The Compass Rose

This is a rose.

This is a compass rose.

The compass rose works in tandem with a compass needle which always indicates north. For years, sailors and navigators referred to the direction one was going (or coming from) in relation to the cardinal points of a compass. North, South, East, and West. This created some pretty interesting terms that navigators had to memorize and understand. If a ship’s captain needed the vessel to go south south east (SSE), then the helmsman would need to understand and turn the ship so that the needle of the compass pointed to the right place on the compass rose.

Orienteering Compass

Over time, these archaic terms have been replaced by the use of “degrees”. We know that a circle has 360 degrees and if we designate north as 000, then east would be 090, south would be 180, and west becomes 270. This is way easier, wouldn’t you agree?

At Sound View, we teach students and campers orienteering with a particular type of compass perfect for adventures in the woods. We also send a compass out on canoe trips in case a fog rolls in. A canoe heading west will eventually come ashore near enough to Sound View to be safe.

This compass rose will help you with the quiz.