Tristan Gooley is the only living person to have both sailed and flown solo across the Atlantic. He is also the Natural Navigator. I have followed his blog for some time. He has a book too: The Natural Navigator - A Watchful Explorer's Guide to a Nearly Forgotten Skill.
Natural navigation is essentially the art of finding your way by using nature, but Tristan's book goes much further than that and describes a strikingly seductive approach to connecting with the natural world. For Tristan, natural navigation is not just about rediscovering the navigational techniques used by ancient civilizations or primitive peoples, although you will find plenty of such knowledge in the book. It is also much more for him than learning a few survival tricks, although there is advice in his book that might save your life the next time you find yourself lost in the desert or the arctic wastes. The deeper meaning of natural navigation, which Tristan explains in this book, is about opening all your senses to the information around you in nature and opening your mind to understanding that information in new ways that will enhance your appreciation of this fascinating world in which we live.
Tristan's book is at the same time comprehensive and intriguing. He covers the subject of natural navigation from every angle you can imagine: directional signs that can be seen on the land and in plant life; understanding the apparent motions of the sun, the moon and the stars and how they can be used in navigation; techniques that can be used at sea based on the wind, waves, tides, currents, swells, the color of the ocean, clouds, smell, taste, even navigating underwater; and what can be learned from animal life. There seems to be no end to Tristan's curiosity into discovering navigational signs in nature. On his blog this month he has been exploring what can be learned from the directions of flight of flying fish!
The book is filled with delightful anecdotes that illustrate and enliven many of the navigational ideas suggested. I learned so many amazing facts along the way. The "bird poo compass" for example. The evidence that there is a human magnetic sense of direction. The navigational use of a man's testicles. Or the advice on establishing latitude during an ocean crossing offered to the author by an old hand on that route, "Head south until the butter melts and then turn right." I could go on...
Don't buy this book because you are too cheap to buy a GPS or a compass. Tristan is not a Luddite who is advocating you abandon all technical aids to navigation.
But do buy this book if you want a deeper appreciation of the amazingly varied signs in the natural world that are aids to answering the fundamental questions of life: "Where the hell am I?" and "Which way is home?" Or just buy it to enjoy an entertaining and stimulating read curled up by your fireside. Either way you won't be disappointed.
10 comments:
Has it gone on sale here in the States now?
Yes. It was published in the US in January. Available on amazon.com via that link in my post. (I'm not an Amazon affiliate so I have no vested interest in whether you buy it on Amazon or elsewhere or not at all for that matter.)
Thanks! I knew it was coming here, but I wasn't sure when.
A word to the wise to anyone who participates (or would like to participate) in our group writing projects: you might want to hold off for a little while before buying this book as I will be giving away a copy as a prize in the next group writing project, to be announced shortly.
Anyone else, can go and buy a copy now!
Spot on review! Tristan's book was an excellent read, one in the tradition of Harold Gatty's "Finding Your Way Without Map or Compass."
I'm resisting the temptation to use the internets to find where I can buy this book.
I've discovered that by inspecting discarded receipts in shopping mall parking lots I can learn what is being sold in the stores there.
And following a trail of those receipts upwind eventually leads to the stores themselves.
O Docker, I think you need to write the companion volume to Tristan's book. You could call it The Urban Navigator. There are so many ancient methods of navigation known to city dwellers: the rumble of the subway, the smell of the fishmarket, understanding the school bus routes, seeing the direction of contrails from aircraft in the sky, which side of skyscrapers are the dirtiest, hearing the direction of the sirens of ambulances and fire trucks, seeing which side of the street hasn't had its garbage collected today... the possibilities are endless.
The smell of urine always leads me to the subway.
Good one Baydog.
Keep thinking along these lines people. It could come in useful for the upcoming group writing project.
I read the book earlier in the year and agree with everything you say. It's a facinating read. I hope Tristan gets the opportunity to do some talks on this side of the pond.
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