Chronicles the author's first transatlantic voyage, when he learned to navigate using a sextant, and traces how this indispensible navigational tool was used by daring mariners to explore and map the world.

Looks at the early development of navigation, examining how ancient humans discovered the secrets of wind, tides, and stars that allowed them to make long voyages that profoundly changed human civilization.

A blend of Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel and Simon Winchester's Pacific, a thrilling intellectual detective story that looks deep into the past to uncover who first settled the islands of the remote Pacific, where they came from, how they got there, and how we know. For more than a millennium, Polynesians have occupied the remotest islands in the Pacific Ocean, a vast triangle stretching from Hawaii to New Zealand to Easter Island. Until...

In many ways this is a very unlikely story. Even now after being involved for over 28 years, I still find it hard to believe it was actually done. The main idea was done plus a host of other adventures. That is not to say there weren't any problems, but one way or another we got over them and continued on. A lot can happen in 28 years. This sailing dream came out of thin air, and it required spending money and time I really didn't think I had. And,...

A fictionalized biography of the mathematician and astronomer who realized his childhood desire to become a ship's captain and authored The American Practical Navigator.

"Part of the nonfiction Orca Timeline series for middle-grade readers, this illustrated book examines how humans have navigated the world over time."--

"Great Ships on the Great Lakes is a highly accessible maritime history of the Great Lakes for the upper elementary classroom, with an emphasis on Michigan and Wisconsin"-Provided by publisher.