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Ansar compasses
Ansar compasses
You need a compass to gain from the wind shifts!
You need a compass to gain from the wind shifts!
I have met several sailors who say they don't need a compass because "I can see the shifts by looking at where the bow of the boat is pointing on the shore."
Can you gain from the wind shifts this way? Let us say the direction of the wind is shifting plus minus 15 degrees from its mean direction.
Let us look at the crews in two boats: One is using a compass the other looks where the bow is pointing on the shore to track the wind shifts.
Assume both boats are sailing on starboard tack, in a 15 degrees lift.
Now the wind shifts 10 degrees anti clockwise. This means that starboard tack still is favored with a 5 degrees lift.
"Big header, we are tacking" says the tactician of the boat without compass. And they start to sail in a 5 degrees header.
That is certainly not the way you are winning races!
Without a compass you are caught if the wind shifts in a tack.
Let's watch the two boats again. They both sail on the lifted tack. The wind shifts so the other tack becomes favored. Both boats tack.
After the tack the crew of boat with compass checks the compass and finds out that they are sailing in a header - the direction of the wind shifted back in the tack. And they tack back.
The crew of the boat without compass, which now sails in a header, notes where the bow is pointing on the shore - and wait for the header which may never come.
That is another way of not winning sail races!
Without a compass you can't spot a shift in mean wind direction
If the mean wind direction is changing you can gain a lot by keeping to the right side of the course - the side which will be the windward side when the wind has shifted further.
The way to spot a shift in the mean wind direction is to check if the best lift on either tack becomes larger. You need a compass for this!
You will certainly loose a lot without a compass
You will certainly loose a lot without a compass
The Ansar 2 or 4 compass may be the best choice
The Ansar 2 or 4 compass may be the best choice
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Modified June 2015
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