Knowing How to Go

Moving through marine environments is difficult for humans – oceans are shaped by winds, currents, and other moving systems which make simple pathfinding a complex task. Early modern maritime communities employed a wide range of tools and methods to navigate over water, far beyond the map and compass. This chapter focuses on the ways that early modern peoples made sense of ocean geographies and the methods they used to navigate. Cultural differences in understanding the marine environment are particularly visible in where and how navigation techniques broadly defined could and could not (or would not) be shared. This chapter begins with a discussion of the essential, moving elements of the ocean which shaped transportation, including wind, currents, depth, and tides. The rest of the chapter then unpacks the navigational tools commonly used in the early modern era. This includes practical sailing techniques, the use of machines like compasses, wayfinding sailing methods, and the history of maps and other marine charts.