The Colour and Shape of Navigation Marks
Most navigators, even inexperienced ones, learn that colours are important when trying to identify navigation marks at sea. And most people also know that there…
Tag: nautical navigation
What is a ‘Drying Height’ on a Chart?
The definition of a drying height: “The drying height is the vertical distance of the seabed that is exposed by the tide, above the sea water level at the lowest astronomical tide.” But this…
Transit Lines
My favourite signs always combine simplicity, elegance and practicality. They are often so effective that technology can’t improve on them. Cats’ Paws, the ruffled patterns…
How to Read Water
Clues & Patterns from Puddles to the Sea A New York Times Bestseller. A Sunday Times “Must Read” book. A must-have book for walkers, sailors,…
Wayfinding with the Polynesian Voyaging Society
Something a little different today – a guest blog. I am very grateful to Hye Jung Kim and all the team at Project Wayfinder for…
How to Read Wave Patterns at the Coast
I took this photo from the South West Coast Path in the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset, a few days ago. In it we can see…
Tidal Streams and Tidal currents
Some Thoughts on the difference between the terms ‘Tidal Streams’ and ‘Tidal Currents’ In the chapter, Currents and Tides, in my book, How to Read Water,…
The Colour of the Sea as a Map
For thousands of years, sailors have used the colour of the sea to help them make sense of the waters they travelled through. In many…
Viking Sunstones
The Economist have just published a letter I wrote to them regarding a recent academic article on Viking sunstones. In the following letter I put…
Nature and Technology
Following on from my last blog post about the windvane self-steering marvel, comes another wonderful piece of sailing technology. Although this one also works closely…
Windvane Self-Steering
Although microchips have a childlike tendency to steal our attention away from almost anything else, I am not against technology itself. Once we have steeled…
Greek Island Embarrassment
OK, it’s confession time. Again. I’m just back from a week’s holiday with my wife on the Greek island of Kefalonia. It was our first…
The Marine Quarterly
Congratulations to Sam LLewellyn on the launch of The Marine Quarterly. A more handsome nautical vessel would be hard to find. (The Marine Quarterly that…