Kevin B (RPS Coach) Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 It will be held at the Gould Barn in Topsfield from 1-5pm immediately following the New to Sea Kayaking Workshop (NTSKW) workshop. Phil and Lorrie Allen, Bob Levine, and myself will be leading the workshop. This will be a hands on session (so less presenting and more doing) working with folks on everything from basic compass use and chart reading, to trip planning, calculating vectors, etc. The basic idea is to learn/review the material here and then practice on the water throughout the season. We will have charts from a variety of areas to explore. Attendees should plan on bringing a hiking compass and whatever other tools they may have / prefer to use. Please feel free to post any questions you may have here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inverseyourself Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 (edited) Great, I'll try to be there. Edited March 24, 2016 by Inverseyourself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Anderson Posted March 24, 2016 Share Posted March 24, 2016 Looking forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfolster Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 Giving this a bump so folks see it. Great opportunity to work on a valuable skill! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethS Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 I'm not sure if I can make this day, but I will come if I can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaneC Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 I'll be there too. Looking forward to it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmcotton Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 I plan to be there also Janice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Anderson Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 Maybe touch on the use of a kamal or something like it for gauging distance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inverseyourself Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 Kamal, as in Kamal Attatuerk ot Kamal as in Kamal Hassan the famous (!) movie actor? A google search for Kamal as a tool for gauging distances revealed little else. Please clarify . P.S.: Kamal was/is about 5' 6", depending on which Kamal we're talking about. We could measure distance in deka-, centi- or kilo-Kamals! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Anderson Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 "Fundamentals of Kayak Navigation" by David Burch describes it. The kamal is still a tool recommended for use in sea kayaking.[5] In such an application, it can be used for estimating distances to land. The distance can be calculated from the formula D=\frac{Sd}{s} where D is the distance to the object, S is the size of the object observed, d is the distance from the kamal to the observer's eye, and s is the apparent size of the object observed. A knotted string tied to your paddle? held at arm's length, the other end in your mouth. Not sure of the exact procedure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inverseyourself Posted April 15, 2016 Share Posted April 15, 2016 Interesting. Where does the word come from? Arabia? I bet John Huth could help out here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnHuth Posted April 16, 2016 Share Posted April 16, 2016 It's Arabic - derived from a root word, meaning "perfection". In the earlier days, people used the width of a finger or fingers at the end of an outstretched arm to measure angles. As it turns out, the ratio of the length of the arm and width of a finger is pretty uniform between people. The width of my index finger spans 1.5 degrees at the end of an outstretched arm. I can use combinations of fingers and my hand to measure from about 1/3 to 20 degrees. This can work in navigation two ways. In the voyage across the Arabian Sea, or elsewhere close to the equator, your latitude is equal to the angular height of Polaris above the horizon. Also, you can measure distances - remember the mnemonic that 1 degree spans the width of a 100 ft object that you see at 1 mile. If you can get the scaling - a 200 ft object is 2 degrees, a 50 ft object is 1/2 a degree. One story in a house is 10 ft - that house is 3 stories, 30 feet, spans one degree so is 1/3 of a mile away when it spans 1 degree (approx). In Arabic, an isabah is the angular width of a finger at the end of an outstretched arm. A kamal is an angular measuring device that does much the same thing. It has a string with knots tied at various intervals and a small board that is calibrated to different angular widths, depeding on which knot you use - you hold the knot in your teeth and stretch out the string until it's taut, and then measure the height of an object in the distance, or measure the altitude of a star above the horizon. It should be more precise than the finger technique - they're relative small, lightweight, and easy to make at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shari G Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 I will be there as well. Thanks! Shari Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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