Cool David. Thanks. t On Wed, Aug 19, 2009 at 11:44 AM, David C. Patterson<davidcpatterson@msn.com> wrote:
This may be of interest among list members. Since I am sailing without a knotmeter, I learned from my ASA Coastal Navigation class last winter how to estimate speed handily. The Chip Log Formula goes: .6 (a constant) X boat length divided by seconds = boat speed in knots. A knot is about 1.1 mph. What is handy is that for an M17 .6 x 17 = 10.2. Rounding that to 10 makes the division simple. I get curious about boat speed especially on a run, when is so deceptively even (usually). Spotting a leaf, bit of debris, or even some foam ahead, I watch for it to reach the bow of the boat. Then counting "one one thousand, two one thousand.etc." I get my seconds, divide into ten, and I have a speed estimate. Any three or four syllable word works easily, as in "one rutabaga" (my youngest daughter's old favorite), or "two Montgomery", etc. So, three seconds means a little over three knots, two seconds means five knots of speed. (What is theoretical hull speed on an M17 anyway?) The same formula for an M15 ends up with exactly 9 divided by the seconds. Perhaps even handier. Enjoy the too brief sailing season, David M17 #393
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