By Vladimir Brezina
Course: 130 degrees magnetic!
I distinctly remember the first time the value of a good marine compass was driven home to me. I was circumnavigating Staten Island for the first time, clockwise, and had reached the gradual turn around the southwest tip of the island at Tottenville. I had never been there before—everything was new. I had a marine chart, but the very tip of the island was folded over on the other side, just out of sight. It didn’t seem necessary to refold the chart, especially as, as soon as I passed around the tip of the island into the Arthur Kill, I would have to fold the chart back again. And hadn’t I just studied the chart and knew exactly what was ahead? And so, as I made the turn and was faced with the choice of several waterways, I boldly set off toward the Raritan River instead of the Arthur Kill. Only when I was almost in the Raritan River did I happen to glance idly at the compass, to discover with a shock that I was paddling 90 degrees off course, west instead of north…
But as I grew familiar with New York Harbor, the compass seemed less relevant. I dutifully strapped it onto the boat for every trip, but I hardly ever looked at it.
Perhaps because I hardly looked at it, I was able for many years to get away with the Suunto Orca. For a folding kayak, I needed a strap-on, rather than a permanently mounted, compass, and the Orca was one of the few available. But it’s very popular, I notice, even among hard-shell kayakers, who have many other choices.
But when in recent years we started to take longer trips into unknown waters, and I really needed a compass, I found I could hardly use the Orca.
Rather than having an evenly rounded globe of clear plastic, like most compasses, the Orca has a boxy shape, with an awkward bend along the top, just in the wrong place to distort the view of the numbers underneath. And the bend tends to accumulate scratches, making the plastic even more opaque.
But most importantly, the numbers on the Orca’s card are too small. On a kayak, you want to mount your compass as far forward as possible, so that you can keep both the compass and the horizon in view at the same time. But when mounted far forward, the Orca’s numbers can hardly be read, through the scratches and the water droplets that also gather on the compass.
Enter the Brunton 58.
A much better compass! It has a rounded globe. The numbers, and especially the letters for the principal compass points, are much bigger than the Orca’s.
Underneath it is nicely shaped to sit solidly on the ridge of a peaked kayak deck, without sliding to one side or the other, like the Orca tends to do.
And, online, the Brunton 58 is even a little cheaper—around $50—than the Orca ($70).
During the 2014 Everglades Challenge, I certainly appreciated having a good compass. On a number of occasions, when we were hesitating which way to paddle among the indistinguishable mangrove islands, a glance at the compass immediately made it clear.
And, as happens with the best equipment, the compass began speaking to me. (No, this was not a hallucination—although a speaking compass would not have been that remarkable among the bizarre hallucinations on that trip…) Rather than sitting there passively, waiting to be interrogated with difficulty only when absolutely necessary, as with the Orca, the Brunton was such a pleasure to look at that I naturally incorporated it into the round of things I looked at while paddling—the waves, the clouds, the compass… It was quietly pushing information at me, constantly telling me that we were on the right course—or sometimes not.
And having a good compass eliminated the conversations with Johna that always went something like this:
Vlad: “See those two islands, the big one and the little one? We’ll paddle through the gap between them.”
Johna: “You mean the big island with the tall trees?”
Vlad: “No, more to the right. The island with the white tower.”
Johna: “I see two white towers…”
Now I just say: “Steer 130 degrees magnetic!”
Or rather, I would say that if Johna too had a usable compass. During the Everglades Challenge, she still had an Orca.
We left Johna’s Orca behind in Florida at the end of that trip. Now we’ll get her a Brunton.
Vladimir Brezina (RIP) 
Johna Till Johnson
Wind Against Current 
A speaking compass!
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Compasses that really speak to you are no doubt coming soon, the way things are going ;-)
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Well that’s no different than a talking GPS! I love that gadget.
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On the water, with the sound of the wind and the waves, it would have to shout :-)
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The 70p would fit nicely on that Xplorer . $76 plus free shipping :) .
Easy installation : http://superiorpaddling.com/installing-a-kayak-deck-compass/
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Thanks, Stephen!! That compass looks great, and the installation link is very useful. However—and Johna will have to speak for herself, of course—I think she is a bit leery of drilling holes into her kayak :-)
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Nice comparison. I take for graned the Brunton that is installed on my boat, I’ve considered that for my next, to get a portable one so I can use it on whatever boat.
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In either case, it seems Brunton is a top-of-the-line company for compasses…
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As someone who is permanently slightly lost, I always have a map and a compass and not only and GPS. There’s no such thing as too much navigation information.
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I entirely agree! I like maps… although I am coming to see the virtues of GPS as well :-)
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interesting and great shot!
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Thanks, Cindy! :-)
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Thank you so much for taking me into a new world:) I like reading your blogs,
Lakshmi
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Very happy to take you into a new world, Lakshmi—thanks for coming along! :-)
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A folding kayak? Intriguing. My daughter and I want to buy a couple of kayaks, although we have no plans to do as much as you. [chuckle] Nevertheless, I appreciate your posts of images, info, and anecdotes. :)
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A folding kayak like this.
Thanks, Rene!!
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Whoa! That is way out of my price range, but very cool. Thank you for the link!
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Yes, Feathercrafts are just a little on the expensive side now ;-)
But there are many much cheaper folding kayaks, some of which are (almost) as good. For instance, the various Folbots cost $1,000-$2,000 these days, it looks like. And with other manufacturers you can go cheaper from there (and probably less sturdy—generally you get what you pay for), all the way down to this :-)
Then there are the inflatable kayaks, which are a different beast altogether…
But if you have storage space, live on the water where you want to paddle, and/or have a car, you might well be better off with just a (much cheaper) plastic kayak.
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Great article, Vlad. I also didn’t like drilling holes for the Brunton and was especially annoyed when one of the screws it came with just broke off when tightening it.. So my Brunton is secured with three screws only… (If you buy a Brunton, my advice would be to buy good screws separately.).
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Will keep that in mind! Thanks, Runar!!
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Great, thanks for the tip! We have trouble seeing the numbers on ours (when far forward), but it ain’t because of scratches and water droplets… we’re hopelessly nearsighted AND middle-aged, LOL.
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The same solution will work… :-)
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A compass is certainly handy to have when racing offshore in a dingy and the mist comes down. I have also done some motoring where it was a good idea to have not only a compass but an altimeter as well! That enabled one to assess whether the car was overheating due to a problem, or just on one of the very long climbs of the kind one gets out in the desert – imagine unrelenting uphill for some 20 miles!
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Fortunately we only have to deal with two dimensions :-)
For any kind of long-distance kayaking, a compass is pretty much essential equipment. Most paddlers wouldn’t move without one, and most organized events require one. I have another, orienteering-style compass as backup, and of course these days a GPS will also function as a compass.
The issue here was more about having one that it was a pleasure to consult often, as opposed to one that it was painful to have to consult…
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Nice Vlad.
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Thanks! :-)
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I learn something new for you all the time. Still very new to kayaking but your posts are such a wealth of information–and we haven’t made it out of the bayou yet! :)
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It’s better to get the hang of it in the bayou first! :-)
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did you see the video on MSN.com with two Argentinian kayakers right on top of whales? Ever been that close to anything??
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I didn’t watch the video yet, but I know the one you mean. There have been a number of similar ones in the past few years, of whales almost, and sometimes actually, bumping into kayakers, mostly in California.
Once I’ve had a whale check me out, and even though it was just a small whale, it was quite a big experience :-)
And there’s of course this: :-)
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whoa!! I may never come out of the bayou…..
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You no doubt realize that that last video is fake… :-)
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Hey favorite!
I’m dropping by to make your day brighter! I’ve nominated you for three awards! Please find the details here at:
You’re awesome!
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Brighter day made! We are so happy you like our blog, and thanks so much for the nominations!! We’ll respond in turn as soon as we can… :-)
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Yes you two are a good combo! :-)
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:-)
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