The Barefoot Navigator is the most innovative book about marine
navigation for decades. Jack Lagan believes there is nothing so valuable
at sea as standing on a deck and just knowing where you are using
special knowledge about the sea and the sky and using your senses--in
other words, practical technology-free navigation. Part 1 looks at the
navigation achievements of the ancient seafarers--the Pacific islanders,
the Vikings, the Phoenicians, the Arabs and the Chinese. Just how did
the South Pacific islanders manage to populate every habitable island in
an area bigger than North America? And did the Phoenicians really
circumnavigate Africa 2,000 years before Vasco de Gama? Part 2 explains
how to use the wind, swell, sun and stars to estimate position and hold
a course. And how sea breezes, isolated clouds and seabirds can make a
landfall safer. Part 3. shows how you can use DIY devices to calculate
latitude, obtain bearings and estimate longitude. Part 4 describes how
all these techniques can be used in survival situations The Barefoot
Navigator is about wayfinding from what you can see around you and what
you have in your head. It will fascinate navigators and landlubbers
alike.
