Secondary port crocodiles - what's the point?

[Vara]

I use this Reeves Foulkes manual of tides, sorts out all the calcs and extrapolation done for you.

 

[Rowana]

Lost your copy of 'Four-Figure Tables' by Godfrey and Siddons?

Knotts 4 figure tables, surely. And Yes, I've still got mine along with my slide rule!

 

[Hydrozoan]

I wonder if anyone has one of these: a "Young's Tidal Depth Estimator. Designed by Walter Young, M.Inst. P.I., Manufactured by Smiths (Calculators) Ltd, Beaminster" http://tinas-sliderules.me.uk/Slide Rules/Youngs Depth.JPG. Just the Rule of Twelfths I imagine - more details (in German) here: http://www.rechenwerkzeug.de/tidal.htm.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Ah but in the exam would you fail because your not following "the method"

There is no 'correct method' for lots of things. If your interpolation method works then that's fine as far as myself and all the other examiners I know are concerned.

As with all things RYA - you have to demonstrate you know their method - even if you don't use it in practice yourself.

Had this problem doing the Dinghy level 5 course (just before doing instructors) - I didn't tack or gybe in the prescribed method because I was using racing methods which were far quicker to carry out - but I had to demonstrate that I could use the RYA method and tbh, it is a fallback that I can use when not racing or racing with a non-racing crew.

The dinghy syllabus is different to the offshore syllabus regarding what is approved and what is not. The way it was explained to me is that dinghies are predictable and you can have an RYA approved 'routine' that is shown to be fast and efficient. In offshore sailing there are so many variable that you can't prescribe an 'RYA' method. The reach tack reach method for MOB is taught because its repeatable.

Some RYA examiners insist on the 'approved' method, others are happy with any method provided you understand it and it works. A friend and I sailed with a lady from this forum when she was preparing for her YM practical. She had a problem with MOB under sail so I confidently breezed in and said 'this is how you do it' - and failed miserably. Below a certain speed the keel stalled and the bow blew off resulting in missing the casualty by half a length. My friend, a YM instructor, couldn't do it either. We then tried her method of a crash tack to hove to. It worked every time but the examiner had seen that and said 'now let's see you do it the correct way' which of course she couldn't.

Then there was the argument I had on here about how to calculate a tidal stream. I do it using tidal stream diagrams while he insisted there was only one correct way - via the diamonds on an Admiralty chart. It went a bit quiet when I demonstrated that could result in the stream flowing across a river.

My tip - use your own method but be able to show you know the 'official' way.

Sort of makes sense and hopefully agrees with what I've written above.