NavList:

Richard Langley brought attention to the following abstract of a paper in
the latest issue of The Journal of Navigation.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard B. Langley" <lang@unb.ca>
To: <NavList@fer3.com>
Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 7:12 PM
Subject: [NavList] Paper by Bill and Merri Carter

RIN members might want to be on the lookout for a paper in the latest issue
of The Journal of Navigation:

http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7896219

Title and abstract:
The Age of Sail: A Time when the Fortunes of Nations and Lives of  Seamen
Literally Turned with the Winds Their Ships Encountered at Sea

This paper examines the evidence to support the view that the inability of
seamen to determine accurate longitude at sea in sailing ships was a major
factor in the loss of ships and crews that was effectively solved by the
introduction of the marine chronometer. It concludes that this was not the
case and that a more compelling factor for the safety of ships was the
introduction of mechanical propulsion systems.

-- Richard Langley

=========

From that, I deduce that Richard has read the abstract, but not the paper
itself, though he doesn't say so.

Frank Reed followed that with another posting on the same subject, from
which I deduce that he has not read the paper either, but he doesn't say
so.

I have read it, and subsequently had quite a bit of correspondence with one
of the authors, Bill Carter.

My advice to Navlist members is that the should not bother with this paper,
which does not fulfil the promise of its abstract. If anyone would like to
discuss it in more detail, I would be quite happy to take it further, but
otherwise it does not seem to me to be worth the expenditure of digital
dots.

George.

contact George Huxtable, at  george@hux.me.uk
or at +44 1865 820222 (from UK, 01865 820222)
or at 1 Sandy Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK.