Boxing the compass

I learned the chant for a Cub Scout badge in a wholly different century. AIR, the only compasses we saw were shiny brass ex-WD marching thingies, with a mirror and a sight-notch. I do believe those had points notation....

The Silva plastic things came in much later, and then the rot set in! :D

I can 'talk the talk' still, for the '32s' clockwise, but I can't - and never could - recite it backwards.....

I guess I'd be no good at a Black Mass, then.

:D
 
Stemar said:
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.
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I was a land scout, and learnt 16. Then I became a sea scout, and learnt first 32, then 360 in four groups of 90 under the quadrantal system. Finally I joined the air scouts and learnt the present 360 system. But at least they all tied the same bowlines!

Oh, yes, it's E by N, not E by NE; all the 'by' points are obtained by moving one of the 8 cardinal and intercardinal points by a small increment (one point, 11.25 degrees) towards the nearest cardinal point. So you could have NE by E, or NE by N, but never N by NE or NNE by N.
 
Refueler said:
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 !! :D:D:D:D )

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.
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I've still got my record book ( 1974-1977 P&O ). I can remember at Plymouth School of Maritime Studies we had to be able to give the recipricol course in points to one we were given. Not as easy as it sounds and I would struggle now !

Chris
 
I learned to box the compass to quarter points in about 1970 while doing my EDH during my MAR course at S Shields. I can still remember it easily now, along with my Discharge Book and other obscure never-used numbers, though I usually can't remember what I did yesterday. Funny how the memory works or doesn't work, as the case may be!
 
Thicko question coming up.

I still don't get the point.

I'm never been a sea cadet or otherwise, but at brownies and guides we learnt the points of the compass up to 32.

But I'd never heard the term 'boxing the compass' and don't understand what this really means and the point is of naming them by rote?

Is just so that if your captain yelled at you to steer NE by N you knew what he meant and if you didn't you'd get boxed around the ears?! :-)
 
much of it relates to the way that we use the 360 degrees in a circle, dividing by two, then two, and so on.

Check out the term 'points', and if you look at the COlregs light arcs, you will see that they are related to whole number divisors of the 360 circle.

Knowing the points of a compass, and being able to go round (verbally) the box which held the compass, you could understand what someone meant when the lookout cries "Sail Ho ! Two points abaft the beam". He is giving a bearing relative to his own position at the masthead, and someone on the deck can use that relative bearing, knowing the ship's heading, to look for the approaching pirate. It is also very useful for working out sailing angles after a tack, or reciprocals for departures.

Each point is 11.25 degrees, very roughly the width of your fist including the thumb, when held at an arm's length.
 
Learned it as a MN cadet at the turn of the millennia (not saying which one ;) ). We had one particularly "mischievous" (read; wanker) mate who wouldn't sign off the record book without us being able to box the compass forwards, backwards and from any two points he choose from. :rolleyes:
 
Dyflin said:
Learned it as a MN cadet at the turn of the millennia (not saying which one ;) ). We had one particularly "mischievous" (read; wanker) mate who wouldn't sign off the record book without us being able to box the compass forwards, backwards and from any two points he choose from. :rolleyes:
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Haha, that bugger did get around, didn't he!!
 
sarabande said:
much of it relates to the way that we use the 360 degrees in a circle, dividing by two, then two, and so on.

Check out the term 'points', and if you look at the COlregs light arcs, you will see that they are related to whole number divisors of the 360 circle.

Knowing the points of a compass, and being able to go round (verbally) the box which held the compass, you could understand what someone meant when the lookout cries "Sail Ho ! Two points abaft the beam". He is giving a bearing relative to his own position at the masthead, and someone on the deck can use that relative bearing, knowing the ship's heading, to look for the approaching pirate. It is also very useful for working out sailing angles after a tack, or reciprocals for departures.

Each point is 11.25 degrees, very roughly the width of your fist including the thumb, when held at an arm's length.
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mmmm bit of a long winded way to say that the Points relate to the Compass Names ... N - S - E - W and the "points" between.
Each of the watchkeepers duties in general relate also to points of the compass referenced to ships head - correctly as you say.

The two points abaft the beam is actually more important than you first appreciate - it determines overtaking vessel or not ! So a vessel observed on that relative bearing or greater is to keep clear .... YOUR lights technically do not show to him apart from stern ...

The compass, heading, relative bearings ( Pelorus comes in here as well ! ) ... lights, other vessels etc. - they all link together.

Trouble is nowadays that these skills are fast down the pan and you hear many people saying ... light 40 degrees of bow, aft of midships etc. so now the relation to your lights etc. is lost.
 
blackdogsailing said:
I will always remember the signals instructor, an ex RN C.P.O. known only as 'Chief' . Standing on the front desk giving a message in semaphore flags. And the engingators disco and the 'Good Companions' pub ( still there ! ). I was first there Sept. 76-April 77

Chris
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Chiefy Tozer, a right character! Voice like a chainsaw! I did all my tickets at Plymouth, Second Mates in '72.
Fancy remembering his name, still can't remember yesterday!!
 
blackdogsailing said:
I will always remember the signals instructor, an ex RN C.P.O. known only as 'Chief' . Standing on the front desk giving a message in semaphore flags. And the engingators disco and the 'Good Companions' pub ( still there ! ). I was first there Sept. 76-April 77

Chris
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Chiefy Tozer ! He used to turn UP the click on the morse light key to help us get through signals !

Other job he has was to receive "nere-do-wells" for Uniform Inspection !
 
Sorry cannot see your pictures. Forget the albums. They have to be approved by the moderators before anyone can see them.

Attachments work but IMHO Photobucket is still the best way
 
can't see the pics.

But I still have next to my desk, a boat compass which my late FIL, a gunboat 'jimmy' in WW2, saved from the SS Cuba in the middle of the English Channel.

None of these fancy degrees, y'know !
 
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sarabande said:
a boat compass. None of these fancy degrees, y'know !
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attachment.php


"About as dim as a TOC H lamp...." ;)
 
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