Practical Motor Boat Handling, Seamanship and Piloting; A Handbook Containing Information Which Every Motor Boatman Should Know. Especially Prepared F

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1917 Excerpt: ...lubberline on the compass does. The compass card of the bearing finder is then turned by hand, so that these tacks will be opposite that point on the compass card which represents the correct heading of the boat at the particular moment the bearing is to be taken. Keeping the pelorus base and its compass card in this position, the movable sighting vanes of the instrument are then turned so that it is possible to obtain a bearing of the desired distant object by sighting through the two holes in the uprights. (See Fig. 51.) The bearing of the object will then be indicated on the compass card below through an opening in the horizontal member of the sighting vanes. If possible, sights or bearings on a number of distant objects should be taken, and the bearings plotted on one's chart as a check. If all the lines representing the bearings intersect in a common point, one may safely assume that the bearings are correct. It is hardly necessary to state that successive bearings should be taken as quickly as possible after one another, so that the boat has not covered any appreciable distance during the time. Fig. 51. A home-made bearing finder, showing method ol taking a bearing on a distant object CHAPTER XI Piloting PILOTING, as the term is popularly known, is the art of conducting a vessel in channels and harbors along coasts where landmarks and aids to navigation are available for fixing the position, and where the depth of water and dangers to navigation are such as to require a constant watch to be kept upon a vessel's course, and frequent Changes to be made therein. Laying a Course After one has become familiar with the different instruments used for piloting, including the dividers, parallel rulers, and course protractors, and if possible the chip log, pate...