Learn the Art of Barefoot Navigation
The Barefoot Offshore Sailing School is really excited about being able to offer this exclusive, no-tech/low-tech, barefoot navigation course.
We are the very first sailing school to offer this course and it we are launching the early bird price once this year! You can be one of the first to become a Barefoot Navigator! Be warned, places are limited to ensure you get the highest quality, learning experience. We’ve got you intrigued? Do you want to know more?
The Barefoot Navigator
Before we tell you about the course, we need to introduce you to Jack Lagan. Jack is the author of The Barefoot Navigator. Navigating with the skills of the Ancients, A, B, C – as well as a very experienced sailor and a film maker. In 2006 The Barefoot Navigator was nominated for the Mountbatten Maritime Prize,
Jack Lagan, award winning author
awarded annually “to the author of a distinguished publication that has made a significant contribution to maritime history”.
In his book The Barefoot Navigator, which is the cornerstone of the Barefoot Navigation Course, Jack first looks at how the ancients were able to navigate without the technology we take for granted today.
For example, how did the Polynesians manage to populate such a large area of the ocean by using clouds, stars, the sun, wind direction and sea birds? The second half of the book takes this ancient knowledge and applies it to modern day use.
The Objective
To support modern sailors to become not only better navigators but Barefoot pioneers!
We’ll let Jack explain the objective of the course in his own words;
“After the course you’ll be a much better navigator than you were when you first stepped onto the boat. You’ll boast new practical skills inherited from the seafarers of ancient times. With practice, you will become confident enough to stand on deck, look at the sky, look at the sea around you and just kind of know where you are. You will be a shaman of the sea. You will be a Barefoot Navigator.”
The Course
Pre-Study
The course is divided into 2 parts. The first part is the pre-study, or the theory. As well as Jack’s book, which will become your bible, you will have access to online eLearning material, specifically tailored for St Vincent and The Grenadines. Its user friendly with lots of graphics.
It’s interesting and not too heavy, plus you have the bonus of being able to work through it at your own pace. There are no exams!
The Practical
This is where it gets really exciting! The second stage of the course takes part on-board a yacht in The Grenadines. You get one week sailing around this beautiful part of the world whilst putting all you have learnt into practise.
And it gets better! Your instructor for the week is the Jack Lagan. Who better to help you than the author “The Barefoot Navigator”? And make sure you have your book for him to autograph.
Tobago Cays Marine Park – (Photo: Mark Pratley, Barefoot Yacht Charters)
The 3 Key Questions
The basis of the course is to help you to answer the 3 key questions:
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Where are we?
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How do we get to the next place?
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Why has the ocean become a zone of uncertainty?
To answer these questions, you will learn to use the indigenous birds in the area, persistent swell directions and the stars, plus other tips from our ancestors.
Wait! No Technology?
All our yachts come fully equipped with up to date navigational equipment. This course is not meant to usurp what we are fortunate to have, however, reliance on such aids can dumb down our instincts.
This course is meant as a supplement. Say, for example, and in the worst case scenario, you end up out at sea with an electronics failure. After completing this course you will have the confidence, the knowledge, and the skills to be able to reduce the zone of uncertainty regarding where you are and where you should be heading.
Plus, it is fun, it’s getting in touch with our ancestors, it’s going back to basics. It’s living a barefoot lifestyle!
The Details
This great opportunity to open to everyone from beginners to qualified sailors who want to enhance their sailing skills.
Places are limited so find more HERE or email info@barefootoffshore.com for more info on how you can secure your place using the early bird special for the January course! (early bird price available until 10 November 2016)
