Quote:
Originally Posted by derstosstrupp
One thing I wish we had is an odometer (pit log). [...] Would make dead reckoning in poor weather much easier when your speed fluctuates.
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I'm afraid a log wouldn't be a whole lot more accurate (IRL, anyway). If there is any current (not unusual in the ocean), it will only display your distance through the water - not over the ground.
But, if you calculate the difference between your DR and your actual position (obtained from from a few sextant shots), you can determine the current's speed and direction - or "set and drift". And if you know that, you can then calculate a DR that will be more accurate than any log. And you don't even need any complicated math ... you just need to draw triangles. An elementary school student could do it.
Here are the relevant pages from Bowditch:
