binnacle

noun, a built-in housing for a ship’s compass (COD)

“I’ve been fascinated with stories and things of the Island my whole life. I was privileged to hear most of them in the wheelhouse of the old Wolfe Islander, the previous boat to this one. Ever since I was able to walk, I’ve been a guest in the wheelhouse. I’d sit on the stool beside the binnacle, and I was privy to a lot of gossip, a lot of talk, and I learned what Wolfe Island was all about from that day on.”