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Clive Cooper wrote (under subject- "Star - Star Distances", which I've
re-threaded)-


George
I notice you are engaged in a forum regarding Polynesian Navigation: I' m
sure you would be aware of Dr David Lewis's studies(?) into this?. He
sailed a steel yacht which from memory was called "Icebird". He also wrote
a book. Forgive me if you know all that !

Cheers
Clive
===================

First, I would like to welcome Clive Cooper, from Western Australia, to our
gathering. He has posted before (about Ebbco sextants) from the message
board, but had difficuly in reading responses. Now I hope he will be fully
at home.

Second, I suggests that he uses his full name, or at least, not just Clive
anyway, as we have already one contributing Clive, Clive Sutherland.

He will get to know our ways, but it's useful to watch the subject heading,
and align it with the thread of the topic being discussed.  So, I've
switched the subject back to that of earlier postings, as "Polynesian
canoes set off from New Zealand to Raiatea (French Polynesia)". If Clive
takes a look at the message board, he can follow the thread of those
postings.

========================

Now to Clive's posting. Yes, I've read most of David Lewis' books, and I
think many others on Navlist have done so too.

Lewis was a fine navigator, and an adventurous one, who could tell a good
story. He was as well-qualified as any Western navigator to investigate the
mysteries of Polynesian navigation. However, fantasies have been woven
about that subject ever since the days af Cook and Tupia. In my own
opinion, Lewis could have been somewhat more sceptical, and the
navigational claims could have been tested more rigorously. But I make no
claim to be any sort of pundit about Polynesian navigational achievements,
which are as mysterious to me as they are to many others.

George.

   

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