Can't get there from here...

[Brian D]

(It's winter and you know that means I start playing the games!)

Assume for this discussion that the magnetic poles share the same latitude as the geographical pole.

Assume there is no ice cap and you sail your boat to the 90° latitude mark.

Assume the wind spun you around and around until you forgot what direction you came from.

Now that you have cleared your head from spinning around and around like you just played Dizzy Bat. you want to go home.

How do you get home?

 

[mermike]

Take a noon sight and calculate the angle to your desired longitude. Head south.

 

[Will Gilmore]

At the North pole, who cares what time you take the sight? Just know the time it should be on your starting longitude and compare the current angle of the Sun to where it should be relative to that latitude (edit: I meant longitude). For instance, if it is six hours ahead of noon, local latitude (edit: longitude here too) time, turn 90 degrees to the right of the Sun and head South.
I am ignoring all the political time zone lines. It still works if you know where the Sun should be on your specific longitude. If you started near the western edge of a time zone, noon is not directly overhead for the Sun, it could still look pretty early in the day. You have to know the local angle offset from where you started. Most of Western Europe is one time zone earlier than GMT. That's a pretty big area to assume the Sun is directly overhead at Noon.

Another option is to head South until you get to an airport and book a flight home.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[jssailem]

By Boat.

Note: the PO said it is “winter”. That would mean on the North Pole you would need a star shot with a sextant. All directions would lead south.

 

[Kings Gambit]

I think he means that it's winter around here now, so no sailing stories as everyone is holed up; so we play mind games on the forum.

 

[Brian D]

I meant that one could sail to the North Pole without ice impeding the trip. Time of year is irrelevant in this discussion. @Will Gilmore I do not believe the logitude lines were political. I believe they were established for navigational purposes. However, I don't think the Polynesians used time zone to determine longitude.

Back to the discussion, how do you get home?

 

[Will Gilmore]

@Will Gilmore I do not believe the logitude lines were political.

Agreed, it was the non-linear time zones, I was referring to.
If you set your clock by a certain time zone, that roughly reflects the position of the Sun on your local longitude, but it is not precise and it is not regular. Time zones are drawn for political convenience, not geographical convenience.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Brian D]

My answer would be to head south. Since all points point south from the geographical North Pole, every direction is south. Keep heading south until one can get a solar noon fix to determine longitude, assuming one's clock is set to the Prime Meridian. Once one determines their longitude then one can fix a course to head home.

All points on the earth have a relevant compass rose, except 90° N and 90° S. Do we agree on that? Until one moves from that location, one is somewhat stuck not knowing which way to go.

I would also venture to say that if one can see the sun they can determine the time of year (assuming that the Dizzy Bat lasted months). From that they might be able to get a solar noon fix. Then they might be able to determine their longitude.

 

[Benny17441]

GPS!

 

[jssailem]

Once far enough south to see the sun, over a couple of days you could guess (pretty closely) when the sun is at its highest peak in the day (close enough noon time). Assuming you would have a navigation celestial book to calculate your siting, you would be able to get a "rough fix " on your position. Then with daily repeats of the process you would be able to get closer and closer (like a heat seeking missile) to your home port. Once you sighted the shore line hopefully you would be within 60 nm of your home port. Then able to find your way wiht a local chart and dead reckoning or perhaps following the depth chart data and your sounder to find your home.