The Barefoot Navigator: Wayfinding with the Skills of the Ancients

The Barefoot Navigator introduces the navigation skills of the ancients--methods using the sun, sea, wind, and stars, and even the flight patterns of ocean birds. The Barefoot Navigator also shows today's sailors how to apply these methods to augment--and in the case of emergency, replace-their modern navigation systems. And it not just for emergencies--sometimes it is just plain fun to create a simple astrolabe or polar stick and confirm what your GPS tells you.

Polynesians managed to populate an area of ocean larger than North America simply by analyzing clouds, currents, and wind direction--how did they do it? In the first portion of The Barefoot Navigator Lagan introduces these ancient seafarers and their powerful, accurate--and seemingly simple--navigation techniques. We also learn that the Vikings routinely traveled on the notorious stretches of water between Iceland, Greenland, and Scandinavia--no charts, no GPS; it seems mind-boggling but Lagan shows us how. The second section of The Barefoot Navigator teaches how to combine these ancient techniques--and even construct the simple devices if we desire-with today's modern navigational devices, especially in emergency situations (loss of power, loss of signal), to ensure a constant grasp on your vessel's location--no matter what.

Interlacing fascinating history with useful advice and enjoyable writing, The Barefoot Navigator is unlike every other navigation reference out there.

Jack Lagan has been sailing since the 1960s on everything from fourteen-foot dinghies to thirty-meter Baltic Traders, in all corners of the world. When not living aboard, fitting navigation systems, and delivering yachts, he is a writer and documentary filmmaker.