Arrrrrr me hearties, Navigation help needed.

Submitted: Thursday, Mar 19, 2015 at 14:11
ThreadID: 117122 Views:2502 Replies:3 FollowUps:1
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Here’s one for all the Navigation gurus. While transposing some old exploration journals, a few of the navigational directions are described as “South, half West” or “West, half South”.

Now I've picked the odd compass rose or two, know my cardinals, can calculate my reciprocals and also magnetic declination over time and I’m familiar with the 32 compass points so I’m not confusing these with” NNW by West” or “SW by West” etc. These two terms describe something different and I cannot identify just what bearing each refer to. Is it a salty sea-dog way of South West?

I’ve found many a stirring tale of sea exploration where the ship had its head at “West half south” just before it hit the reef but for the life of me I’ve not been able to identify just what these two terms relate to (and I‘ve checked many a glossary of navigation terminology believe me!)

Can anyone tell me what bearing in degrees that each relate to?

Thanks

Mick
''We knew from the experience of well-known travelers that the
trip would doubtless be attended with much hardship.''
Richard Maurice - 1903

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