This book is a compilation of all the formulae that a mariner is commonly called upon to use but the exact workings of which he has perhaps forgotten. For each subject category, the author states the basic parameters in narrative form, often including a figure, graph, chart, diagram, or table, and then provides accompanying equations and their amplifications. Although some formulae that are simpler in format are propounded in other texts, many of those formulae lead to confusion in that “special rules†must be applied to them in order to obtain a correct answer. However, the rules applied to the formulae in this book work for all problems. In a great circle sailing situation, for example, the fact of whether the vertex is ahead of you or behind you does not matter—if you apply the rule(s) given in this book, you will get the correct answer. Another important feature of the book is its devotion of over ten pages of material to the international system of units (S.I.)

This book is a compilation of all the formulae that a mariner is commonly called upon to use but the exact workings of which he has perhaps forgotten. For each subject category, the author states the basic parameters in narrative form, often including a figure, graph, chart, diagram, or table, and then provides accompanying equations and their amplifications. Although some formulae that are simpler in format are propounded in other texts, many of those formulae lead to confusion in that âeoespecial rulesâe must be applied to them in order to obtain a correct answer. However, the rules applied to the formulae in this book work for all problems. In a great circle sailing situation, for example, the fact of whether the vertex is ahead of you or behind you does not matter--if you apply the rule(s) given in this book, you will get the correct answer. Another important feature of the book is its devotion of over ten pages of material to the international system of units (S.I.)

Whereas numerous tomes of comprehensive studies of navigation and related subjects are readily available for the professional navigator, there is dearth of publications suitable for the amateur navigator in a "how-to" form. Furthermore, the appearance of relatively inexpensive electronic devices, such as the GPS, has lured would-be navigators away from the traditional methods of navigation, in spite of the warnings offered by the companies producing these devices. Thus they overlook the "sine qua non" of good navigation, the determination of the current velocity, that is the set and drift. Once determined this component of the navigational triangle makes precise navigation a snap, whereas without it there is only uncertainty. Most students are turned off by the need to acquire a practical application of basic formulae employing basic trigonometry and later spherical trigonometry, methods which have evolved over the centuries from the beginning of the Age of Exploration in the early 1400's to modern days. In this text we develop the knowledge and application of these mathematical processes in such a way as to reassure the student that these techniques are not beyond his capabilities.

Since humans first traded upon the sea, seafaring has been a lonely and dangerous business, sometimes fraught with such diverse challenges as unhinged crew members, unsafe ships, power-crazed captains, and a violent ocean. This was true in the twentieth century as well. In a fascinating narrative, seasoned master mariner Christopher McMahon offers true depictions of life aboard some of the more than twenty merchant ships he sailed on that were engaged in worldwide trade during the 1970s and 1980s. With candid detail, McMahon paints a vivid picture of life at sea while sharing tales about the ships and crews supporting the growth of a global economy. His stories, sometimes shocking but always entertaining, reflect the reality of seafaring in decades past while also pointing to the magic and mystery of the sea and to the enchantment that has always drawn humans to sailing the oceans of the world. Throughout his accounts, McMahon shines an important light on the critical role the merchant marine plays in the strategic and economic health of America. Into a Gale’s Full Fury shares a glimpse into life at sea on merchant ships in the later part of the 20th century with tales of raging storms, bizarre captains and crews, piracy, and the magic of the sea.

Mariners Weather Log contains articles, news and information about marine weather events and phenomenon, storms at sea, weather forecasting, the NWS Voluntary Observing Ship (VOS) Program, Port Meteorological Officers (PMOs), cooperating ships officers, and their vessels. It provides meteorological information to the maritime community, and contains a comprehensive chronicle on marine weather. It recognizes ships officers for their efforts as voluntary weather observers, and allows NWS to maintain contact with and communicate with over 10,000 shipboard observers (ships officers) in the merchant marine, NOAA Corps, Coast Guard, Navy, etc.

Discover the cognitive tools that lead to creative thinking and problem-solving with this “well-written and easy-to-follow” guide (Library Journal). Explore the “thinking tools” of extraordinary people, from Albert Einstein and Jane Goodall to Mozart and Virginia Woolf, and learn how you can practice the same imaginative skills to become your creative best. With engaging narratives and examples, Robert and Michèle Root-Bernstein investigate cognitive tools such as observing, recognizing patterns, modeling, playing, and more. Sparks of Genius is “a clever, detailed and demanding fitness program for the creative mind” and a groundbreaking guidebook for anyone interested in imaginative thinking, lifelong learning, and transdisciplinary education (Kirkus Reviews). “How different the painter at the easel and the physicist in the laboratory! Yet the Root-Bernsteins recognize the deep-down similarity of all creative thinking, whether in art or science. They demonstrate this similarity by comparing the accounts that various pioneers and inventors have left of their own creative processes: for Picasso just as for Einstein, for Klee just as for Feynman, the creative impulse always begins in vision, in emotion, in intuition. . . . With a lavishly illustrated chapter devoted to each tool, readers quickly realize just how far the imagination can stretch.” —Booklist “A powerful book . . . Sparks of Genius presents radically different ways of approaching problems.” —American Scientist