the degrees scale will be 180 deg's out. (best with a binnacle with viewing port).
When first shown a compass like it and asked to put it right - takes some mental acrobatics !

Similar to cine film. Wind it backwards and reversed - the film shows upside down ! Anyone from ships remember Walport Movies ?

 

[Poignard]

When I was in the MN we used to swap movies with other ships. Russians were mad keen to borrow American films but could only offer in exchange ones with titles such as "How Productivity Was Increased At The Number 17 People's Tractor Factory" .

 

[Refueler]

I remember getting a memo from Walport 'reminding all that we were NOT to lend to Russian / non Walport vessels'. In Port Harcourt we lent a couple of movies to a Russian cargo ship - only to watch Kommissar confiscate at gangway when guys tried to get them on board !

 

[EdWingfield]

Yes, for rowing. Mine came with shock cord to fix to the aft decking.

 

[Mariner69]

[ QUOTE ]
I remember getting a memo from Walport 'reminding all that we were NOT to lend to Russian / non Walport vessels'. In Port Harcourt we lent a couple of movies to a Russian cargo ship - only to watch Kommissar confiscate at gangway when guys tried to get them on board !

[/ QUOTE ]

We found the blighters had cut all the sexy bits from the movies we lent them, presumably to join to together into an erzatz porno fest. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Stopped loaning them PDQ as Walport were becoming aware of the problem and threatened to charge the full cost of the damaged film to the ships.