by David Barrie
and voyage of the Beagle, 211, 215
Newfoundland, 89
Newgrange, Ireland, 23
Newton, Isaac, 31, 60, 67, 73, 300n12
nighttime visibility at sea, 15–16
“noble savage” literary concept, 114
Noir Island, 53, 206
Nootka Sound, 138–39, 146, 152–53
Norfolk, 162–63
Norfolk Island, 133
Norie, J. W., 83
Normandy, 5
North Atlantic, 5, 49, 87
North Pacific, xv
North Sea, 302n2
Northern Light, 227
Northwest Passage, 87, 87n, 150–51, 167–68
Nouvelle-Cythère (New Cythera), 118
Nova Scotia, 9, 15
Nuestra Señora de Covadonga, 55–56
Nuka Hiva (Nukahiva), 236, 236n
nutation, 58n
Oahu, 152
observatories, 60, 226
occultation of stars, 65n
ocean currents, 34
octant, 32
The Odyssey (Homer), 16–17
On the Origin of Species (Darwin), 217
Orkney Islands, 61, 302n2
Otway, Robert, 200
Otway Water, 202
Owen, William Fitzwilliam, 299n9
Pacific Islanders, 118, 262–65. See also Polynesian navigation
Pacific Northwest, 143
Pacific Ocean, 87, 233–36. See also specific locations
Pandora, 43–44, 134
Papua New Guinea, 158
parallax, 76, 300n6
Paris Observatory, 65
Parliament (British), xvii, 215
Pasley, Thomas, 159
pendulum clocks, 59, 63, 65
Peru, xiv, 210
Philip II, 62
Philip III, 62, 64
Philippines, xiv, 55–56, 126
Piailug, 263
Picard, Jean, 60, 65
Pitcairn Island, 1, 44
Pitt, Thomas, 142–43, 155–56
Plains of Abraham, Battle of, 10
planets, 16
Pleiades, 17, 24, 271
pocket watches, 146
Polaris
and Alcyone’s crossing to Azores, 273–74
and altitude/latitude relationship, 25, 25–26, 26n, 57
and animal migrations, 23
and Nautical Almanac star charts, 16
Shakespeare on, 26–27n
pollution, 47
Polo, Marco, 27
Polynesian navigation, xix, 118, 262–65, 303n1
Polynesian Triangle, 90
Porpoise, 177–80
Port Dalrymple, 162
Port Discovery, 149
Port Famine, 196–97, 199–200
Port Jackson, 159–61, 163, 166–67, 172–75, 180–81
Port Royal, 304n16
Port Tamar, 229
Portland Yacht Club, 8
Portuguese navigators, 27–28, 58–59
Practical Navigator (Moore), 237
The Practice of Navigation and Nautical Astronomy (Raper), 83–84, 221
precession of equinoxes, 58n
predecessors of the sextant, 27–32
prehistoric humans, 23–24, 284–85
prime meridian, 59
Prince of Wales, 45, 301n1
Prinz Eugen, 301n1
prizes for longitude solution, 62–66, 67, 75, 78
Providence, 157–58, 159
provisions for sea journeys
and Alcyone’s crossing to Azores, 271
and Cook’s explorations, 89, 94, 95
and Mendaña’s explorations, xiv
and preparations for Atlantic crossing, 11
and routine at sea, 48
and the Shackleton expedition, 242–43
Ptolemy, 17, 58
“PZX Triangle,” 69, 71
Quadra, Don Juan Francisco de la Bodega y, 152–53
quadrants, xv, 35, 61, 66, 105, 125
Quebec, 10
Queensland, 97, 173
Quirós, Pedro Fernández de, xvi
Raban, Jonathan, 142
radar, 9, 268
radio communication
and Lloyd’s Register of Ships, 219n
radio direction-finding (RDF), 5, 9, 46, 47, 267, 268, 273
radiotelephones, 46–47
reach of BBC broadcasts, 193
and Saecwen’s Atlantic crossing, 137, 218–19, 219n, 240
and safety at sea, xiii
and time signatures, 226
The Rake’s Progress (Hogarth), 66
Ramillies, 51
Ramsden, Jesse, 75
Raper, Henry, 83–84, 221
reflecting circle, 74, 188, 188n
reflecting quadrant, 31, 31–32
Regulus, 274
relativity theory, 279
relevance of celestial navigation, 282
Reliance, 159–60, 168
religion, xiii–xiv
Requisite Tables, 80, 82
Resolution
and Bligh’s background, 37
and Cook’s explorations, 90–91, 93, 94
in Kamchatka, 129
in New Zealand, 106–7
timekeeping equipment of, 104
and Vancouver’s career, 138, 145–46
revival of interest in sextants, xx
Richards, George, 217
Riddle of the Sands (Childers), 240
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Coleridge), 104
Ring of Brodgar, 303n7
Rio de Janeiro, 211
Ripple Passage, 151
“The Roar” (sandbank), 167
Robinson Crusoe (Defoe), 159, 232
Robinson Crusoe Island, 54–55
Roches Douvres reef, 7
Roden Crater, 283–84
Rogers, Jeremy, 270
Rolla, 181
Roman culture, 58, 303n1
Rossel Island, 120
“rotator log,” 233
Round Island, 267
Royal Naval Academy, 82
Royal Naval College, 200, 226
Royal Naval Reserve, 241
Royal Navy
and Bougainville’s explorations, 115
and Cook’s explorations, 88
and hydrography, 86
and marine chronometers, 226
and McMullin, 6
officer salaries, 82
and the Shackleton expedition, 242
and the Straits of Magellan, 194
royal observatories, 60, 65, 187
Royal Society
and Bougainville’s explorations, 113
and Cook’s explorations, 88, 89, 94
Harrison proposed for admission, 78
and La Pérouse’s explorations, 125
and lunar-distance method, 76
and Vancouver’s explorations, 154
“running survey” method, 96, 146, 169, 203
Ruskin, John, 269–70
Russian Empire, 129
Sable Island, 13, 14–15, 229
Saecwen
and close passing of other ships, 122–23
landfall in England, 267–70
McMullin’s acquisition of, 5–7
navigation equipment, 45–47, 68–70
and North Atlantic weather, 109–13
and preparations for Atlantic crossing, 8, 11–12
and “rotator log,” 233
“sag,” 34
Sailing Alone Around the World (Slocum), 229–30
Sakhalin, 126
Samoa, 129, 238
San Cristóbal, xv
Sands, Bobby, 274
Santa Clara, São Miguel, 276
Santa Cruz Islands, xviii, 134
Santa Isabel, xv
São Miguel, 275–76
satellite navigation systems, 279–83, 299n11, 302n3. See also Global Positioning System (GPS)
satellite phones, 219, 272
Saturn, 274
Schoute
n, Willem Corneliszoon, 194
Scilly, Isles of, 33, 33n, 50, 62, 267, 268
Scorpio, 254
Scotland, 5
scurvy
and Anson’s explorations, 52, 54
and Bougainville’s explorations, 121
and Flinders’s explorations, 172, 175
and La Pérouse’s explorations, 127, 131–32, 133
and Mendaña’s explorations, xv
prevention of, 302n10
sea mounts, 4
seals, 23
seaman’s quadrant, 29–30
seasickness, 13
seasons, 58
The Seasons (Thomson), 199
sedentary lifestyles, 285
self-steering mechanisms, 48, 137, 302n4
Selkirk, Alexander, 232
Seven Years’ War, 10
sextants
and Alcyone’s crossing to Azores, 271, 272, 275
and altitude of Polaris, 25
and Bligh’s explorations, 38
contrasted with GPS, 280
and Cook’s explorations, 105
design and operation of, 19–21
and double-reflection principle, 30
early versions of, 31–32, 300n12
estimating user error, 311n8
first working model, 74–75
and Flinders’s explorations, 188, 188n
and hydrographic surveys, 61
and La Pérouse’s explorations, 125, 136
and land-based exploration, xx
and lunar-distance method, 82
operation described, 300n6
precision of, 265
predecessors of, 27–32
and Saecwen’s navigation equipment, 50
and Shackleton expedition, 243, 248, 252, 254, 262
and Slocum’s circumnavigation, 233–36
and solutions to longitude problem, 66
types of, 18–19
and the U.S. Navy, 282
use of term, 299n8
and Vancouver’s explorations, 146
and voyage of the Beagle, 198, 208–9
and zenith distance, 19
Shackleton, Ernest
crossing of South Georgia Island, 259–60
escape from pack ice, 247–50
James Caird journey, 251–59
and loss of Endurance, 244–47
organization of expedition, 241–42
and rescue of expedition members, 260–61
stranded in pack ice, 241–44
use of celestial navigation, xviii
Shakespeare, William, 26, 26n
sharks, 47
Shipping Forecast (BBC Radio), 217
ship’s logs, 48, 48n
shoals, 4–5
Shovell, Cloudesley, 50, 62, 268
sight-reduction tables, 223–24, 272
single-handed sailing, 313n22. See also Slocum, Joshua
Skyring, William, 201
Skyring Water, 202
“skyspaces,” 283–84
Slocum, Joshua, xviii, xix, 22, 57, 207, 227–38
small-boat voyages, xx
Smalls Lighthouse, 219–20, 219n
Solander, Daniel, 89
solar declination, 28, 58, 237
solar flares, 282–83
Solomon Islands, xvi–xvii, 121, 125, 133–34, 196–97n
soundings, 4–5, 267
South America Pilot, 231
South Atlantic, 92
South China Sea, 280
South Georgia Island, 92, 242, 251, 255–59, 262
South Pacific, 90, 105
South Sandwich Islands, 92
South Seas, 87
southern continent debate, 87, 93
Southern Cross, 253
Southern Hemisphere, 168
Southern Ocean, 92–93, 240, 255
Spain, 85, 138–39, 147, 149–53
Spanish Armament, 138–39
“Spanish Ladies” (song), 33n
spherical geometry, 69
Spice Islands, 194
spiritual significance of celestial navigation, 286–87
Spray, xviii, 207, 227–38
St. Agnes, 50
St. Helena, 75–76, 76n, 82, 106
St. Lawrence River, 10, 89
St. Martin’s Cove, 208
St. Petersburg Academy, 73
St. Pierre, 11
St. Vincent, 158
Star of Gladness, 263
Staten Island, 209
station pointers, 62
steering compasses, 49–50, 170
“Stella Maris,” 27. See also Polaris
Sterne, Laurence, 191
Stevenson, Robert Louis, 238
Stokes, Pringle, 195–201
Stonehenge, 23–24
storm warning systems, 216
Strait of Juan de Fuca, 147
Straits of Magellan
Admiralty chart, 234–35
and Bougainville’s explorations, 115
discovery of, 194–95
and FitzRoy’s travels, 216
and Port Famine, 199–200
and Slocum’s circumnavigation, 229
and voyage of the Beagle, 201–2, 204–5
Stromness, South Georgia, 260
submarine telegraph cables, 84, 226
summer solstice, 23–24
Summer Triangle, 16
Sumner, Thomas, 219–22
Sumner Line, 222
sun, 20, 20–21, 26, 69, 233, 274, 300n6
sun compasses, 23
Supplement to the Voyage of Bougainville (Diderot), 114
supplies for sea voyages. See provisions for sea journeys
surveys, 11
Surville, Jean de, xvi
Swallow, 115, 121
Swift, Jonathan, 168–69n
Sydney, Australia, 163
Tahiti
accuracy of location for, 62n
and Bligh’s explorations, 43, 158
and Bougainville’s explorations, 115–18
and Cook’s explorations, 88, 90–91
and Flinders’s explorations, 188
and mutiny of Bounty crew, 37
and Polynesian navigational skills, 263, 264
and Vancouver’s explorations, 144
and voyage of the Beagle, 211
Tail of the Bank, 22, 36
Taiwan, 126
Tamar Bay, 196
Tamar River, 162
Tanamo, 219, 219n, 269
tangent screw, 75
Tasmania, 135, 161–63, 169n, 171
telegraph, 84, 215–16, 226
theodolites, 146, 169, 207
Thetis, 200, 212–14
Thistle, John, 170
Thomson, James, 199
tides and tidal currents
Agulhas Current, 182
and astronomy, 24–25
Bass Strait, 161
and Batavia wreck, 51
Cape Horn, 53–54
and Cook’s explorations, 97
and dead reckoning, 34
and departures, 272
and early humans, 23
Elephant Island, 249
English Channel, 5, 167
Great Barrier Reef, 100–101
Gulf Stream, 18
and La Pérouse’s explorations, 127, 132, 143
Labrador Current, 18
and lunar motion, 25–26
Mont St. Michel, 3, 15n
and natural navigation methods, 314n27
Pacific Northwest, 143, 147–48, 149, 151–53
and pack ice, 242
and position errors, 267–68, 275
and satellite navigation, 282
Straits of Magellan, 203, 206, 229
and Thetis wreck, 214
Torres Strait, 158
and voyage of the Beagle, 212
Tierra del Fuego
and Anson’s explorations, 53
and Bougainville’s explorations, 115
and Cook’s explorations, 92
disc
overy of, 194–95
and voyage of the Beagle, 201, 203–8, 204–5
Timor, 39, 42–43, 175
tin clock, 228, 236
Tinian, 55
Titanic, 45
Tofoa (Tofua), 38, 41
Tom Thumb, 160
Tonga Islands, 37, 91, 133
Torres Strait
and Bligh’s explorations, 41, 158
and Bougainville’s explorations, 120
and Cook’s explorations, 103
and Flinders’s explorations, 173–74, 175, 178, 182
and Slocum’s circumnavigation, 238
tourism, 95
trade routes, 139, 168
Trafalgar, Battle of, 147n
transatlantic cruises, 7
Transit of Venus, 75, 88, 268
TRANSIT satellite system, 281
“Traverses” of St. Lawrence River, 10
treasure ships, 55–56
Treatise on Maritim Surveying (Mackenzie), 61
triangulation, 4–5, 61–62, 169, 239
trigonometry, 197
Trim (Flinders’s cat), 190–92
Tristram Shandy (Sterne), 191
Tropic of Capricorn, 23, 29
true north, 4, 27, 27n
Tukopia, 134
Tupia, 264
Turrell, James, 283–84
Tuskar Rock lighthouse, 220
Tutuila, 129
Two-Handed Transatlantic Race, 271
typhus, 52
urbanization, 285
Urville, Jules Dumont d’, 136
U.S. Navy, 282
Ushant, 33, 33n
Valdés y Flores, Cayetano, 147, 147n
Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania), 135, 161–63, 164–65, 168–69n, 171
Vancouver, British Columbia, 156, 308n18
Vancouver, George
background of, 138–39
and crew problems, 142–43
death, 156
and geopolitical issues, 138–39, 147, 152–53
navigation aids, 146
navigational skills of, 145–48
and Pacific Northwest explorations, 141–56
promotions, 138–39
on unreliability of charts, 140
Vancouver Island, 141
Vanikoro, 134–36
Vaz de Camões, Luís, 28–29
Vega, 16, 275
Venus, 75, 88, 268
vernier scale, 32, 75
Véron, Pierre-Antoine, 114, 119
VHF radios, 272
Victoria, Australia, 189
Victoria, British Columbia, 156
Voyage autour du monde (Bougainville), 113–14
Wales, William, 103–4, 105, 106, 145–46
“Walker” log, 46, 271
Wallis, Samuel, 62n, 115
watches
and Alcyone’s crossing to Azores, 273–74
and Cook’s explorations, 105–7
H4 model, 66–67, 78–80, 102, 104
K1 model, 103, 106–7
K3 model, 146
and La Pérouse’s explorations, 125
and Vancouver’s explorations, 146
and voyage of the Beagle, 212
See also chronometers; clocks
wave patterns, 263–64
The Weather Book (FitzRoy), 216
weather prediction, 206