There is a myth that Polynesian seafarers could navigate with their testicles. While this might seem an over exaggeration, there is in fact method to the madness; Pacific navigators were so tuned into the motion of their vessels that they could feel subtle changes in the canoe, either judging that they were going off course or that an island still out of sight was affecting the swell, giving them a clue which way to steer. In this article we will explore how you can tune into your boat and use many of these techniques to get a better understanding of what’s happening around you.
Before we get carried away with how you can achieve these remarkable skills, let us start with the fundamentals of swell. When wind blows
