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Bertram31.com General Bulletin Board
Re: Story about that cross track error...
Posted By: Peter In Response To: Re: Opinions on steering compass? (Vic Roy)
Date: Wednesday, 4 May 2005, at 5:57 p.m.
I was helping an owner deliver his 42 foot sloop south at the end of the season. We left in murkey condidtions that quickly became visability less than 1/4 mile. Not the thickest stuff I'd ever been in, but thick enough. We were motoring along at a stately 6.5 knots running between two bouys about 5 miles apart. I was driving and he was navigating. He insisted we keep that cross track error needle dead on center, I insisted on keeping it 2 tenths to our starboard. I explained to him why.
There will be yachts running this same course coupled to their autopilots and not keeping proper lookout. We don't want to be dead on the center because we don't want to get run over...I explained.
The owner went below and thought it over for a minute or two, then he re-appeared in the companionway to assert his authority and insist that we keep on ceterline.
As if on cue, out of the billowing mist came a Hattie 65 running the opposite direction around 20 knots dead on the centerline on autopilot with the two crew on the bridge sitting facing AFT drinking what I could only assume to be beer!
I had never seen a man a speachless as that owner was for a moment or two, and then he simply said to me;
"I see your point. I'll reset the needle to read here."
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