How many times have you tried to steer an accurate magnetic compass course in a small cruising sailboat, only to be pushed or pulled off course time and again? On reaches, you have a lot more weather helm. It seems just when you get steady on course, a gust of wind or playful wave pushes the boat off course again.
Solve this problem with the secret of course averaging. This method allows the boat to wander off course at specific intervals of time. It removes the fatigue of white-knuckle steering and gives you more accuracy too. You will stay on course line like a locomotive glued to a railroad track! Follow these three simple steps:
1. Determine a convenient time interval
To make averaging work, you need to time each "wandering" interval. Any interval will do the trick, but it's easier to pick even units of 10--such as 10 minutes, 20 minutes, or 30 minutes.
2. Wander between 0 degree and 10 degrees to one side
Pick one side of the course line to start wandering. Let's say we decide to wander on the left side. Glance at your watch and then steer between 0 to 10 degrees to the left of the course line. Watch your time like a hawk! You want to change course as soon as your time interval runs out.
3. Wander to the other side of the course line
Change course to the opposite side of the course line. Glance at your watch again. In our example, we change course to the right and wander 0 to 10 degrees to the right of the course line. We will do this for exactly 10 minutes because that's how long we wandered on the other side of the course.
Example:
It's a choppy day with winds at 15 knots. You are beam reaching on a course of 270 degrees. You will use course averaging and decide on a time interval of 20 minutes. You will start wandering to the right of your course.
Glance at your time. Steer between 270 degrees and 280 degrees. As soon as 20 minutes passes, change course to the left. Glance at your watch again. Now, steer between 270 degrees and 260 degrees for exactly 20 minutes. Change course back to the right when your time runs out. Continue this sequence until you reach the end of your course.
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Use the secret of course averaging when steering conditions get tough. You and your sailing crew will be rewarded with better steering accuracy, less fatigue, and a much more enjoyable time at the helm.
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