Can I get there and back with my compass?

[Hotrods]

............. Latitude.... Longitude <br />NE Corner 39o38’03" 74o00’42" <br /><br />LITTLE EGG REEF SITE-4.0 Nautical Miles off Holgate NJ<br /><br />I would like to fish this reef this weekend. first time off shore for me. Gps is coming next year. my question is.. be it a stupid one im sure.. using my compass and what else will get me to that location and back to the inlet. I do have the Ocean chart for that area.<br /><br />Just for the record<br /><br />My Vessel<br /><br />

 

[Terry H]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

People have navigated the seas without even a compass, let alone a gps. Depends on your skill and comfort level with navigation. If it were me I would follow someone out there and play it safe the first time...just a thought

 

[Hotrods]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

ok then.. with what I got.. chart and compass. But i dont see it on the chart...

 

[PAkev]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

hotrod,<br /><br />Double check those positions. You indicated the reef was 4 miles off Holgate which is at the southern most end of LBI. <br /><br />According to my Lowrance software, those coordinates are about 10 miles out from Ship Bottom which is a fair distance from Holgate. <br /><br />Going off shore solo -GPS and -VHF is not a good idea. I would recommend asking someone that has done the trip a few times if you could follow them out and back and promise to stay out of their way.

 

[Hotrods]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

I believe they use Holgate as little egg inlet. for starting point. but what do i know. Hey if i have the heading i can run untill i see boats. <br /><br />This is the loran<br /><br />N E Corner 26912.9 43106.5<br />N W Corner 26926.1 43106.6<br />S E Corner 26910.8 43095.9<br />S W Corner 26953.3 43096.0<br /><br /><br />where do you show that?

 

[Hotrods]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

ok from my chart and those numbers i show it 125 deg SE from LE inlet. Does that sound right...lol so I would set my compass on that heading and go...humm ok so how do i know when to stop... think i'll be fishing the coast this weekend anyway, but just wondering how to do it with what I have... no GPS..

 

[flashback]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

IMHO, A compass is a great dead reckoning tool, if where you are going is only 4 miles off shore, then deviation won't be a factor, so if you don't have a 20 mph cross wind or current then you should be able to park you a$$ right on it......

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

You need a heading, you need to know the speed of your vessel ... to know how long it will take each direction, and you need the direction and speed of the current.<br /><br />If you are going 4nm out and it takes you 1/2 hr crossing a 3kt current ... even with an accurate compass heading when you start, after 1/2 hr you will be 1-1/2 nm off your target location. The folks that crossed the sea with nary a compass or gps didn’t shoot for accuracy. They were happy to reach land, and then figure out which way to go from there. You should be familiar with significant coastal landmarks for several miles in either direction from your port. You can be like Christopher Columbus upon your return ... except that he knew what he was doing.<br /><br />Personally, I would go for it, give it a try, but not without a working vhf. And leave a “float plan” with someone you know will contact the USCG if you don’t make contact within a specific time.<br /><br />Sounds like fun. Enjoy! And let us know how it goes.

 

[Hotrods]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

Silly Rabbit!!..LMAO... Think I'll be keeping the coast insite for now.

 

[Hotrods]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

LMAO.. to think I was worried about going out 4 miles with a compass <br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=010370;p=1

 

[Boatist]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

HotRod<br />I done a lot worse in my first days going offshore. It really depends on the weather. 4 miles out should be no problem assumeing the area has some size to it and you have a depth finder to know when you get there. Things you need to know before you start out is weather, your compass heading out and returning. Have you ever check or swung your compass to make sure it is pretty close. I seen compasses installed by dealers be off by as much as 30 degrees, this one they installed less that 2 inches from the windsheild wiper motor. If it is a popular spot and only 4 miles then you will not have to go far before you will be able to see boats on the spot.<br /><br />One of the first mistakes I made was to go about 20 miles up the coast but stay within 5 miles of shore. I did use the charts to get compass heading both ways and estimated time. Problem I had was coming back it started to get foggy. By the time I got back to harbor entrance it was very foggy. Trying to find the channel entrance I missed twice and almost in the breakers before could see shore and realise had missed the channel. We made it in safely on the third try but that was my last trip with no Loran C. (long before GPS)<br /><br />I would suggest you take a USPQ (U.S.Power Squdron) boating class. Make sure it is the long class, 13 Weeks. This class has a basic navigation class, Dead recoging. The class requires your to plot a course out to a island then on to a harbor then straight back to the begining. To get credit for a right answer must arrive within 2 minutes and no compass heading can be off by more than 2 degrees. You do not have to account for wind or current. It is a good basic start and sonething every Captain should be able to do when the GPS fails.<br /><br />Over time you will want to get all the gear. On a clear day with calm seas 4 miles should be no problem at all. If you know someone that been to the spot give them a free ride and up to 3 beers.<br /><br />Today on my little 21 foot boat we will go up to 30 miles out. I now have a Loran C, GPS, Vhf fixed, Vhf hanheld, Depth finder, Kicker motor, two anchors with 300 feet of line each, a Sea anchore, All the required flairs, A power horn and a handheld horn, personal strobe lights. <br /><br />With the ocean most important thing is to be willing to change plans when you get there and find Seas too rough or too foggy. For me that is seas over 8 feet or closer than 7 seconds and I will not launch. If it marginal them you stay close to a safe harbor and plan your trip so that if it gets worse your heading home will be in a safe direction.

 

[cp]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

hotrod007 - 4nm offshore should be no problem as long as you can see land. How to find 'the spot' with only a compass and chart? Simple - triangulate. Pick two or more fixed landmarks up high on shore, then on your chart, determine the bearing from those landmarks to 'the spot'. Head out from your departure point on the bearing from it to 'the spot', until the bearings from your landmarks intersect, and voila - you're there.<br /><br />Before LORAN and GPS, we used triangulation without a compass (line up two landmarks for one bearing, and two other landmarks for a second bearing) to find fish aggregation buoys 15 miles offshore. Never had a problem as long as rainclouds didn't obscure the mountain tops. Good luck.

 

[Tom2697]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

This is a perfect example of why we needed to study math in high school....<br /><br />Algebra: If you travel for 4nm at 20 knots, how long will your trip take?<br /><br />Trigonometry: If you are at 39.675N,73.955W and wanted to get to 39.634N, 74.012W, what heading would you take and how far would you travel?<br /><br />Calculus: If you travelled for 4 nm on a heading of 125 degrees to get to location 39.63N, 74.012W, where did you start from?<br /><br />Engineering: If you wanted to get to a reef at location 39.63N, 74.012W, you knew it was approxiamtely 4 nm on a heading of 125 degrees from the inlet, the current was running in at 3 knots, the wind was with you at 10 knots, and the moon is waining, how much fuel do you need to make the trip?<br /><br />Redneck: If you wanted to get to a reef at location 39.63N, 74.012W, you knew it was approxiamtely 4 nm on a heading of 125 degrees from the inlet, the current was running in at 3 knots, the wind was with you at 10 knots, and the moon is waining, how much beer do you need to make the trip, how many fish are you going to catch, and will your sister - er, wife - be mad at you for taking the last roll of toilet paper with you on the trip?

 

[mattttt25]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

most people touched on your answer. yes, you can get pretty close with little problem. vhf and a cell phone is a must in my opinion. think of the worst case scenario.<br /><br />to get there, make sure you know where you are starting from and where you want to go. determine that heading, in magnetic readings. remember, your not dealing in true headings. like someone else said, don't worry about variation or deviation, but if you know how to apply those issues, go for it. once you have the proper magnetic bearing, go for it.<br /><br />knowing your speed over land or a close approximation, you can determine when you should get there. if you have a depth sounder, you can also use it as a tool. compare the readings along your track with what is shown on the chart. again, just another tool.<br /><br />as someone pointed out, set and drift are working against you. current and wind will keep you off a true track, and you may have to adjust.<br /><br />as you travel your track, try to take marks off well known landmarks that are shown on the chart. you can use those vectors as dead reckoning tools.<br /><br />good luck-

 

[Hotrods]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

Cool, Im going the redneck route. lol,, do have vhf and this is a popular fishing spot so seeing boats will help me get there... dang.. max speed of boat is 35 knot, would hope to average 20 knots so i would think I can make the trip in about 15 minutes.. hows that for calculation.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

If you have a depth finder it can help you. Note the depth of where you want to go and use it with your compas to approximate the location.

 

[swist]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

You nuts to try this IMHO - not only are you short on electronics, it doesn't seem that you have the knowledge to navigate by dead reckoning. What are you going to do if you lose visibility?<br /><br />But the real killer is that wide open transom. You are asking for a wave over the rear of your boat. Then what happens? ON a lot of boats that water will find its way into the bilge rather than going back overboard. Can your pump keep up? You'll probably lose electric power, so it's just as well you didn't spend money on instruments. Make sure your will is up to date.

 

[Hotrods]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

I've had her in 4-6'off shore Plus 6-8 inlet waves she handled them Good. Sure the weather and sea state have alot to do with it, and sure that can change. but for now im stickin to the coast. great weather and great seas, then i'll go.. Im not that stupid <br /><br />No... water will not make into my hull. have taken plenty of water over the bow and that leaves in a flash also.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

HotRod<br />20 knots for 15 minutes you will have over shot your reef by one mile, try 12 minutes.

 

[rnsi]

Re: Can I get there and back with my compass?

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