Nav answers:
 

Lattitude:

Think of a ladder (lattidude, get it?). What do we know about the rungs of a ladder? They are parralel and eqidistantant. There are 180 degrees of lattidude north of the equator and 180 degrees south (below) the equator. Each is devided into 60 minutes of lattidude. Each minute, by deffinition, is one nautical mile. Thats why metrics don't work on a chart. They are always the same.

Longitude is way different. The lines of longitude arn't like the rungs of a ladder they are like the segments of an orange. Picture this... the distace from one segment of an orange at it's middle is about 1/2 inch. Travel up or down the orange and measure the distance and it becomes less and less until it is zero at the top and bottom of the orange. ie. the north and south poles! Now for the rhumb line....

If you were to plot a course and sail let's say at a 45 degree angle north on a flat chart, usually a mercator projection, you would move up and across at a 45 degree unchanging angle. But the earth is round, just ask Columbus.

If you try this on a sphere you will start to spiral up the globe and finially screw yourself up to the north pole and see the magic kingdome. This is the Rhumb line or loxodrome! Use that to impress your friends at the Yacht Club!

Misty Blue.

My head is spinning
 

More than you want to know and a cool animation ....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhumb_line

ps - lattidude ? Isn't that mcdude's coffee drinking brother from Seattle ?

A blonde girl (Viking) tried to tell him it is round; but what do blondes know? :D :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

T.m.i!
 

Wow MnM:

You blew me away with that post! I thought that I used to know what I was talking about and the Rhumb line has always been a good way to win free drinks at the Hyannis Yacht club! (A place that I have been thrown out of, but that is a whole different story!)

You guys are too much!

Misty Blue

Watch the ice bergs
 

If you follow a rhumb line north from any point on earth you will end up at the geographic north pole, but watch out for land masses and ice bergs! :laugh: Don't try this with a magnetic compass, you'll end up somewhere in the Canadian Arctic. As a side note, a magnetic compass doesn't really work anywhere near (hundreds of miles) the magnetic north pole, as the magnetic field lines it is trying to align with are nearly vertical, and the pointer or card tries to point straight down. While flying over northern Greenland in a helicopter, I noticed that all the mag compass could do was spin in circles!

Island names
 

Since we've touched on island names already perhaps we can continue on that line for a bit. If this takes off perhaps it can be split and put into General Discussion. So we've previously (on the forum) taked about how Rattlesnake I and Becky's Garden and Cow I got their names. Just above we've talked about how 6 Mile island got it's name but how did Far Ozone get it's name ? (I don't know). Little 6 Mile Island makes sense but Far Ozone ? So who knows the story ? :confused:

I've got no clue, maybe a lightening strike? I know at my condo a friend was in the bathroom when lightening hit at the airport and he peed on the wall, we blamed the smell the rest of the night on ozone! :laugh:

Good idea for some fun!
 

MnM:

Great idea! I don't know about Far Ozone either but I may be able to contact the owner of Little Six Mile. They may have an idea.

Question: After you have refuled your inboard or I/O boat what is the last thing you do prior to starting up?

BTW Island Ho...you must have done some cool stuff!

Misty Blue

Run Blower
 

After fueling you should ALways Always Always run your blower to exhaust possible fumes below deck (engine compartment) if the boat being fueled is an Inboard or I/O !!

Question: how many islands are accessible by bridge and what are their names?

Governors,Blackcat,and Long are 3.

There are 6 Governors,Black Cat, Long, Oak, Worcester,plus 1 more I can't remember.

Maybe Christmas Island in Paugus Bay?

If you count foot bridges there may be a few more. Depending on what accessible means you could include Steamboat and Birch.

How Can I Forget Chrimas
 

Thats it. How could I forget Chrismas?

Depending on what "accessible" and "island" mean to you, I count ten islands accessible by bridge. Eight have been mentioned: Long, Governors, BlackCat, Worcester, Christmas, Oak, Steamboat, and Birch.

You gotta know when to blow 'em, know when to ...
 

Here's a related and somewhat controvertial one. When refueling should you leave the blowers on or off ? The consensus has flip-flopped on this over the years.

ps - Pepper ! get your mind out of the gutter ! :eek: :laugh:

Well there's one here between Half Mile and Hog? Islands. There looks like a old bridge between Hog and the mainland.

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v...&scene=1661355

There's another two here in Blackey Cove, connnecting Havard? and another island to the mainland.

http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v...&scene=1661355

BTW thanks Bizer for making a great chart.

Today's thinking is that the blower should be off during fueling, so that the vapors are not drawn into the engine compartment. After fueling is complete, you should use your nose first, then the blowers are turned on.

I think this was on the boating test.

The blowers should be off and depending on the type of boat you have, you should close all ports and hatchways etc as well to prevent gasoline fumes, which are heavier than air, from finding their way to the lowest point in your boat which is usually the engine room.

Yes, you should ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS run the blower prior to starting the engine, not only after refueling but in all cases!

The "freebee" sniff test!
 

JRC you get the banana!

As you all know everything about a boat is expensive. That is except the tool used to insure that your boat is free of explosive gasses. It is right between your eyes. Yup, the old sniff test is not only very accurate but also free!

As for the blower... When we teach the boating class we always teach by the book. That is all electronics, including the blower are to be off. And yes this is on the test.

I, however disagree. The whole idea of venting is to keep the space below the Lower Explosive Limit (LEL). If you run the blower while refueling you are constantly removing any explosive gasses and keeping the space below LEL. If you refuel and there is an explosive atmosphere in the space when you start the blower you will be closing a 12 volt switch (spark?) and starting a 12 volt DC motor (spark?)

I know what the book says but I just don't buy it.

New question: What things make a type I PFD different than a type II PFD?

Misty Blue.

I have to disagree here, if you run the blowers during refueling you are also creating a draft that will suck in the heavier than air gasoline fumes, so you are creating a problem not correcting it.

Yes, you nose (assuming you don't have a cold! :laugh: ) is the best tool to use, if you smell gasoline vapors don't start the engine!

Type I is commonly called the May West. It's used offshore by the navy and requires training to use.

I believe type II is the type of offshore vest used by recreational boaters because it doesn't require training. If I'm not mistaken Type I is not CG approved for recreational boaters for that reason while Type II is.

My experiences have been limited to Types III and IV

Type I & II PFDs
 

The Type I PFD provides the most buoyancy and is especially good in all (rough) waters. Its designed to right most wearers to a face up position. By the way, my Naval training on the Type I consisted of me learning as to where the devices were stored shipboard! :)......Anyway, these are the big, bulky offshroe type jackets, similar to what you see sailors wearing in those old WWII movies.

The Type II PFD is less buoyant than the Type I and better utilized in calmer waters. It will turn some unconcious victims face up....These are the lighter (usually orange) type jackets that almost everyone buys at Walmart and tosses out-of-sight in a (hopefully) convenient spot onboard!

Either type is an approved (Coast Guard) device in NH towards your PFD carrying requirement.

Next Question:

On Lake Winnipesaukee (or any NH lake) what is the difference between a red-over-white spar buoy versus a black-over-white spar buoy?

Skip

I know this one is on the test. On the lake I just know which side to pass because I've been by them so many times before. On tests or strange places I remember that it's hot (red) in the south-west.

So pass red top spars on the south when traveling east or west, and on the west when travel north or south. Black tops are of course the opposite.

On Winnipesukee at least, one color of these spars has a stripe. This can make it easier to tell them apart in low-light conditions. Which one is it? My memory aid on this one is related to a beverage.

BTW Finding the safe side of a spar bouy using only a compass is not always as unambiguous as it sounds, I still use a chart in strange areas.

And sometimes it defies logic!!

Case in point - you actually split between two black tops when passing FL#30 on a course away from Mark Isl toward safe water between Jolly & Camp (and vise versa) and NOT changing compass heading I might add for those who want to get picky -- I have checked the chart a thousand times to be sure!!

This little quirk has baffled me for years!!

I'm sure there are others similar - this one happens to be on one of our regular routes

The first contrary buoy that comes to mind is FL #1, Black Spar accompanies.

Might as well start at the beginning... ;) :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Point on the blowers....
 

Both the blower and the switch are supposed to be located away from areas that collect gas fumes and thus would not be a source of ignition.

Airwaves hit the key point regarding avoiding drawing in fumes during refueling.

Uncle!
 

OK Airwaves, you have sold me on the blower issue.

Hey Skip, want to hear a good one? The Navy Kapoks are not Coast Guard approved! Go figure!

A Type I PFD has more bouyency than a Type II (I think 17.5# but don't remember) it is reverseable so an untrained person can put it on easily and has SOLAS reflection.

Both Types I and II should bring an unconsious victim upright.

Now let's here one for the NHMP. They do a great job at maintaining the State's ATONS. It is a big job and they keep them up well and repair them quickly when they are damaged.

The bouyage system used on the coast is quite different than the system (some times called the "cardinal system" because it uses the cardinal points of the compass N,E,S,W) that we use on our lakes.

The international system uses ATONs like Nuns and Cans to show the safe passages. It is really developed for large craft either returning from or going out to sea. The NH system is used not to show you where you can be but rather it identifies the hazards and tells you where you shouldn't be.

A lot of my CG buddies don't like our system but I think that it is ideal for our situation.

As for the colors, I like to remember that we live in the North East and a famous tree from our area is the white birch. It is White with Black trim. When you see a spar that is White with Black you must stay either North or East of it.

Misty Blue.

Ok,here is how I remembered which way to navigate the spar bouys.Black is at the beginning of the alphabet along with north and east.Red is later along with south and west.Crazy,but it worked for me!

Since I don;t have a chart in front of me and have never bothered to get to know the numbers on the lights, can you tell me where FL#1 is? I know the islands and bays pretty well.

Fl#1
 

FL#1 is at Weirs Beach

Where is this obscure "Weirs Beach" place you refer to? :D Thanks!

That's the marker nearish to the north east shore that you pass to the southwest of, correct? As far as I know, It just marks a shoal that's likely only a problem for really deep draft vessels. Why is it black and white??? Hmmm. Never thought about it, just awlays went around it on the outside because that's what my chart says to do.

FL# 1 Shoal
 

Dave R -- you are absolutely correct -- Our cottage is along the "shoal" shoreline -- In all the years of boating on the lake I have never found a "Hazard" i.e rock / whatever along that area.

The marker (I believe) is set in the present location to accomplish 3 things -

(1) Mark safe deep water passage -- for as soon as your "behind" FL#1 water depth jumps from some 30+ ft to 4 - 8 ft depending -- plenty of water for 80% of the boats on the lake.

(2) Gives the Mount a Nav position (again, deep water)

(3) Give the captian of the Mount a positional reminder of When to "blow the horn" when returning to Wiers :look: <just kidding> but it is the spot where the horn is blown every time -- we have our grandkids trained to yell "WOOooooo" now.


I would however caution folks from "cutting the corner" in the Holt's Pt area. I know of at least two boats that have shortened their outdrive (hit hard) in that area --- there must be some sort of "old" wall/ breakwater in that area -- I have searched (above water) but never found -- the fact remains two didn't make it.

This marker shows one of the ambiguities of our system. When leaving the Weirs channel for the Eagle Island channel you will be traveling about Northeast. If you're little more north than east, then the rules say pass east of black marker, which is the wrong side. If you're travelling more easterly, then go north of the marker and everything is fine.

As people have said this marker is usually no big deal unless you're the Mount or another deep draft vessel. There are other spots that are as ambiguous, the black marker SE of Treasure Island, comes to mind.

Nobody got my which spar marker has a stripe question. So I'll have to answer it myself. On the newer round plastic spars, the red one has a stripe.

And the beverage reminded of.....
 

....must be "Bud"????? :)

Do I receive half credit for that???? :D

Now that I look at it on the chart, I think the color on the spar is perfect.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...6108CbM27Nyzcg

Red Stripe is a Jamaican beer, maan.

http://www.redstripebeer.com/

red stripe?
 

JRC -- never noticed the "stripe" -- it's not reflective tape is it?

Also -- could you elaborate on the ambiguous marker near Treasure? That one I'm not familiar with (opposite side of the lake from my "normal" boating).

So far we have blak tops near FL#30 ----- FL#1 is arguable one way or the other ---- Any more???

Finally -- Dave R -- thats neat posting part of the Nav map, "how'd ya do dat"? Scan a small section of the map in?

Need Bizer OK
 

Phantom it was me that first posted the map and was going to post one of Treasure Island when I realized that is breaking copyright laws
Yes it was scaned I will delete Bizer please don't sue.:rolleye2:

I just saved Sunset Bob's photo on my PC, added the compass part and re-posted it. I hope no one gets upset about the copyright aspect, I hadn't thought about that when I did it. If it helps, I've been a very good Bizer customer: I own two or three Bizer paper charts, a Bizer C-map Winnipesaukee only cartridge and a C-map MAX mega wide cartridge that probably contains the Bizer chart.

This one, FL #1, Black Spar accompanies, still has me scratching my head. ;)

According to JRC's intro, one would pass to the North (that would be okay) "when traveling east or west" and to the East (Oops- found bottom) "when travel north or south."

Still a head-scratcher... :rolleye2:

Ben
 

I always remember BEN Black East North