Lubber line: Difference between revisions
MOS:YOU |
imported>NapoliRoma minor cleanup, including avoiding some WP:SOB |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{refimprove|date=September 2014}} | {{refimprove|date=September 2014}} | ||
A '''lubber line''', also known as a '''lubber's line''',<ref name="Britannica">{{cite web |title=Navigation: The magnetic compass |url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/navigation-technology/The-magnetic-compass |website=www.britannica.com |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=15 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="OED">{{cite web |title=lubber |url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/110780 |website=www.oed.com |publisher=Oxford English Dictionary |access-date=15 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref> is a fixed line on | A '''lubber line''', also known as a '''lubber's line''',<ref name="Britannica">{{cite web |title=Navigation: The magnetic compass |url=https://www.britannica.com/technology/navigation-technology/The-magnetic-compass |website=www.britannica.com |publisher=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=15 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="OED">{{cite web |title=lubber |url=https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/110780 |website=www.oed.com |publisher=Oxford English Dictionary |access-date=15 June 2022 |language=en}}</ref> is a fixed line on the [[binnacle]] of a [[compass]], or a [[plan position indicator]] radar display, pointing towards the front of the ship or aircraft,<ref>{{cite book|title=Skill in the Surf: A Landing Boat Manual|year=1945|publisher=U.S. Navy|page=97|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/s/skill-in-the-surf-a-landing-boat-manual.html|accessdate=16 December 2018}}</ref> and corresponding to the craft's centerline (being the customary direction of movement). | ||
The line represents 0 [[degree (angle)|degree]]s and is therefore the zero | The line represents 0 [[degree (angle)|degree]]s and is therefore the zero point from which relative bearings are measured, e.g., "twenty degrees to [[port (nautical)|port]]". | ||
Compasses on sailboats may have additional lubber lines at forty-five degrees from the centerline. This represents about as close to the wind as the average boat will sail. These lubber lines may be used when sailing [[close hauled]] to see if one is on the closest course to the destination, without having to add or subtract the 45 degrees every few minutes, or recalculate the required heading every time one tacks. The main line on the compass reads your current (close-hauled) heading and the leeward lubber line will read the bearing to the destination, regardless of whether you are on port or starboard tack. Lubber lines also help show windshifts when racing. When sailing close-hauled with good trim and the bearing to the windward mark starts to drift outside the lubber line (angle becoming greater than 45 degrees) one is being headed, and should consider tacking. | Compasses on sailboats may have additional lubber lines at forty-five degrees from the centerline. This represents about as close to the wind as the average boat will sail. These lubber lines may be used when sailing [[close hauled]] to see if one is on the closest course to the destination, without having to add or subtract the 45 degrees every few minutes, or recalculate the required heading every time one tacks. The main line on the compass reads your current (close-hauled) heading and the leeward lubber line will read the bearing to the destination, regardless of whether you are on port or starboard tack. Lubber lines also help show windshifts when racing. When sailing close-hauled with good trim and the bearing to the windward mark starts to drift outside the lubber line (angle becoming greater than 45 degrees) one is being headed, and should consider tacking. | ||
Directional | [[Directional gyro]]s on aircraft also have additional 45-degree lubber lines. These are useful for intercepting tracks and making procedure turns. | ||
==Etymology== | ==Etymology== | ||
The name comes from "lubber", a nautical term for a novice sailor or [[wiktionary:landlubber|landlubber]]. It has also been called a lubber's mark or lubber's point, though use of these terms declined in the 20th century.<ref name="OED"/> | The name comes from "lubber", a nautical term for a novice sailor or [[wiktionary:landlubber|landlubber]]. It has also been called a ''lubber's mark'' or ''lubber's point'', though use of these terms declined in the 20th century.<ref name="OED"/> | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
Latest revision as of 00:21, 22 June 2025
Template:Refimprove A lubber line, also known as a lubber's line,[1][2] is a fixed line on the binnacle of a compass, or a plan position indicator radar display, pointing towards the front of the ship or aircraft,[3] and corresponding to the craft's centerline (being the customary direction of movement).
The line represents 0 degrees and is therefore the zero point from which relative bearings are measured, e.g., "twenty degrees to port".
Compasses on sailboats may have additional lubber lines at forty-five degrees from the centerline. This represents about as close to the wind as the average boat will sail. These lubber lines may be used when sailing close hauled to see if one is on the closest course to the destination, without having to add or subtract the 45 degrees every few minutes, or recalculate the required heading every time one tacks. The main line on the compass reads your current (close-hauled) heading and the leeward lubber line will read the bearing to the destination, regardless of whether you are on port or starboard tack. Lubber lines also help show windshifts when racing. When sailing close-hauled with good trim and the bearing to the windward mark starts to drift outside the lubber line (angle becoming greater than 45 degrees) one is being headed, and should consider tacking.
Directional gyros on aircraft also have additional 45-degree lubber lines. These are useful for intercepting tracks and making procedure turns.
Etymology
The name comes from "lubber", a nautical term for a novice sailor or landlubber. It has also been called a lubber's mark or lubber's point, though use of these terms declined in the 20th century.[2]