In search of Hansen Handbook

C

covalbro

New member
Greetings! I am in search of an elusive Hansens Handbook by Captain Farwell, either the "Piloting in the Inland Waters of the Puget Sound Area British Columbia Southeastern Alaska Southwestern Alaska Western Alaska" version or the "Piloting in the Inland Waters from Olympia to Alaska" version. If anyone has one they're interested in selling or know of any copies out there, let me know!

Thanks so much!

Cheers,

Brody

C-22: "Salish∙C"
 
The book appears to be available in E book format or PDF for reading on line.

There are several book stores in Port Angeles which might have a copy. We got many used guide books there. Odyssey Bookshop, Port Book & News and Anime Kat. It would certainly be worth a phone call to see if they have a copy for sale.
 
As a collector's item, the Hansen Handbook is really pricey for its limited entertainment value, IMHO. When I worked at Captain's Nautical Supplies in the 1970's, we would get requests for it (then long out of print). I think that newbie skippers were under the impression that they could navigate from Seattle to AK without detailed charts. The problem (in the 1970's and now) is that all of the old bearings were inaccurate because of the change in magnetic variation over the decades. If you knew the amount of variation change from the 1920's, you could apply it to each and every old heading and bearing in the Handbook.

Q: Where would you get the required current magnetic variation?
A: From a current detail chart.

So the Handbook doesn't help you too much, given that performing the mathematical computation of 500 headings and bearings between Seattle and SE AK will likely result in at least a couple of errors. Combine that with the fact that even some of the place names have changed.

It its day, the Handbook was most useful when used with the Hansen Bearing Board. It eliminates the error between the boat's compass and a hand bearing compass. I kept my Bearing Board when I sold my old boat. That boat had a beam down the center of the helm console that worked as a track to keep the Board parallel with the heading. The Board could be flipped over to take a bearing off of course or to get a magnetic bearing. Once I got used to using it, speed, distance off shore, etc. was easily calculated. Of course, I applied that to a NOAA chart on board, not simply a comparison to old Hansen Handbook figures.

And the Hansen Handbook has some figures that are a bit of a head scratcher. When the required heading is given as "S x E 7/8 E", you are likely to done with that leg (in a modern planing boat) before you figure out the "degree course" you must steer. Obviously, it is a reference guide for a different (and slower) time.

The Bearing Board is a much more interesting gadget for a man cave than is the book. Plus, I may get another slow boat again and it is still useful even without the Handbook.

Mark

https://www.ebay.com/i/372739141975?chn ... quEALw_wcB

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/ ... -439376121
 
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