Press Room
 

PRESS RELEASE

May 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Stephen Sprole
Tel 781-826-5131
Fax 781-826-7336
e-mail: sales@ritchienavigation.com

RITCHIE NAVIGATION POINTS THE WAY TO SAFETY

PEMBROKE, Mass. (May 20, 2005) – Ritchie Navigation, a leader in marine compass manufacturing for over 150 years, has published a free guide to safe, effective navigation. The 24-pg. booklet, “Ritchie’s Complete Guide to Compass Navigation,” will be delivered, at no cost, to anyone who requests it by logging onto www.ritchienavigation.com. It will also be made available on the Ritchie website as an easily downloadable PDF file.

The guide was created by Ritchie to educate boaters on the benefits of real-time navigation data that only a compass can provide. It emphasizes that by coordinating the use of electronic and magnetic navigation, boaters can create a virtually fail-safe system.

“We believe the compass is the most valuable navigation instrument on any boat,” said Ritchie’s Stephen Sprole, vice president of marketing. “A compass is as important in 2005 as it was back in the 19th century. Power outages may come and go, but a compass never fails.”

The spiral-bound illustrated guide provides a broad array of information in an easy to use format. It explains how to use a compass in conjunction with electronic navigational aides. For instance, wind, current, boat speed, and boat characteristics can all create a discrepancy between what’s really happening and what a GPS indicates.

A compass will provide real-time heading information to navigate properly, even during an electrical failure on the boat.

The Ritchie guide also details how to effectively choose a compass for different boats, how and where to mount a compass, and answers frequently asked questions about compass use and installation, including explanations of dead reckoning, deviation, and variation.

More in-depth details include a dead reckoning glossary, the elements of quality compass construction, methods of compensation for local magnetic fields, and ways to adjust a compass.

Ritchie Navigation dates back to 1850 when physicist Edward S. Ritchie began developing the first U.S. manufactured marine compass. Since then, Ritchie Navigation has shipped over 30,000 compasses worldwide and holds U.S. and worldwide patents ranging from 1860 to the present day. The company is located at 243 Oak St., Pembroke, MA 02359. Tel. 781 826 5131, email sales@ritchienavigation.com. For more information, log onto www.ritchienavigation.com.

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