Jules Verne, Tuomas Vohlonen and the Nodding Needle

In Jules Verne’s “A Captain at Fifteen“, the fate of the Pilgrim falls into the hands of the treacherous cook Negoro. While the young Dick Sand attempts to steer the vessel toward the coast of South America, Negoro secretly places an iron block beneath the binnacle – to lead the Pilgrim toward Africa.

The Evolution of the Needle

The compass has been in use for over a thousand years. Early forms appeared in China, where magnetized needles were used for orientation long before they were adopted for maritime navigation. Yet, despite its ancient origins, the modern marine compass is a relatively young invention.

In 1932, Tuomas Vohlonen – a Finnish inventor and entrepreneur – patented a new method of mass-producing liquid-filled compass capsules, thus introducing new page in compass technology.

In 1936, he founded Suunto, a legacy Finnish manufacturer whose name is derived from the Finnish word “suunta”, meaning “direction.”

While sailors often joke that a compass provides a “reserve” of spirits for emergencies, the capsule is not normally filled with alcohol. Typically, it contains refined mineral oil – a viscous fluid designed to dampen the oscillation of the needle, reduce friction and protect internal components from rust and wear.

Get your Suunto 90-years Anniversary Gift Box here – limited special offer

The Wandering North

A compass needle points neither to the True North nor to a fixed location. Earth’s magnetic North Pole is constantly shifting due to fluid dynamics deep within the planet’s core. Over the 20th century, the pole drifted approximately 1,100 kilometers from northern Canada toward Siberia.

While its recent path appears almost straight, this is likely a temporary trend; scientists expect the motion to “change tack” again within a few hundred years.

In recent decades, the speed of this movement increased significantly, reaching some 50–60 kilometers per year, compared to historically much slower speeds during the Middle Ages. Though it is currently slowing down slightly, this “giant iron block” continues to force every compass on Earth to shift slightly over the years.

The “Nodding” Needle

When looking down at a compass, we see the needle rotating to find North. What we often miss is that the needle is also “nodding.” In the Northern Hemisphere, the tip dips downward; in the Southern Hemisphere, the South-pointing end dips downward. This occurs because the needle attempts to align with magnetic field lines that are not parallel to the Earth’s surface – a phenomenon known as magnetic dip.

To counteract this, sophisticated compasses use a tiny counterweight to balance the needle. In the Northern Hemisphere, the weight is placed on the “tail” (the south-pointing end), while Southern Hemisphere models are weighted on the “arrow” (the north-pointing end) to pull it down and keep it level. This mechanical balance is the primary reason why a compass designed for one hemisphere may not function accurately in the other.

Get your Suunto 90-years Anniversary Gift Box here – limited special offer

Yacht Delivery & VAT Reset

Request

Explore marine compasses at West Marine

SamBoat – rent a boat anywhere in the world

Helly Hansen: explore professional-grade sailing gear for your next adventure

Yacht Delivery & VAT Reset

Request