The Lo-Tech Navigator - Softcover

Crowley, Tony

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0954275039 ISBN 13: 9780954275037

Publisher: Gardners Books, 2004

Today, with the rapid advances in science and technology, increasing numbers of sailors and boat owners venture across the world's oceans relying almost entirely on electronic aids and global positioning systems. In the unfortunate event of damage by electric storm, equipment failure, disruption by a truculent government or space junk, they may be left struggling to master the mysteries of celestial navigation and, like the flying Dutchman, doomed forever to circle the globe. Many of the ideas which are presented in this book are intended for the benefit of those sailors who wish to be less dependent on modern and expensive equipment and who want to discover how the early navigators found their way safely across vast oceans. In the first part of the book, several gadgets are presented which focus on pilotage skills, the use of charts and the management of tidal and other information. The second half is devoted to the basics of navigating by the sun and the stars and how to make a selection of traditional instruments.

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About the Author:

Tony Crowley, a former merchant navy officer, learned to sail as a boy in Egypt using an abandoned seaplane float. He is the author of The Sailing Quiz Book and various magazine and journal articles, in Britain and the USA, on emergency and traditional navigation.

Review:

In an age when Global Positioning Systems, fluxgate compasses, radar and sonar depth sounders can interface with laptop computers, Tony Crowley's The Lo-Tech Navigator is a refreshing return to basics. Without oversimplifying, this book explains the principles behind how navigational instruments work. Readers learn how to construct equipment as simple as a compass using a dish of water and a tin can lid, or as complex as a working octant. The book explains sun navigation and the tools used to practice it. Would you believe an empty audiocassette case can function as your sextant or that you can use your finders to determine the exact points of a compass? Also included are interesting stories and quizzes that test your knowledge of boating, sailing and navigation. Filled with practical knowledge and ingenuity, The Lo-Tech Navigator is a great book to have in your ship's library. (The Ensign)

The Lo-Tech Navigator is a straightforward and practical guide to navigating at sea without the use of modern computers and advanced navigational devices. Such devices are useful, but sometimes they fail; and sometimes sailors can't afford such roots to begin with. The Lo-Tech Navigator discusses how to build and use simple compasses, sextants, and other simple tools that can cultivate navigational skills while saving hundreds of dollars. The basic mathematical formulas for calculating such things as longitude are described with examples. Color photographs and poetry related to seafaring sprinkle amid this superb resource, recommended for all sea voyagers - it's always good to back up one's aids and gadgets with good old-fashioned knowledge. (Library Bookwatch)

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