Some multihull news

[Gringo]

Perusing the BBC online today I came across some multihull news...of a different flavor than the newest condomaran..etc:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8628185.stm

and from the island of Yap...some celestial navigation tips:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8322725.stm

"It is part of an attempt to revive traditional sailing skills. These include navigating without instruments or maps."


well, true enough, the original polynesians didn't have compasses or astrolabes or sextants, but they had an intimate, deep knowledge of the sea and the skies; i wonder how well prepared these crews are to do as their ancestors did.



also, the psychological element: the original explorers had no idea if/when they'd find land again -that takes a lot of guts. not like knowing there are, after all, ports to land on the other side of the trip, and the knowledge that safety and rescue crews are probably close at hand should things go wrong. still, an interesting piece of news.

[Maxingout]

My favorite navigational book of all time is called "Emergency Navigation" by David Burch. He discusses navigation by the sun, stars, swells, clouds and other techniques when you have no GPS or sextant. I have read his book many times.

Latitude sailing using the stars without any sophisticated instruments is not that difficult. But first you have to learn the stars. That's more of a big deal.

In the constellation of Orion, Orion's belt is on the celestial equator. That means when you are sailing on the equator, Orion's belt will rise due east, pass directly overhead, and set due west on the horizon. You can look at Orion's belt and figure out pretty easily your latitude by checking out the position of Orion's belt with only your eyes.

David Burch has lots of interesting facts about navigating without sophisticated instruments in his book.

[Talbot]

Merchant ship liferafts at about the time of the end of WW2 used to have a handbook which included a lot of navigation stuff that was lifted straight from polynesian skills.

David Henry Lewis wrote a number of books including the stories of his circumnavigation in an early Prout built catamaran "Rehu Moana" in the early 60s. He attempted to show how the polynesians navigated during part of the trip, and has described all of the skills in his book "We, the Navigators".

[44C]

Aparently they used to detect ocean currents by dangling their testicles in the water and feeling the temperture differences.

I think I'll stick to reading the temperature display on the sounder.

[Gringo]

yeah, one has to be on each side of the hull. I had to give it up when I moved up to catamarans.

Originally Posted by Gringo

yeah, one has to be on each side of the hull. I had to give it up when I moved up to catamarans.

ow!

[imagine2frolic]

http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/

The navigating Is called WAYFINDING. On my sail to Hawaii this summer I will seek out Wayfinders. The administrator of the Bishop Museum in Honolulu Naiona Thompson has been wayfinding for a couple of decades. A good read is THE LAST NAVIGATOR.

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Navigator.../dp/0070645744

I also plan to visit Hokule'a a replica of a 600 yr old Hawaiian sailing Canoe. If you take the time to read the PVS site you will see what has been accomplished with all these replicas. It's some awesome history for what we choose to sail.........i2f

[pir8ped]

Much as I appreciate this old-fashioned navigation stuff, there's an obvious way of navigation without using GPS and so on.

Aircraft trails are often conspicuous and their routes can be recognisable. I remember that going from the UK to the Canaries, we were under the plane's trails the whole time. We didn't have a GPS at the time, and I'd tweak the course at times to keep on track. Worked fine.

[FSMike]

I've heard that also works from California to Hawaii.

[Gringo]

I think I followed an airplane to Myrtle Beach once back in the 60's.

Unfortunately, I was trying to get to Galveston at the time.

[IreAneY]

Originally Posted by Gringo

yeah, one has to be on each side of the hull. I had to give it up when I moved up to catamarans.

why, no problem for us brits even on trimarans , also use them as fenders

[Gringo]

Originally Posted by ireaney

why, no problem for us brits even on trimarans , also use them as fenders

Yes, I had read a history of the decline of the British Empire, and remember the debate on that. One school of thought was that the Brits obviously should NEVER have attempted to stretch them that far, despite the constant goading and jeers of their Polynesian tormentors. The british tribes have never been known for their flexibility. Even the experiments in drawing and quartering were abyssmal failures.

And of course the present thinking on it still seems to be that they started being used as fenders about the time British women started going to sea with their husbands and making decisions on the deployment of everything from hemp to pipe tobacco.

[Talbot]

Originally Posted by Gringo

................ about the time British women started going to sea with their husbands and making decisions on the deployment of everything from hemp to pipe tobacco.

British Women were not only present at Trafalgar as camp followers, but there were a very small number who were actually officially serving (albeit pretending to be men).

They were known to have served the big guns on the warships at Trafalgar (and other battles at that time), and probably assisted in the boarding od french and spanish ships. - would you want an angry woman charging at you wielding a heavy cutlass?

[jkd]

Originally Posted by Talbot

- would you want an angry woman charging at you wielding a heavy cutlass?

Talbot,

Only those of us that have faced such horrifying moments across a divorce courtroom can truly appreciate the visual image and depth of fear this would bring!

John

[Gringo]

I absolutely believe that about the navy women. My second ex-wife was descended of Irish stock ( a Durgin) and I witnessed first hand, many many times, the sheer amount of damage she could do with an edged weapon.

She could wipe out entire departments using only the top edge of a MasterCard. I have seen strong, experienced sales managers brought to their knees in awe of the carnage she could cause in just a few moments of frenzied action.

[jkd]

Originally Posted by ireaney

why, no problem for us brits even on trimarans , also use them as fenders

Humm, didn't think brass was good fender material.:

John