Degrees, Minutes, Seconds vs Decimal Degrees

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

That's OK, just relax.
At least you're anchored of The Correct Coast.

Yep, the one well away from me

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

Meanwhile the Trump Card story, January 1989 or 90, not many yachts had GPS. Trump Card didn't.
Yachts were coming back to Melbourne after competing in the Mel Hobart and Melb Devonport races.
For them as not familiar with the area chartlets below.
Wee small hours... about 0200 dark.
At the entrance to Port Phillip there was a manned station at Point Lonsdale lighthouse... Melbourne Radio was over towards Cape Schanck.
Both kept a watch on 16.
So Trump Card calls Lonsdale... 'We are in the West Channel anchored next to an oil rig, can you tell us where we are?'
'No, there are no oil rigs in the West Channel' ( West Channel is as skinny as all get out with a navigable depth of about 4 maybe 5 metres ).
'But...'
'No idea where you are, there are no oil rigs in the West Channel'.
This goes on for about five or ten minutes.
Melbourne Radio VIM decides enough is enough.
'Trump Card , please describe the oil rig'.
'It has three big legs sticking up into the sky with lights on them'.
'Trump Card, you are anchored next to the jackup 'Maersk xxxx', you are anchored off Cowes, Phillip Island, Western Port...'

Bit of a hush then 'Oh Ok we will go out and have another go at this when the sun comes up'
Don't think he was Trump Card's navigator the following year.

And that is why you should always work to the third decimal place of minute of arc.

To this day I remain mystified as to how they didn't end up on the beach.

LOL...

reminds me a bit of coming back from lord howe island one year...pre GPS

after finding the island by RDF & guesswork (aka celestial nav), we didn't bother with much coming back...i mean who can miss the east coast of Oz ?

anyway, few days after leaving we can see the loom of city lights and then a lighthouse starts to flash. all busy congratulating ourselves on coming in bang on sydney when someone counted the flashes and announced we were at newcastle (abt 100' north after 420' passage)

bit embarrassing but then as i say we hadn't really been trying...

cheers.

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by StuM

Yep, the one well away from me

Great! We're both east coasters then. Where abouts?

[StuM]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

Great! We're both east coasters then. Where abouts?

About 5800 NM (approx 100°) West (and slightly south) of the California coast

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by StuM

About 5800 NM (approx 100°) West (and slightly south) of the California coast

Well that puts you in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by StuM

About 5800 NM (approx 100°) West (and slightly south) of the California coast

Stu, he's as good at international geophysics as he is at navigation!

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by chrisr

LOL...

reminds me a bit of coming back from lord howe island one year...pre GPS

after finding the island by RDF & guesswork (aka celestial nav), we didn't bother with much coming back...i mean who can miss the east coast of Oz ?

anyway, few days after leaving we can see the loom of city lights and then a lighthouse starts to flash. all busy congratulating ourselves on coming in bang on sydney when someone counted the flashes and announced we were at newcastle (abt 100' north after 420' passage)

bit embarrassing but then as i say we hadn't really been trying...

cheers.

At least you didn't end up in Stockton Bight wondering where the harbour bridge had gone.

I've never been lost but I have been unsure of my position more than a few times.

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by El Pinguino

At least you didn't end up in Stockton Bight wondering where the harbour bridge had gone.

I've never been lost but I have been unsure of my position more than a few times.

"he who has no destination is never lost"...knowing your position is highly over-rated !

cheers,

[SeanPatrick]

"I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks."


-Daniel Boone

[El Pinguino]

How navigation is really done can be seen just after 1H12M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TpQlmhnuKc&t=3025s

The whole movie is worth watching.. a cult movie in Denmark and a copy on every Danish flagged ship.
I recognise everyone of the crew... can even see myself.
The owner is said to be AP Moller...

[Kerry1]

I believe what he's pointing to is the fact that bureaucrats, in deciding what "marine areas", ie reserves and "no go zones" to protect, used a conversion from their land oriented co-ordinate system to degrees, minutes and seconds. Whereas they were still "behind the times", in that we navigators seemed to have migrated to the more universally implemented degrees, minutes, decimal minutes

[sjm823]

Thank you Kerry1

[TrentePieds]

Ping:

D'ye have a way of scaring up the video at all? In Danish would be great - I believe I still understand it.

Even the title in Danish if you have it or remember it. An abject appeal to Nordisk Film might not do any good, but it'd be worth a try :-)!

TrentePieds

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

Ping:

D'ye have a way of scaring up the video at all? In Danish would be great - I believe I still understand it.

Even the title in Danish if you have it or remember it. An abject appeal to Nordisk Film might not do any good, but it'd be worth a try :-)!

TrentePieds

The movie is just called 'Martha', in Danish with english subtitles. It's out there on legit DVDs. Worth finding.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martha_(1967_film)

[TrentePieds]

Oh wow!

There are names in that cast that'll bring a tear to the eye of a Former Danish Person :-)!

I'll go sculling for the flick.

Did you serve in Maersk-Moller ships?

TP