Removing the compass

[Rappey]

I heard that South Coast sailors simply get hold of an up to date ferry timetable and follow the correct one.

That method has got me to the Isle of Wight many times ?

 

[lustyd]

Well you've clearly mixed up the word 'someone' with 'you' so perhaps you may care to read it again.

At least you got the expected reaction when you posted the thread though. Well done. ??

There were literally no people talking about not knowing how to use a compass, so I took it as your usual passive aggressive BS, just like your second sentence here. We were having such a lovely time discussing this until you showed up too.

 

[lustyd]

Out of interest, how do you navigate and know which way to go? Eg across the channel to Le Havre, Cherbourg the CI’s etc?

Waypoints, routes, electronic compasses. I also use an electronic watch to tell the time, it's really not that different.

 

[38mess]

We used to have a lovely guy come up from Plymouth to swing our compass, it seemed a dark art and took around 45 minutes, not counting around 10 roll up fags he used to make.
Anyway he eventually retired which was a shame as he was a lovely character.
The MCA are happy for me swing the compass now to comply with our code.

 

[lustyd]

I'm not sure you comply with SOLAS if you remove your magnetic compass. Here's the relevant line from SOLAS V

I woke up curious today, so looked it up for a read. Seems to now say 150 gt or larger:

"
Solas Chapter V - Annex 13 - Magnetic Compasses

Requriments and Guidance for Magnetic Compasses according to Chapter V, Regulation 19 of the Safety Of Lives At Sea (SOLAS) Convention under the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) are stated below.

1.) Regulation 19, paragraphs 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3 and 2.2.1 lay down the requirements for
all ships (excluding fishing vessels and pleasure craft under 150 gt) to be fitted with
a magnetic compass or other means to determine and display the vessel’s heading
independent of any power supply. They must also be fitted with a pelorus, or other
means, to take bearings over an arc of 360° of the horizon and a means for
correcting heading and bearings to true at all times.
2.) Smaller fishing vessels should make every effort to meet the requirements of
Regulation 19."

 

[capnsensible]

There were literally no people talking about not knowing how to use a compass, so I took it as your usual passive aggressive BS, just like your second sentence here. We were having such a lovely time discussing this until you showed up too.

?

 

[Boathook]

I heard that South Coast sailors simply get hold of an up to date ferry timetable and follow the correct one. I'm sure it isn't the case, though.

I reckon that my dad used to do that between Dover and Calais well before GPS. We couldn't keep up with them but as long as we could see them going in the same general direction he was happy with the navigation !

 

[Daverw]

I woke up curious today, so looked it up for a read. Seems to now say 150 gt or larger:

"
Solas Chapter V - Annex 13 - Magnetic Compasses

Requriments and Guidance for Magnetic Compasses according to Chapter V, Regulation 19 of the Safety Of Lives At Sea (SOLAS) Convention under the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) are stated below.

1.) Regulation 19, paragraphs 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3 and 2.2.1 lay down the requirements for
all ships (excluding fishing vessels and pleasure craft under 150 gt) to be fitted with
a magnetic compass or other means to determine and display the vessel’s heading
independent of any power supply. They must also be fitted with a pelorus, or other
means, to take bearings over an arc of 360° of the horizon and a means for
correcting heading and bearings to true at all times.
2.) Smaller fishing vessels should make every effort to meet the requirements of
Regulation 19."

So not required by Solas under latest version?

 

[Lucky Duck]

I woke up curious today, so looked it up for a read. Seems to now say 150 gt or larger:

"
Solas Chapter V - Annex 13 - Magnetic Compasses

Requriments and Guidance for Magnetic Compasses according to Chapter V, Regulation 19 of the Safety Of Lives At Sea (SOLAS) Convention under the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) are stated below.

1.) Regulation 19, paragraphs 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3 and 2.2.1 lay down the requirements for
all ships (excluding fishing vessels and pleasure craft under 150 gt) to be fitted with
a magnetic compass or other means to determine and display the vessel’s heading
independent of any power supply. They must also be fitted with a pelorus, or other
means, to take bearings over an arc of 360° of the horizon and a means for
correcting heading and bearings to true at all times.
2.) Smaller fishing vessels should make every effort to meet the requirements of
Regulation 19."

So not required by Solas under latest version?

As described the link provided in post #14 the sections of SOLAS V which are in force for pleasure craft are;

• voyage planning
• radar reflectors
• life saving signals
• assistance to other craft
• misuse of distress signals

Nothing about a ship's compass

 

[Daverw]

I must add I was confused, some posts state clear statements and extracts, I went straight to look at regs and could not see the text as being reported. Is this due to updated versions of regs not being updated in people’s minds

 

[lustyd]

I must add I was confused, some posts state clear statements and extracts, I went straight to look at regs and could not see the text as being reported. Is this due to updated versions of regs not being updated in people’s minds

On this forum I wouldn't be surprised to see people type out their own new version to support some argument they want to have, so it's hard to tell what leads to such situations

 

[Pirx]

I was brought up to have a strong moral compass.

How do you swing it ?

 

[Daverw]

So do we now have a difinative answer to the Solas question? A link to the latest version would help

 

[johnalison]

I reckon that my dad used to do that between Dover and Calais well before GPS. We couldn't keep up with them but as long as we could see them going in the same general direction he was happy with the navigation !

I certainly did it, using hovercraft, the first time we crossed to Calais from Ramsgate, in fog. If I heard a hovercraft pass on my port I altered course a few degrees that way, and vice versa. At least it got us there.

 

[Gary Fox]

I certainly did it, using hovercraft, the first time we crossed to Calais from Ramsgate, in fog. If I heard a hovercraft pass on my port I altered course a few degrees that way, and vice versa. At least it got us there.

Couldn't SRN4's could fly over the Goodies, it sounds a bit risky

 

[Blueboatman]

For what it’s worth I have a compass and an ( old!) deviation card ..
But i have electricery wotsit compass too..

I think I use the magnetic compass mostly ‘at-a-glance’ to verify the wind shifts through the day by way of wind vane ships heading ( relative to wind)
I would be a bit lost without it tbh, but that is the nature of old habits ?

Then there’s the olde :“ All I ask is a ship and a star to steer her by”, easier if you can find and ident that star with the aid of ahem the ships compass I suppose ?
Nice to have multiple choices on board, says my cautious navigator brain ..

 

[laika]

Removing the compass is not something I'd do but I understand the thinking. I always steer by compass, never GPS, but I generally use the heading sensor because the display is easier to read than my compass (and slightly more accurate: I've been meaning to get the compass swung since I bought the boat...). Also, in practice the autopilot steers more than I do. Having said that I do regularly check the heading sensor against the binnacle compass. One of the values of having two different compasses located in two places is that it alerts you when someone re-arranges stores and places a baked bean can next to the heading sensor, or equally that someone is standing next to the binnacle with a pocket full of metal things. Yes that cross reference can be done with a hand bearing compass, but you're less likely to actively pull a hand bearing compass out of your pocket and try and hold it steady than to just glance down.

If power fails, sure we all have other compasses but does anyone fancy steering by hand bearing compass or the compass on their phone, much less binocular compass, on a foul, dark night? Not me for sure, although obviously in that scenario you'd still need to rig up a source of illumination for your binnacle compass.

So even if it isn't my primary source of heading information, the binnacle compass is a backup I personally wouldn't do without. If the OP is thinking of sailing in familiar waters with plenty of marks in clement weather maybe he won't miss the binnacle compass. But the baked bean can thing did actually happen to me (albeit on a friend's boat: my heading sensor is located in a locker in the aft cabin which no-one but me goes near).

 

[lustyd]

Nice to have multiple choices on board

But then how many legacy choices to you stop at, which you never use? It's back to the old chronometer, tables and sextant argument again and even amongst those who have them on board most can't use them. The problem with the compass is that it's in the way of the stuff I do use, so would you still carry extra multiple choices if they impacted the stuff you use?

and slightly more accurate

More precise, yes. More accurate, probably not. It's still a magnetic device so would still suffer from deviation. I have literally no idea how I'd go about entering deviation information into the electronic compass. I'm generally of the opinion that these days it doesn't matter though, the compass is there to help me steer a straight course, the actual number is irrelevant because I don't steer to a compass course, I steer to GPS course.

 

[laika]

I'm generally of the opinion that these days it doesn't matter though, the compass is there to help me steer a straight course, the actual number is irrelevant because I don't steer to a compass course, I steer to GPS course.

I think that was what john_morris_uk was trying to lure you into saying in post #33 and a predictable line of discussion will now follow
Obviously it's your boat, you may navigate it as you wish, and in practice I'm sure this is the way many if not most people do it these days.

 

[doug748]

Has anyone removed their ships compass? I'm rearranging the instruments at the helm while modernising and realised that I don't really use the compass anyway. The new instrument pods are all pretty deep which will make it awkward to see the compass or will cause a compromise on the instrument pods. I obviously have other compasses on board including hand bearing, a bunch of electronic ones (all independent), watches, phones.

I don't really want to start a debate on the value of compasses, I'm just curious to know if anyone has removed theirs? I think I'd probably want one for an ocean passage, but for UK/channel stuff I'm not sure. Given how I said I'm certainly not sure I'd fit one to a new boat, but removing one feels a bit naughty!

I have not binned mine but I have two, fwd in the cockpit, that are a bit overkill.

If you don't use it get rid but I would ship one of these instead, plus a place to fix it if it were needed:

Plastimo Olympic 85 - Sailing boat, Yacht compass | eBay

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