Re: [Paddlewise] Paddling on Instruments - part one

From: Dave Kruger <kdruger_at_pacifier.com>
Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2007 12:12:07 -0700
Craig Jungers wrote:
> In our modern world we are isolated from weather even though we know more
> about weather than ever before in human history. We know, for instance, when
> a snowstorm is going to drop three feet of new snow in the mountain pass
> between here and Seattle; but we will drive to Seattle anyway and do it in a
> t-shirt and shorts. This remarkable disconnect between what we know and how
> we behave with that knowledge is something that paddlers have to battle with
> almost every time we sit our butts down in the cockpit. [snip]

Great piece, Craig.  Keep it up.

I have boxed the deck compass on my main hardshell once, which was 10 years 
ago [blush].  Time to do it again, even though I have never found any 
incorrect readings on it or any of the three other deck compasses I have 
boxed, over the years.  In addition, the bearing my GPS gives, when 
underway under conditions that should give minimal drift, seems identical.

We take each of our yaks to a local high point, set it on a mechanic's 
creeper and roll them around to three or four known landmarks to which we 
have established magnetic bearings (off a NOAA chart).  As a double check, 
we do this at a couple different spots, and one or two sans creeper, to 
make sure there is nothing in the ground and no effect from the metals in 
the creeper to invalidate the boxing.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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Received on Sun Sep 23 2007 - 12:12:13 PDT

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