Every month we have a drawing and give away a FREE video to a mailing list subscriber.
The lucky winner gets to choose any video they like from the Bennett Marine Video website.
Recent winners have picked the videos:
"Outboard Marine Engines"
"Top Gun-High Performance Boat Handling"
"How to Wire Line Troll"
"Powerboat Handling Twin Screw"
"This is the best video we've seen." U.S. Sailing Association
Go offshore aboard a 40ft. sailboat for an exciting look at heavy weather sailing techniques and tactics. Join Warren Luhrs, Steve Dashew, John Neal and other top sailors as they talk about steering in large seas, heavy air sail trim, personal protection and storm tactics.
Find incredible bargains. While supplies last, you can pick up titles like "Beginning Board Sailing", "Escape Under Sail",
"Adventure in Baja", and "The Virgin Atlantic Challenge" on sale for $9.99 each!
Ask Mr. Boating Guy
Mr. Boating Guy,
I know the Ancient Mariners used the stars to navigate. I, however, have my radar and gps to get about.
I'm interested in how they managed to travel such long distances without accurate charts. Modern Mariner
16th century navigators found their latitude with an instrument called a
'cross-staff' that traced the position of Polaris.
They used the nocturnal, or night disc, to calculate the time of night,
locating Polaris through a hole in the center of the instrument and then
calibrating its position to Ursa Major or Ursa Minor.
Ancient Polynesian navigators used the stars to discover the Pacific islands, crossing the open ocean in their canoes, without the use of clocks or scientific instruments.
The Polynesian Voyaging Society
has recreated their voyages, using replicas of ancient canoes,
traditional wayfinding techniques,
and the Hawaiian Star Compass,
to orient the canoe to the rising and setting points of stars.
