Prairie Girl meets Waterworld in Annapolis

[Gianna]

First post is a question: How the heck do you determine a course reciprocal? (Bet this is easy for you sailors. In Wyoming we just turn the horse around :-)

Gianna

[Mariness]

If original course was less than 180 - add 180 to it.
If original course was more than 180 - subtract 180 from it.


Oh, and Hi

[daddle]

In degrees: Add (or subtract) 180 to (from) your course. The easy way is to look at the opposite side of the compass card. In seat-of-the-pants: Pick something in the opposite direction of where you are going. I.e. where you came from.

[captain58sailin]

Welcome to the forum.

[Gianna]

Hey thanks everyone, for the help and the welcome!

I have mostly had to use this "reciprocal" stuff in a pinch when the "skipper" says check my gps course against the charts. Couldn't figure out the weird math...

Have a "knot" app for my iphone (which saves me with all those crazy knots one is supposed to know, but haven't yet found a "reciprocal course" app. Heck, I am just learning that a turning block is not a simple pulley. (Shredded the bf's new "sheet" by threading it with great pain around the thing instead of going through the hole on the side...) Physics. Forces need to be linear...

Gianna

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard,
We all started learning at the basic level just like you are. Most folks here are willing to give good answers to questions.
regards,

[Minggat]

Push the tiller on your horse hard over until the head and tail have traded places.

Welcome.

[David M]

Horses have tails and boats have wakes behind em....same idea.

[Gianna]

Hey John, Thanks for the welcome! This is going to be a helpful and fun place to be I am sure.

Minggat and David, LOVED the humor!!! ...and the tree, hole, rabbit (lore has it this can be tied by "old salts" with one hand?) Whoa!!! Show me that one....

Gianna

[Gianna]

Oh, and some former airforce pilot said you can do reciprocals by moving 2 around? As in 345 becomes 165??? Hmmm. Does that work? ....or something like that.

Well that works with the "180" test. How about, say 36... 036 becomes 256??? No... but if you add 2 in the first place and subtract in the second... then you get 216. That's right, but I sure don't know why. Or how THAT method applies...

[bill good]

180 is a bit harder to do under pressure but 200 is easy. but 200 is 20 degs more so you take that 20 degs off the figure to give you the 180 required.

regards

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Gianna

...and the tree, hole, rabbit (lore has it this can be tied by "old salts" with one hand?) Whoa!!! Show me that one....
Gianna

The single-handed bowline:
➥ The One Handed Bowline

For lefties:
➥ The One Handed Bowline

The loop around the waist is for climbers (self-rescue).

[Gianna]

I must say you folks are giving me a laugh here! Gotta get a piece of rope and practice. In the urgency of the moment I always flub it.

Any neat tricks on centering the rudder on a big boat in calm water other than doing the turns right and left? It would be easy if the wheel only turn 1/2 a rev either way...

[Minggat]

I have some rigging tape at top dead center on my wheel. It happens to be right at one of the spokes so it's not is an awkward spot. Works very well. Simple. I also have a clear window over my rudder post. I thought it was a great idea, but the tape does all I need.

[GordMay]

The Turk’s Head knot is often used to mark the King Pin (centre spoke) on a ship’s steering wheel.

Here ➥ Turk's Head (Woggle)

See also ➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...red-38162.html