Can anyone name all thirty-two points of the compass?
See Plate 7, The Mariners Compass. 3. To be more accurate, points could be subdivided by quarter points. I.e., southeast by east east. B. Magnetic variation could alter the compasss reading substantially. 1. The earths magnetic field is not uniform over the surface of the earth. 2. The north magnetic pole is several hundred miles south of the north geographic pole. I.e., the compass thinks that the north pole is over Baffin Island in northern Canada. 3. Because of this, magnetic variation is most pronounced in northern latitudes. 4. Eighteenth century sailors knew of this phenomenon and knew how to adjust for it to some extent. C. Wind direction was also recorded in points. IV. Depth of bottom A. Depth of bottom is recorded in fathoms. 1. A fathom is equal to 6 feet. B. Measuring the depth of bottom helps sailors in three ways. 1. It tells them if they have enough water under them to allow passage. 2. By comparing the sounding (depth measurement) and calculated position to a chart, or
