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Does your story feature sailing?

I've uploaded a copy of Bowditch's Practical Navigator (published in 1802) to the following link:

Mega File Upload - The_Improved_Practical_Navigator.pdf

It has information on navigation, of course, and also use of instrumentation etc. Also cool is the list of sailing terminology that starts on page 262. Enjoy!
Thank! I've got a group of major characters that are a few chapters away from an ocean voyage!

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Nope. I had to read a book about that Bowditch dude for school once...hated it! But I might look at the Practical Navigator...for curiosity purposes.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
A fairly interesting read is Joseph Conrad's series entitled The Mirror of the Sea, available among other places at Project Gutenberg (which if you don't know, you should!)
Error 403
Not technical, but wonderful details.

Patrick O'Brian is excellent, of course, but you need to wade through pages of fiction. Not useful for quick reference. So thanks for the Bowditch!
 

Steerpike

Felis amatus
Moderator
A fairly interesting read is Joseph Conrad's series entitled The Mirror of the Sea, available among other places at Project Gutenberg (which if you don't know, you should!)
Error 403
Not technical, but wonderful details.

Patrick O'Brian is excellent, of course, but you need to wade through pages of fiction. Not useful for quick reference. So thanks for the Bowditch!

Conrad is among my all-time favorites, but I have not read that work.
 

skip.knox

toujours gai, archie
Moderator
Weird that the link shows a 403. But the link is good.

Yeah, Conrad is one of my heroes. That's why, when I stumbled over Mirror of the Sea, I jumped on it. The first entry is fun, if a little dry, but some of the later articles have marvelous descriptions of different ships, and a memorable account of sailing up the Thames. All in all, it's a snapshot of British ships at the very end of the age of sail.
 
I do have plans for an offshoot of my main story, most of which is gonna take place on the ocean, so this is definitely gonna come in handy :D I love high seas fantasy. Pirates of Dark Water was one of my favorite cartoons growing up :p
 
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