Navigating with Sheep Shelters
The island of Texel off the coast of Holland is a windswept and interesting place. Sheep farming is an important part of the rural economy.…
Category: Sea
What is a Stationary or Standing Wave?
A stationary or standing wave forms when water is pulled back against the flow by gravity. When water flows over an underwater ledge and then…
Water Accelerates When It Passes Through a Narrow Gap
Water Accelerates When It Passes Through a Narrow Gap. This is why we put our thumb over the end of a hose when we want…
Nature Junkie Radio
A new podcast interview: https://www.naturejunkielife.com/naturejunkieradio/tristangooley
The Effect of Air Pressure on Tide Heights
High air pressure leads to lower than expected tides. The opposite is also true: low air pressure leads to higher than expected tides. We can…
What is Clapotis?
When waves reflect back off a sea wall, they meet more incoming waves and this can set up a totally new wave pattern called ‘clapotis’…
Longshot Leaders Podcast Interview
I had a fun chat with Michael Stein for his podcast, you can listen via the link below. https://michaelsteinmedia.com/lsl-podcasts/tristan-gooley/
RSGS Honorary Fellowship
After a whirlwind tour of Kirkcaldy, Edinburgh and Glasgow for RSGS talks early last week, I’m back in Sussex. At the end of my talk…
Quite Frankly Navigating with Nature Interview
Really enjoyed this chat about navigating with nature with Frank Val of Quite Frankly podcast. It was a wide-ranging chat and we covered a lot…
What are Rill Marks in the Sand?
Rill marks are distinctive patterns formed on sandy beaches as water flows downhill after the tide has fallen. As the tide rises over a sandy…
Back from Iceland
I’m back from an intense and rewarding research trip to Iceland. I’ve just added some of my favourite clues, signs and other observations to The…
How to Use Your Hands to See Underwater
When we look at water angles are important. Looking across the water, at shallow angles, we see mostly reflections – the colour of the water…
How Can I Tell If A Cloud Will Bring Rain?
Is it going to rain? What a popular question. The key to longer-term forecasts lies in studying changes in clouds and fronts over hours, but…
Index of How to Read a Tree
Below is the full Index of the book, How to Read a Tree. Return to the Book. adaptability of roots 127-9, 134-6 ageing of bark…
Clues and Signs in Nature: Northern and Southern Hemisphere
I receive quite a few emails asking whether my books are relevant for readers in the Southern Hemisphere. The answer is ‘yes’, but only if…
Constant Bearing, Constant Danger
What does “constant bearing, constant danger” mean? And why does it sometimes lead to a very dangerous problem? This expression is a neat abbreviation of…
Seabiscuit Gets Dunked
My thanks to Ellen Grieve for sharing her extraordinary experience in this guest blog: It was just an ordinary Friday night in November for this…
The Gower Peninsula
I’m recently back from a 4-day series of natural navigation exercises on the wonderful Gower Peninsula, in South Wales. To see photos and videos of…
We Have Left the Darkest Two Months
In the northern hemisphere, we have left the darkest two months of the year. The next time the sun rises exactly behind that tree again…
BUMPER HOLIDAYS PUZZLE
Here is a bumper photo puzzle that went out in my newsletter email earlier this month (you can sign up for that at the bottom…
Navigating by Sea Swells off Foula, Shetland
Here is a lovely nod to sailors navigating by sea swells off the Shetland Isles – it is rare to find reference to this swell…