NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: sign conventions and units.
From: Yves Arrouye
Date: 2001 Apr 23, 12:04 AM
From: Yves Arrouye
Date: 2001 Apr 23, 12:04 AM
> But wouldn't it be nice if the French had done the > right thing in the 18th century? But then, aren't these traditions a good part of the pleasure of moving around on the water? (This statement is inconsistent with my opinion on using inches...). Were we using kilometers in the 18th century? I don't know if my (French) ancestors were involved with imperial units at any point in history, but our American cousins still can't get rid of them for everyday life (I chucke every time I see some "fancy" thing which is marked both imperial units and metric ones for the "modern method"; and then I get confused discussing 3/8th and 7/16th of inches with my colleagues). Indeed, getting it "right" the first time can change nations' perspectives on things. YA
