NavList:

   

Reply

Some Sumner questions:

1. Any guesses what his ship could make on a slightly close reach in heavy
seas?  Or at least her length at waterline?

2. When the Bowditch excerpt states she was kept "...under short sail, with
heavy gales..."  does this imply that he had reduced sail to fit conditions,
or that he shortened sail to cut speed until he had a good idea of position?

3. In playing with the numbers, it seems the longitudinal differences
between assumed latitudes increases slightly as latitude moves north in
regular increments.  At first I thought this might be compensated for by the
increased spacing between parallels on a Mercator projection as the assumed
latitude moves north.  I have not worked that out to the nth, but on first
blush it will not cancel out.  The question then is (before I reinvent the
line, or as the wheel as the case may be)--over a great distance would the
Sumner LOP actually be a COP on a Mercator projection?

Thanks Bill

   

Reply