What totally useless item do you have on the boat besides yourself?

I have a fluxgate compass rather than the traditional steering compass. I can steer to one degree and it's set to true rather than magnetic.
I have a handbearing compass for back up, though it's never been needed.
 
Blueboatman said:
Sounds like you guys are really getting into this sailing cruising along thing! Good fun innit
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You are right Mr Blueboatman but you need to give it time. I would suggest about three years before you really settle in to the life. It then becomes difficult to ever think of going back.

(Especially without a compass)
 
Nostrodamus said:
You are right Mr Blueboatman but you need to give it time. I would suggest about three years before you really settle in to the life. It then becomes difficult to ever think of going back.

(Especially without a compass)
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Indeed. It is funny looking at my earliest log book worries and parameters ..
Forwards, forwards, never back..

Plenty of cheap countries to build a house in, if and when too!

All best, Tim
 
Nostrodamus said:
That sounds to me that the compass is a back up rather than a primary means of navigation.
I think the compass comment was made with a tongue in cheek attitude but it is used less and less by the majority of sailors
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Do you any evidence to back up the word "majority" there?

Nostrodamus said:
I do often have competitions with my auto pilot when I set it to wind mode.
It is pretty good and at the moment I am winning but only just. I pinch the wind far too much.
On the whole it steers a pretty good course by the wind but just bleeps too much when there is a windshift.
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My Seafeather windvane steers closehauled far, far better than I can. I love watching it get the most out of every tiny little windshift. Of course I have to keep an eye on the compass to check where it's taking me ...
 
Nostrodamus said:
What is hand steering. Do people really do that any more?
John..that was a joke... really.
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No problem.

Sometimes I have to sail boats without an autopilot and I really don't enjoy it! The autopilot is one of the first things that gets switched on when we are pootling about as I hate having to helm all the time. Sometimes when its a good sail, I will turn the thing off and enjoy hand steering, but otherwise I love the autopilot (and I love having visitors because they always seem to love helming as well...)

I still set the course by the main compass though...!
 
john_morris_uk said:
Sometimes I have to sail boats without an autopilot and I really don't enjoy it! The autopilot is one of the first things that gets switched on when we are pootling about as I hate having to helm all the time. Sometimes when its a good sail, I will turn the thing off and enjoy hand steering, but otherwise I love the autopilot (and I love having visitors because they always seem to love helming as well...)

I still set the course by the main compass though...!
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A big +1 for that.
In an earlier post you spoke of
The plotter can be very good at doing simple COG/SOG and BTW calculations, but it doesn't always realise that allowing your boat to go several miles 'off track' might be quicker in the long run.
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what you failed to mention is VMG readout which along with allowing for x tides is I believe more the key to efficient passage making.
 
flaming said:
But I would never dream of pushing "track" on the autohelm without first glancing at the compass to check that it seems right.
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I do it more the other way round, set a wp for a change of course, press goto then track, so the ah works out how much to turn the wheel and in what direction. Then I check my compass to confirm that I'm going in the direction I planned.
 
LadyInBed said:
I do it more the other way round, set a wp for a change of course, press goto then track, so the ah works out how much to turn the wheel and in what direction. Then I check my compass to confirm that I'm going in the direction I planned.
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But then how do you know if the direction change the autohelm and chartplotter are planning together won't be a tack or a gybe that you weren't expecting?
 
LadyInBed said:
A big +1 for that.
In an earlier post you spoke of
what you failed to mention is VMG readout which along with allowing for x tides is I believe more the key to efficient passage making.
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I agree over the VMG but with the caveat that it only works well for short passages. When the tide is going to turn and run for 6 hours in another direction in three hours time, the VMG method is not so clever. It can't predict the situation where you might take a hit from the tide now because it places you in a much more advantageous position in a few hours time.

You need either a very clever plotter (some of the latest iterations can do it, but I haven't played with one yet) or some tidal stream atlases plus a chart to sort out what the best bet is.
 
Back to the OP's question....

Leadline. Never used it, and have never gotten around to marking the line to show depths, so it would be a bit of a faff if I ever do need to use it in anger. (Perhaps that should go on the list of jobs to do at anchor...)
Fishing gear. Gets a fair amount of use, just not (at all) successfully.

Above all, safety gear: liferaft, flares, lifebuoy, etc. Even lifejackets have only ever had any practical use as harnesses. Long may it continue. Touch wood. :encouragement:
 
john,

When it comes to engine failure there is always the chance, you are right. Maybe i should take the boom cover off and get headsail on deck before bringing the fenders in:D. Particularly in harbors in the Solent fenders will be more use (and more seaman like IMHO) than a sails in the event of engine failure! I also like to be on board and out sailing as soon as possible, so I can use the 20 mins motoring to get everything ready. Means an extra 40 mins sailing every time out.

transits etc i can use them when appropriate. I prefare that sort of navigation when appropriate, if i use transits I will not bother with positions on charts. I also have no objection to abusing technology when it suits me.

Of course when I did my YM I did it all "properly" but see no need to do it on a daily basis. I do account for tides and make use of them for planning a passage. I just do not see every passage has to be the fastest, the sail for me is more important than the destination. Probably a contributing factor why I do not leave familiar waters that often..

Back to the subject, tinned food. I always have about 3-4 days tinned food onboard just in case.

Then stock up with good fresh food to be eaten before the tins. Having found one tin several years out of date we now check the dates more regularly. Strangely I have never found out of date Pot Noodles or Fray Bentos Pies...
 
We have a gravy boat somewhere as well. I remember seeing when we set off but now I have no idea where it is. Where do these things go?
 
If you have not got a compass you could always tie a length of string to a pigeon's leg, let it do its pre-flight circle.
Then see what way it heads & you then have a bearing for home.
& if the wife won't play ball you can sit & coo to it, That way you know that as soon as you let it go it is going to head for home.
Makes a good backup if the food runs out
 
Spinnaker halyard - we don't have a spinnaker, or a pole, or appropriate cleats. But being red, it looks quite pretty.

Canned and long life food. I always stock up "just in case" but have never used it. Either we take and eat fresh, or end up in the pub. Every year I take it off the boat around September and give it to one of the kids to take to Uni. Seems to get eaten when the money runs out at the end of their first month back.
 
What totally useless item do you have on the boat besides yourself?

The rest of the crew. Particularly when it rains - then they all go and hide below.
 
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