The Barefoot Navigator [Paperback]

The Barefoot Navigator is a cleverly written little book that combines the history of the ancient art of navigation with the practical application of those techniques today.Ever wonder how the Polynesians managed to find their way throughout the Pacific? And what about the Vikings? Even if they would have stopped to ask for directions, no one had any. There were no navigation instruments or charts. This book investigates their navigation capabilities and shows you how practical, technology-free navigation can be used to enhance modern navigation. Interesting stuff!The navigation skills of the ancients were legendary yet seem to pale in comparison with modern technology and navigation researchbut The Barefoot Navigator: Navigating with the Skills of the Ancients offers up an important survey of these early skills, and applies them to modern times. From how to analyze clouds and currents to determine direction to how 21st century sailors can integrate these techniques with modern equipment, any sailor will find The Barefoot Navigator intriguing.[Lagan's] returned to square one: the skills of the ancients, who found tiny islands hundreds of miles away by discerning the amplitude, wave-length, and direction of the seas; the positions of stars and constellations; the size and behavior of seabirds; and the like. The Barefoot Navigator is an exciting read that makes a compelling argument: To navigate better and with greater satisfaction, sailors must learn more about the sea around them.Here is a fascinating handbook on a navigation that relies on your 5 senses and your knowledge of the sea and the sky. In an era of GPS and radar, Jack Lagan imparts the secrets of an increasingly scarce skill, a skill that can save your life when machines fail.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 slÃa