Originally Posted by
j.sabourn
It’s a good post really by Cappy, makes people think, and is good for a nautical site, as takes us right back to the beginnings of mans journeys on the oceans of the world. Most of us on here were brought up with it in all manners of ships , standing on the wheel with the steering board in front of you with the true course written with chalk, togerher with the magnetic cpurse , variation and deviation in some ships written on it , course to steer. On the advent of gyro , also the gyro course to steer, and also the gyro error. The gyro was never smack on, nearly always had a couple of degrees error , usually called high or low. Could be east or west . Where Keith’s east least, and west best. Could be used as well to remind one. A compass error by celestial observation was mandatory on most ships at least once a watch, weather permitting. Today don’t think too much stress is put on this , with the advent of GPS and all the other aids. Is history today to what it used to be. Like most lighthouses around the British Coast they stick a racon on and don’t worry too much about the lights anymore. Very short sighted I think. But we were seamen and had to work with what our Lords and masters decided was sufficient. Until of course something goes wrong.Then the culprit is usually the lack of safety observed by the operators of vessels, well there has to be someone or something to blame doesn’t there ? Cheers JS