>Price, specifications, how to select >There is plenty to gain from wind shifts >You need a compass! Benefits of Ansar compass no:  >2 and 4 The best! >2 with the cupola upwards. >1 >3 Set up and read: >Ansar 4. Simplest! >Ansar 2 >Automatic compensation for tacking angle, Ansar 4  >A comparison with electronic compasses >How to pay, prepayment only! >Warranty. >How to mount the compass >Background of compasses >The modification takes time >Compass manufacturer Silva's site >Small scale local distributors wanted! >Back to the compass home page   Email with comments, suggestions, questions or just to say hello. Note line below! At home or traveling? Sometimes I travel for weeks and can't always respond to email. Postal address & Telephone number. Modified July 2001. Counter: . My home page magazine articles, lectures.  The world's fastest skate sail, 120 km/h (75 MPH) is another of my top performance designs.  Copyright © 1996-2001 Anders Ansar. Permission is granted for reproduction provided that the whole document remains intact.

When wind speed increases most boats sail closer to the wind and the reading of an ordinary compass changes without a change in the direction of the wind. The Ansar compass automatically compensates for this. If the compass indicates e g Best Lift in light wind it will still indicate Best Lift if the wind gets moderate. Most sailing boats sail with an angle between tacks of some 90 degrees in light winds. When the wind is moderate this angle typically decreases to between 70 and 80 degrees, depending on the type of boat.     In keelboats (generally boats whose heel increases with wind strength) these compasses automatically compensates for this change of angle between tack with wind strength.    The indication of best lift, zero lift and worst header is correct, within a couple of degrees, even as the boat's angle between tacks decreases as the strength of the wind increases.    If you sail with a compass without compensation (all other compasses as far as I know) it will show you a sizable header of some 10 degrees when the only thing which has happened is that you are sailing in a lull in an otherwise moderate wind.

Tacking on these "headers" will only make you loose compared to your competitors.    In order to compensate for this manually you have to subtract or add (depending on tack) some 10 degrees to the reading of the compass.    The compensation of these compasses works for an angle of around 90 degrees in light wind (typical for most boats) to a selected angle between tacks as the boat is heeled (moderate wind).    This selected angle can be from 90 down to some 70 degrees, and can be adjusted by the user to suit his type of boat (an easy operation, you just change the position of self adhesive markers). At delivery this angel is set to an estimated angle between tacks for the boat which it is ordered for.    The angles 90 to 70 degrees in moderate winds suits most boats. If you require other angles please let me know. It can probably be arranged.