[Former Member]

Anyone up for a paddle tomorrow?    Looks like sunny, 10 degrees, not too much wind…..

Flexible about timing and where to meet, was thinking of trying to catch the warmest part of the day, very easy paddle maybe across to Jug or Raccoon island.

Best,

Stephen

[Quirine Schuyff]

Sorry; I intended to post this sooner.
The “meeting” is currently under way until today at noon, and they are accepting suggestions via menti.com

The code is: 96 57 56 9

You can submit more than one suggestion.

[Mike Gilbert]

A friend of mine needs to sell his drysuit because he needs a medium…not a large.  His large suit was worn once and is in excellent condition.  I took photos of it last night for him.  They are available for anyone that might be interested in it.

Regular price is $1399.00 + taxes;  His price is $900 – no taxes.

Get hold of me if you are interested.  It is also shown on my Facebook page with pictures: https://www.facebook.com/mike.gilbert.52035772/

[Kapila Jayaweera]

Hi David,
My recommendation is Standard Horizon HX890. Very good radio that I own two of them now.
Few highlights are.
Floating radio. Built-in GPS. Program your MMSI number. DSC (Digital Selective Calling)
Support AAA battery cartridge. 3 year manufacture warranty.

Also I’ve seen several club members using newer HX890 model as well as previous HX870 series.
I bought mine from Steveston Marine. Current price is $289.99

https://www.stevestonmarine.com/standard-horizon-hx890nb-vhf-radio?search=hx890

Good luck,
Kapila

[Former Member]

Hi everyone. Love this quiz thing . Here is my attempt to answer , written before I read Martins answers which are really good !
1) True North  determined by axis of rotation of earth
Grid North determined by grid lines on map or chart a pressed on flat surface rather than actual curvature of surface of earth.
Magnetic North shown by compass which points towards North as determined by earth’s own magnetic field . Dynamic and varies from year to year.

2) Variation = the difference between True North and Magnetic North on water .
Declination = difference between True North and Magnetic North on land .
Deviation = an error in a compass reading caused by the influence of the magnetic field of nearby object .

3) marine MC and orienteering compass OC

MC used to know which direction the boat is pointed ( but not necessarily the direction of travel !)  OC used to take bearings and orient map to terrain

MC readings taken on fixed lubber line painted in direction of head of vessel .
OC readings taken using fixed site and spinning dial .

MC mounted on deck of boat , aligned to centre line of boat .
OC hand held and can be mounted to base plate used as protractor .

MC is not used to make chart or map measurements OC used to make chart and map measurements

MC indicates magnetic North .
OC can determine magnetic North and true north

4) Bearing  = compass direction to landmark .
Heading=direction kayak is pointing but not necessarily moving towards depending on wind current .
Course = route actually plotted /followed , distance and direction over water

5).   Variable  from year to year. Currently @ 16 degrees east declination  and 23 degrees east variation .

thanks for posting. Looking forward to more quizzes !  Sz

[Yekaterina Yushmanova]

How fun! Thanks, Mike!

[Mike Gilbert]

Well done, Martin.

Next week we will tackle some questions to do with Tides and Currents.

[Former Member]

Thanks Jonathan and Martin!

 

[Former Member]

Amen to floats!  Learned that the hard way, when we dropped a VHF into the waters of the Broken Group.  A tether works as an alternative.
I’m still using an older ICOM IC-M34 model, which has been very durable.  I’m going to look into a battery replacement for this year.
The InReach or similar is a good idea; portable VHF’s operating at 5 watts don’t have much range; much more useful for receiving than sending.

[Former Member]

I love my Hennessy Ultra-lite Asym hammock in summer for a much more comfortable sleep than being on the ground. I use an insulating pad, but even with that it’s a bit too cold for comfort for me under 12 degrees C. Only one person can fit in the hammock, which is another drawback if you want to snuggle up with a partner.

[Former Member]

1. What is the difference between True North, Grid North and Magnetic North?

• True North is the direction of the local meridian, to Earth’s North Pole.
• Grid North is the direction of the up-and-down grid lines on a topographic map, and is only a few minutes or seconds off True North. (On marine charts, Grid and True North are the same.)
• Magnetic North is the direction of the local magnetic meridian, or magnetic force field, to Earth’s Magnetic Pole, and can be off True North by many degrees.

2. How do you differentiate between Declination, Variation and Deviation?

• Declination and Variation both refer to the difference between True North and Magnetic North at any location. “Declination” is used on topographic maps and “Variation” is used on marine charts.
• Deviation refers to the error introduced to a compass needle if/when it detects metal or other magnetic items on the boat that cause it to deviate away from its natural magnetic meridian.

3. List the differences between a marine compass and an orienteering compass.

• Marine compass (MC) is fixed to the boat and aligned with its centre-line.
  Orienteering compass (OC) is hand-held.
• MC floats horizontally inside a sphere, allowing it to be read during pitching and tilting of the boat.
  OC must be held horizontally for the needle to move freely.
• MC is designed such that the cursor always indicates the current magnetic direction of the boat.
  OC will give the current magnetic direction of its base plate only if the dial has been carefully and separately turned to align with the compass needle.
• MC cannot be used to make map or chart measurements.
  OC can be placed on a map or chart and can measure angles between any two lines.

4. Explain how each of the following is different:  Bearing;  Heading;  Course

• Bearing is the direction (i.e., clockwise angle from North) to a particular target.
  Bearing depends on the relative positions of boat and target and independent of  their individual orientations.
• Heading is the present direction (angle from North) of a boat at any given instant.
  Heading depends on where the boat is pointing and is independent of boat position.
• Course is the direction of the boat’s path of travel, planned or actual.
  Course depends on successive boat positions.
• Course and Heading will differ when the lateral forces of wind, waves or current cause the boat to move in a direction (Course) away from where it is pointing (Heading).

5. For the west coast of BC what is currently the typical number of degrees of declination (and to which direction) from True North?

• Declination (or variation) in Vancouver is about 15.5 degrees east of True North (in 2020).
• In Tofino it is about 16 degrees east.
• In Telegraph Cove it is about 16.5 degrees east.
• As Declination changes noticeably year by year, check it via https://www.geomag.nrcan.gc.ca/calc/mdcal-en.php

[Former Member]

Make sure your unit FLOATS. There are waterproof units that don’t float.

[Former Member]

Thanks for the informative reply, Daniel. I learned a few things. And yes, I already have an InReach GPS but was thinking redundancy may not be a bad thing, but your point of the poorer effectiveness of DSC is good to know and I’ll reflect on that.

And thanks for your particular model recommendation; I agree that the ability to charge via USB would be a real plus as I usually take a small GoalZero Lithium battery pack + small solar panel to keep my phone/headlamp/InReach charged, so would be great to charge the radio similarly. Regarding your last point: Use of AA batteries reduces the effectiveness (range/quality of signal) of the unit. Am I understanding your right there? Also great info. Thanks again!

[Former Member]

Good luck on your course 😀 . I choose not to go with the GPS functions ( i presume your talking about DSC) cause  already have one + compare to boat it’s efficiency on radio is more limited.  Most larger boat have a 25 W radio with taller and less compromised antenna. Making it better to propagate. As kayaker because we are closer to the water and only use 5w radio your  DSC wouldn’t propagate as well. Like they say “jack of all trade master of none” 😀. My recommendation would be to buy a cheaper VHF + add a device like ZOLEO,mini garnin or SPOT. Those are true GPS, make sure your signal is send. My choice of  radio was : https://www.amazon.ca/Standard-Horizon-HX300-Handheld-Marine/dp/B00AJVXA5W. It’s been working well, it has nice scanning functions, dual watch. But the big seller for me is it’s ability to  be charge by USB. Most kayak group have  a charger somewhere and i even leave a cheap bank in my ditch bag in case i would need to recharge in an emergency. Also radio that use AA “ as emergency “ back up have a tendency to propagate less W when you use it with. Less W less far your signal, less bot can hear you 😀

[Former Member]

Hi,

New to the group. Hi all. Finally getting around to getting a handheld VHF radio (doing the course this month, too), and was looking for recommendations. I did search this forum, and the last post on this matter (here) was from 2016 so thought I’d seek updated feedback. I can see value in the newer GPS features, so would wish a unit with that functionality + ability to load it with AA or AAA batteries for longer trips. Thanks all.

 

[Author]

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