I hope this helps rather than confuses things.
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p...aringsmall.jpg

edit/add: see new version below plus d/l for bigger ver.

bert8for3 - this looks interesting !

thing is i cant read it - how can i make it bigger :hmm:

thank you all the same :up:

edit: i'm going to try to print it bigger !

No problem ... I'll put up a larger version for d/l on FileFront, but may have to wait until tomorrow morning as I have to go out in a minute.

Bigger version for d/l here ... http://files.filefront.com/Relative+.../fileinfo.html .

and new post version, 'cause I fiddled with it (it wasn't broke so I had to fix it :rotfl: ) ...
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p...ivebearing.jpg

I'll have a try with words

Heading is the course you are steering
Bearing is where you see the target from your bridge. Bearing has nothing to do with your course or his course, it is just where you have to look from the bridge or through the periscope.

example:
if the target is on a BEARING of 90degrees, he is to your right. Regardless where you are going or where he is going, he is simply to the right of your boat. The numbers on the upper part of your Uzo and your periscope indicate that bearing, if you look exactly to the right of your ship those numbers will say 90 and that is where you will see the ship. At that moment it does not matter which way you are sailing or which way he is sailing. some minutes later, the bearing will probably have changed if you both move on in whatever direction.

so...

Lets say you are sailing directly to the north and the target is to the north of you, your HEADING will be 360 (or 0) and the BEARING will be 360 (or 0) as well, because he is right in front of you

if you are sailing to the west (HEADING 270) and the target is again exactly to your north, the BEARING will be 90. Because he is now directly to your right.

again, the moment the ship is spotted and the watchofficer calls out a target on bearing so and so, it does not matter where you are going or where he is going, at that moment the bearing is where you look from the bridge. 360 (or 0) is in front of you, 90 is to your right, 180 is directly behind you, 270 is to your left.


if this gives you trouble, perhaps you can get some experience with landmarks or the sun. sail around the harbor, look on the map where you are exactly and where the harbor is and fool around a bit. or when you are on the open sea, look at the sun at sunset. sun sets in the west, if you are sailing to the north you will see the sun somewhere close to a bearing of 270 degrees (due west) while your course is 0 (due north) if you sail towards the setting sun, the bearing of the sun will be 0 because it is right on front of you and your heading is now something like 270

hope this helps

thank you so much bert8for3,

i have printed it off from the download you gave me
and i can read it now !

i think im understanding it. i'll have to go off and practice - have a few precious hours to myself - thats the other problem, i dont get a lot of time to play. maybe this contirbutes to my slow learning curve !

and thank you Bosje for your clear explaination. i have this thread on my desk top for a short cut to this link. when i caught up doing other things i can quickly click on and read through your posts !

cheers all ! :up:

err,

i think i have seen my problem.

bert8for3. in your diagram on the second illustration. the last line of your paragraph says 'true north here is bearing 310 relative'

hmm:hmm: how come 310 if the bow points to 50 ?

i have infront of me a circular protractor. the top numbers run round from 0 to 360.
the numbers underneath run converse 360 to 0. my protractor has a pointer and when i point at 50 degrees it also shows 310 below: i dont understand this.

im looking at your diagram and i dont see it...

aahh !! wait a minute. if i am travelling north, 0 degrees and i see a ship at 50 degrees, i turn towards it - to 50 degrees. then, the bearing of true north ( always 0 degrees ) lies at a bearing of 310 degrees.

am i getting it...?

do i make sense...?

yes that is exactly right. if you travel north and the target is bearing 50, and you turn so that you sail directly to the target... North now lies at a bearing of 310 to you. (50 degrees to your PORT because you just turned 50 degrees to the STARBOARD to get the target in front of you) 360-50=310

i think you got it :)

piece by tiny piece, the jigsaw comes together....

now for the next bit.

transferring it all in to the game and doing it all at speed.....with bearing tools

thanks again Bosje :up:

You're getting it :up:

you're welcome :know: