Report on Old Business: True and Magnetic Labeling

To Niagara District Council

Feb 17^th, 2010

During the Jan 20^th, 2010 District Meeting an item was raise by Garry Van Zandt, Admin Officer, on true and magnetic labeling of course lines and bearings as the result of a Dec 2009 National Geographic article on moving poles. Following the discussion that ensued, I undertook to investigate the background and rationale for the Training Department’s decision to label in both True and Magnetic.

Not only have the two National Geographic articles (Dec 2009 & Dec 2005), referenced by Garry, been examined, but also the CPS’s Course Plotting and Labelling Standards, the CPS’s Boating Student Notes, the CPS’s Seamanship Student Notes, the minutes of CPS’s Training Department for March 2007 and the minutes of Oct 2007. Discussion with fellow officer, most notably the current National Training Officer, has been quite revealing.

At the Spring Training Meeting of March 2007, an investigation was initiated and a report requested for the Fall Training Meeting of Oct 25, 2007 on the topic of True and Magnetic Labeling. The Curriculum Committee (CurCom) Chair was asked to form a special task team to review and advise the Training Department. The team included members of the CurCom, and Course Directors of the affected courses, Boating, Seamanship, Advanced Piloting, Celestial Navigation & Electronic Navigation.

Please note the mandate consisted of examining labeling in ‘True only’ or in ‘True & Magnetic both’. The direction limited plotting to ‘True’ and did not contemplate plotting in ‘Magnetic’. However, the discussion did wander into comments on ‘plotting in Magnetic’ from time to time.

At the Fall Training Meeting, Peter Girling, CurCom Chair, presented the requested analysis.

Summary Analysis follows:

True Labelling, Only

• Traditional method
• Used in Bowditch
• True labels never change
• Educationally, true labels are more rigorous
• Avoids changing course material, exams, & marking keys

(eg: Seamanship going into beta test)

True & Magnetic Labelling, Both

• Facilitates use of handheld compass
• Facilitates use of ship’s compass
• Cruising Guides labeled in magnetic

(safer to label both; avoids 2^nd guessing)

• Facilitates use of USPS resources

(USPS changed to magnetic labeling 4yrs prior)

• USPS re-evaluated magnetic labeling Sept 2007 & decided to retain

The analysis by the special task team provides reasons for both ‘True only’ and ‘True & Magnetic’ labeling. The reported analysis does not indicate a unanimous position by the special task team for either case.

Discussion by Training Department Members

Following the report of the special task team, a discussion of the members, as a whole, occurred and is summarized in the following comments:

True Labelling, Only

• Vancouver CCG labels in true only as they use gyrocompasses
• Instructors have more difficulty introducing labeling in both than students for whom labeling is new
• Some sophisticated boat have calibrated all systems & instruments to True

True & Magnetic, Both

• USCG labels in magnetic
• By show of hands, many Trng Dept Members label in magnetic
• Small boat operators usually pre-label in magnetic for use with handheld compasses

Morton Biback, ANTO & Electronic Navigation Chair added to the discussion the following, and then recent, comments on the USPS experience:

· Steering by handheld is more practically & less confusing when done with magnetic labels

· Inclusion of magnetic labels does not affect the tools of navigation

· Communication with USCG is facilitated since they use magnetic

· Magnetic works best for small boats since they cannot steer a true course accurately

The results of a straw vote on three possibilities resulted in the following:

· Few Training Dept Members wanted to plot & label in true only,

· A few more wanted to plot in true & label in magnetic only, and

· The majority preferred to plot in true & label in both true & magnetic.

As a result, it was decided by the majority to prepare a motion for the next day to plot in true and to label course lines and bearings in true and magnetic.

The motion

The next day, a motion was made by Peter Girling, CirCom Chair, and seconded by Stewart Robinson, Boating Course Director, stating that courses and bearings be plotted in True and labeled in True and Magnetic.

The discussion considered:

· Students taking Boating use magnetic

· CPaLs had just been completed by Dave Durward & Duane Partee (Rev 2007)

· Seamanship is beta testing & is all in true

· Immediate change to labeling in both creates a major change in course material

· GPS should be added to course material

· Direction was indicated: - proceed with beta testing Seamanship as is

- proceed with a phased rollout over a few years

- instructors to accept both labeling

- markers not to mark magnetic as wrong

The motion carried.

Conclusion:

It is important to note that the change in the Oct 2007 motion was quite limited. Plotting continues to be done in True. Courses and bearings are now noted in True and Magnetic. The labeling accommodates and places no burden upon either a sophisticated boat system or a rudimentary navigation method.

It is necessary for the boater to understand and use the T-V-M-D-C relationship. These values are calculated and entered into the Deck Log and most probably in the Navigator’s notebook, regardless of the notebook’s formality. There is no conflict between the Standard and the educational fundamentals asserted in our courses.

The fact that the poles move with time, or possibly circle, is consistent with the instruction provided to our students. We rely on the Canadian Hydrographic Service to indicate the variation and the rate of change of variation on the compass rose of the charts. We teach our students precisely the method to interpret and use this information. Plotting True and labeling True and Magnetic is consistent with the earth’s physical realities and the instructed methods.

Concerns that lead to the suggestion to eliminate magnetic labeling appear to reside only in Niagara District. There are other vocal Squadrons and Districts across the country. No other entity, to date, has suggested that the elimination of magnetic labeling is needed.

At this point in time, very significant content and system improvements are underway in CPS. It has been suggested that it may be more worthy of the limited resources to progress the improvements than to pursue labeling topics that have been accommodated essentially across the country.

After careful consideration, I am unable to find, at this time, a scientific, procedural, instrumentation or system reason that compels a request to the Training Department to revert to True only labeling.

Respectfully submitted,

Bruce A Holden, SN

Niagara District Training Officer