sarabande
Well-Known Member
Go on, how many of you can honestly still perform this arcane maritime ritual ?
Boxing the compass
- Thread starter sarabande
- Start date
NealB
Well-Known Member
I might admit to it, if someone else does too.
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maxi77
Well-Known Member
Haad to do it in my first term at BRNC 45 years ago, haven't done it sunce
ChattingLil
Well-Known Member
NealB
Well-Known Member
Probably means you're annoyingly young (he said jealously), and have only used degrees, rather than compass points.
Compass points, to me, now seem very quaint and totally redundant.
I wouldn't worry about it too much!
Phoenix of Hamble
Well-Known Member
Nope.... its just a sign that you were never one of the following:
Sea Cadet
Merchant Cadet
at Dartmouth Naval College
Just to put you out of your misery, its the ritual of saying the points of the compass (all 32 of 'em) in order.....
Sea Cadet
Merchant Cadet
at Dartmouth Naval College
Just to put you out of your misery, its the ritual of saying the points of the compass (all 32 of 'em) in order.....
Stemar
Well-Known Member
Do I get any points for half a box?
I can do 16, but land scouts didn't learn the strange ones like South by West or E by NE. I presume sea scouts did, but I never met had any dealings with such stange creatures.
The only time I've ever heard them is on the shipping forecast, when I'm far more interested in the '6 to gale 8, perhaps severe gale 9 later' bit, which is a run for home forecast in the Solent, and a go to the pub forecast when further from home.
To me, E by NE means somewhere in the NE quadrant and in a blow like that, it's liable to be a bit all over the place anyway!
I can do 16, but land scouts didn't learn the strange ones like South by West or E by NE. I presume sea scouts did, but I never met had any dealings with such stange creatures.
The only time I've ever heard them is on the shipping forecast, when I'm far more interested in the '6 to gale 8, perhaps severe gale 9 later' bit, which is a run for home forecast in the Solent, and a go to the pub forecast when further from home.
To me, E by NE means somewhere in the NE quadrant and in a blow like that, it's liable to be a bit all over the place anyway!
Ubergeekian
Well-Known Member
My father taught me to do that by the time I was ten. Mind you, he (and I) didn't wuss out at a mere 32. I was expected to be able to do the other 96 as well.
Ian
Stemar
Well-Known Member
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Refueler
Well-Known Member
Boxing is 32 ONLY. The others are the "by's" which are open to debate but over time got accepted in standard format ...
I don't usually like or use Idiotspedia .... but it agrees with what I was taught as a MN Cadet ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_the_compass
Funny thing is that as a Cadet - we had what was termed "Record Book" that officers had to initial when a job was completed satisfactorily ... a job had to be completed on 3 separate occasions and initialled at each successful. It was a structured learning system. Covered everything from flags, seamanship items, pump handling, helming ... anyway there were 2 items that were related to this thread :
Boxing compass in cardinals .... the 32 points as above.
Second which always met with smiles ...
Boxing compass in 360 degree notation .... which was generally ignored as no Ch. Officer wanted to have a Cadet standing there counting up to 360 !! ( Does beg the question how many could do it !!
)Anyway - I love to hear it used ... but sadly it's down to Hollywood now ...
What you have to appreciate that when it was common use - the compass actually had the cardinal points marked as the Boxing ... NOT numbers ! So it had direct relation to steering compass ... no need to convert in head to numbers.
aquaplane
Well-Known Member
I've never heard boxing the compass used that way, to my knowledge anyway.
I understood it to mean that the wind was from all over, which is the same I suppose if it's gone round 360°, all the points will have been covered, though "not necessarily in the right order" as our Eric may have said.
Having been a Scout I could do 16 points in order.
I understood it to mean that the wind was from all over, which is the same I suppose if it's gone round 360°, all the points will have been covered, though "not necessarily in the right order" as our Eric may have said.
Having been a Scout I could do 16 points in order.
bobgoode
Well-Known Member
I can box anythin' ....yu know what I mean Harry?
Cliveshep
Well-Known Member
Can and do. Rule-of-thumb navigation stuff, right up my street.
"Turn right, Mr Pertwee!"
Ubergeekian
Well-Known Member
Which, you will note, lists all the "bys" - you need them to make up the 32. Perhaps you are confusing them with the 96 "ands"?
North. North and a quarter east. North and a half east. North and three quarters east. North by east. North by east and a quarter east. North by east and a half east ...
laurance
Well-Known Member
I used to work on a restored wooden sailing ship that had retained her original pre degrees compass, it had a large uncluttered card that once you got used to it was a joy. It is quite true, hand steering that kind of vessel with better accuracy than half a point, never happened. It just made sense and contributed to the feeling you were sailing through the glorious past.
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nimbusgb
Well-Known Member
Movie 'Kill Charlie Varrick' - 1973 ( Changed in the UK to 'Get Charlie', I ask you! )
Charley Varrick: I like your bed. You may find this hard to believe but I've never slept on a round bed.
Sybil Fort: Is that so?
Charley Varrick: What's the best way? North, south, east, or west?
Sybil Fort: That depends on what you had in mind.
Charley Varrick: What I had in mind was boxing the compass.
Charley Varrick: I like your bed. You may find this hard to believe but I've never slept on a round bed.
Sybil Fort: Is that so?
Charley Varrick: What's the best way? North, south, east, or west?
Sybil Fort: That depends on what you had in mind.
Charley Varrick: What I had in mind was boxing the compass.
Refueler
Well-Known Member
Likje many things in life - nick-names used often are not accurate ... this is one of those.
I am not in my Tardis today and cannot go back to tell Plymouth Maritime College Lecturers that Mr. Orbister objects to the incorrect terminology of something that has been left in history ...
Bilgediver
Well-Known Member
maxi77
Well-Known Member
Likje many things in life - nick-names used often are not accurate ... this is one of those.
I am not in my Tardis today and cannot go back to tell Plymouth Maritime College Lecturers that Mr. Orbister objects to the incorrect terminology of something that has been left in history ...
The reality is that each religion always dscribes things a little different to the others just as we with our differing training view aspects of plotting slightly differently, yet we bioth get to our destinations. The real key is that one one vessel you all understand what is meant, so that when you tell your helmsman to stear North by a Quarter East, he stears your version not some one elses.
jetwake
Well-Known Member
32? 96? pah! I use 360 different points, but for clarity I number them all.
David
David
