Human Magnetoreception
LIKE MANY OFFSHORE SAILORS ON WATCH AT NIGHT, I DWELL on all kinds of things. On clear nights in the Northern Hemisphere, I consistently look up at the North Star, roughly gauge its angle and orientation above the dark horizon and compare it with our GPS latitude. A quick look at the magnetic steering compass reassures me we’re on course. It’s not that I don’t trust our GPS or our compass; the North Star reminds me of an earlier time in life when, with an accurate clock, sextant, tables and all, I navigated our sloop safely on long passages without electronics. As we drift away from traditional offshore navigation skills, I’m reminded that perhaps there was a time in history when human beings were able to determine direction without the aid of a magnetic compass.
Man has long been amazed at animal and bird navigation. How do they migrate and find their way for thousands of miles? Think about the size of hummingbird and butterfly brains. Carrier pigeons are particularly amazing — they can find their way back to their home roost from faraway places they had never previously visited.
Denne historien er fra November/December 2017-utgaven av Ocean Navigator.
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Denne historien er fra November/December 2017-utgaven av Ocean Navigator.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Stay Connected
Satellite phones have evolved a full ecosystem of gear and services
Respecting Paradise
Thoughts on voyaging responsibly
Yankee sails on
The steel ketch Yankee in the Connecticut River.
TRANSPAC RACE PREP
How a group of determined mostly military veterans built a race team
NOAA upgrades its global weather model
More data and a better global weather model should make for improved weather distributed to users, like this temperature gradient map.
From North Sea fishing to Sea of Cortez voyaging
The former Dutch fishing vessel turned power voyaging yacht Varnebank in Mexican waters.
Chatter Chartroom
IN 2019, MY HUSBAND, DOUG PASNIK, AND I RACED OUR first Transpac together with a team of 10 on our Andrews 70, Trader, comprised primarily of military veterans (see story on page 22). This year we are doing the race again and inviting four mentees from The Magenta Project to race with us.
Doing it all with one screen
The steering station on this Gunboat cat is equipped with large-screen B&G Zeus MFDs.
Don't scrimp when it comes to the crimp
Solid crimp connections make your power voyager’s electrical system more reliable.
Chartroom Chatter
Maritime Publishing acquires Ocean Navigator
