Nautical Wisdom
A Maritime Miscellany
Will be published approx. on 13. October 2026
Book
Hardback
128 pages
978-1-78494-731-6 (ISBN)
Description
Did you know that Nelson was pickled in brandy or that ships can get stuck in windless waters known as the Doldrums? The perfect book to dip or deep dive into, Nautical Wisdom is packed with facts about the oceans' natural phenomena, its extraordinary flora and fauna, the ships that have sailed its oceans and seas, as well as stories about pirates and legends about mermaids. Readers will be immersed in all sorts of information ranging from the scientific and historic to the weird and fantastical - they can also learn how to make the perfect paper boat.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
GMC Publications
Product notice
Cloth
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 148 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78494-731-6 (9781784947316)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Nic Compton is a writer and photographer specializing in sailing. After an idyllic childhood on boats in the Mediterranean, he returned to the UK at age 14 to complete his formal education. He studied Journalism at City University and eventually became deputy editor and then editor of Classic Boat magazine from 1994 to 2000. Since then, he has travelled the world as a writer and photographer, contributing to a variety of magazines, and has written 15 books mostly about boats. He currently lives by the River Dart in Devon, UK, from where he sails a Romilly 22 called Ramona. More information at www.niccompton.co.uk.
Content
1. THE SEA
Seven Seas & Five Oceans - the geography of the world's oceans
Doggerland - how the world's coastlines have changes over millennia
Negative Ions - health-giving properties of the sea
Nature's illusions - eg Flying Dutchman, Fata Morgana, St Elmo's fire
Does drinking salt water really drive you mad?
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch - and how to get rid of it
2. WEATHER & TIDES
The UKs Shipping Forecast
How do tides work?
What are the Trade Winds / Roaring Forties / Doldrums?
Do rogue waves really exist?
How to read the weather
Weather rhymes
3. FLORA & FAUNA
The Sargasso Sea and the great eel migration
Ocean bird migration routes
Adopt a whale
Do giant squids really exist?
Who was Moby Dick?
Poisonous fish to avoid
Which seaweeds can you eat?
4. SHIPS & SAILORS
Sailing rigs - from dinghy to full-rigged ship
Life on board
The Spice Route
The Middle Passage
The Modern Shipping Routes
Ten legendary ships
Ten greatest sailors
Ten fiercest pirates
Shipwrecks of the world
Titanic myths debunked
How to make a paper boat
5. NAVIGATION & SEAMANSHIP
Finding longitude
The only six knots you'll ever need
What is dead reckoning?
Navigating without charts
Signal flags, morse code & buoyage
How to build a Stevenson lighthouse
Why a ship's 'log' gives a reading in 'knots'
Why GPS is deliberately inaccurate
6. STORIES & SUPERSTITION
Is the Bermuda triangle real?
Mermaids & selkies
The real story behind the TikTok shanty song Wellerman
Why do sailors wear ear rings? Was Nelson really pickled in brandy?
The sea word 1: list of expressions derived from nautical terms
The sea word 2: list of nautical sayings (could be scattered randomly throughout the book)
Seven Seas & Five Oceans - the geography of the world's oceans
Doggerland - how the world's coastlines have changes over millennia
Negative Ions - health-giving properties of the sea
Nature's illusions - eg Flying Dutchman, Fata Morgana, St Elmo's fire
Does drinking salt water really drive you mad?
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch - and how to get rid of it
2. WEATHER & TIDES
The UKs Shipping Forecast
How do tides work?
What are the Trade Winds / Roaring Forties / Doldrums?
Do rogue waves really exist?
How to read the weather
Weather rhymes
3. FLORA & FAUNA
The Sargasso Sea and the great eel migration
Ocean bird migration routes
Adopt a whale
Do giant squids really exist?
Who was Moby Dick?
Poisonous fish to avoid
Which seaweeds can you eat?
4. SHIPS & SAILORS
Sailing rigs - from dinghy to full-rigged ship
Life on board
The Spice Route
The Middle Passage
The Modern Shipping Routes
Ten legendary ships
Ten greatest sailors
Ten fiercest pirates
Shipwrecks of the world
Titanic myths debunked
How to make a paper boat
5. NAVIGATION & SEAMANSHIP
Finding longitude
The only six knots you'll ever need
What is dead reckoning?
Navigating without charts
Signal flags, morse code & buoyage
How to build a Stevenson lighthouse
Why a ship's 'log' gives a reading in 'knots'
Why GPS is deliberately inaccurate
6. STORIES & SUPERSTITION
Is the Bermuda triangle real?
Mermaids & selkies
The real story behind the TikTok shanty song Wellerman
Why do sailors wear ear rings? Was Nelson really pickled in brandy?
The sea word 1: list of expressions derived from nautical terms
The sea word 2: list of nautical sayings (could be scattered randomly throughout the book)