One practical reason for having a compass mounted on a kayak is not
navigational. A compass can aid in determining a boat's drift relative
to the direction you're going. So, assuming you're headed for that
point of land over there, and you keep pointed at it but your compass
heading changes, that usually indicates a corresponding shift in the
current. Which is always good to know about.

seaward wrote:
One practical reason for having a compass mounted on a kayak is not
navigational. A compass can aid in determining a boat's drift relative
to the direction you're going. So, assuming you're headed for that
point of land over there, and you keep pointed at it but your compass
heading changes, that usually indicates a corresponding shift in the
current. Which is always good to know about.

Sure, but how is that "not navigational"? It's all navigation, just
different aspects of it.