I Can Smell It!

I was in a maritime seminar ten years back. The theme was ‘Ancient versus Modern Navigation’.

Admiral Awati, a seventy year old charming gentleman was the coordinator. It was apparent that the speakers had prepared well for the seminar. One of the topics which had just been presented was ‘Colour of the Sea’. It detailed how the ancient navigators ascertained their position from the colour of the sea.

Awati had a booming voice and a demeanour befitting a sailor. With flowing white beard he had an arresting presence on the dais.

He was relating his own experience how as a young lieutenant in the early sixties he was piloting a warship from Africa to Bombay. In those days navigating in the open sea could only be done with the help of astronomical sights.

For three days the sky was overcast. The stars, sun and the moon were all hidden. Ship was running on DR. Landfall was already overdue. There were lookouts high up on the crows nest and right ahead on the foxle. The navigator, Awati had not slept for 48 hours at a stretch.

When the Captain entered the Bridge the first question he asked young Awati was “Where are we?”

Awati stepped out to the bridge wings and searched the horizon with his binoculars for many minutes. He came in and buried his head into the radar hood. The precious radar was being intermittently switched on and off. The manual claimed 24 miles range but the radar had never picked up anything, including high cliffs, beyond 12 miles. Then he went behind the curtains on the chart table where he proceeded to roll the heavy brass parallel ruler across the chart spread out. When he couldn’t delay any longer he stepped out and announced

“We are 20 miles from Prong’s Reef light off Bombay.”

“How do you say that?” asked the Captain.

With low visibility, overcast skies and no radar echoes how could anyone be sure about his position?

“I can smell it” said Awati referring to the distinctly pungent odour which hangs in the air off Bombay. Thus adding smell as yet another aid to navigation.

With the advent of precise satellite navigation, which does not tolerate even a few meters error here and there all other forms of navigation has become obsolete.

Navigators of the old had to soak in their surroundings. Everything including colour of the sea, shape of the horizon, pattern of the stars, smell in the air went into consideration for ascertaining the position.

No one looks into the water nowadays. A pity. Because you miss out on all the life teeming inside there.

Pick up a glass of water from the sea. If you look into it carefully you will see minute creatures floating around. Planktons. I once saw a zoo-plankton in the form of a miniature shark clearly visible under a magnifying glass. From these minute life-forms the chain moves upward till you have giant squids and mammoth blue whales.

One of the joys in life is yachting where you can put your hands down and feel the sea water. Peek into the depths and you might see exotic tropical fish lazily swimming around.

Navigators of big ships miss out on these simple pleasures.

A pity!