Author: George Drower
Format: Paperback
Our Code: BK0323
Who saved thousands of lives with the invention of navigation lights? What is the story behind the invention of the compass? Who was Francis Beaufort and how did he come to devise the Beaufort wind scale, still used to this day? Many of us know the story of modern sailing pioneers - Francis Chichester and Ellen MacArthur, Claire Francis and the challengers of the Americas Cup - but what about those unsung heroes who invented the mechanisms and technology which enabled sailors to speed across the oceans and navigate more safely? This fascinating book reveals the extraordinary stories behind the apparatus which many sailors take for granted. From cloud classification and screw propellers to radio telephones and the measurement of tides, from the sextant to the first fibreglass boat, here is a collection of stories of the intrepid and ingenious that will inspire and intrigue sailors everywhere.