We took the 'Sestrel' steering compass off in January (2013) as it was looking pretty tired. I was a bit worried that we might not be able to get it back to a reasonable standard - especially as it was sporting a large bubble in the spirit.
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| the condition of the steering compass in January | | |
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We sent it to down Robinsons, compass adjusters, on the Hamble. They are extremely knowldegable in repairing sailing instruments and had done some great work for us before.
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| after refurbishing, about to be re-fitted |
Robinsons refilled the compass bowl, eliminating the bubble. They reckoned it to be in reasonable working order and should be good for a few years yet. Back home, We carefeully dismantled the gimble, re-finished all the painted parts and polished up the brass bezel.
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| the Sestrel, back on the binnacle |
Here it is back in place. In seatrials in June, the course it gave read almost exactly the same as the GPS COG and - ironically - much more accurate than the fluxgate, which we then had to re-calibrate. It's was carefully positioned too - right in the helmsman's eye line. Its great to have it back and working!
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