NavList:

I wanted to check with the history savants on this particular quote - I dug this from Eve Lawrence's book "The Haven Finding Art",  she doesn't cite the reference.   She says this comes from a Portuguese navigation treatise from 1519, and a passage that she gives a translation:

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Sailors reckon how far they have gone along the east-west line with the help of the hour-glass, counting what the ship has done each day and each night according to the way it makes for each hour of the glass.   And for a good reckoning one must judge by pacing what the ship’s way is.   But because this is a matter of judgment, the reckoning is uncertain.   For safety’s sake therefore it is better out of two reckonings to take the highest number of leagues rather than the lowest so that you do not come upon land before you expect it.   You should shorten sail and keep a good watch at night

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I liked this quote and was curious if anyone knew of similar quotes or of this practice.   In particular, I was reminded of Samuel Eliot Morrison's comment that Columbus kept two logs - one for the sailors and one for him, but the one for the sailors ended up being more accurate - words to that effect.   If it was really standard practice in the late 15th and early 16th century to keep two reckonings, that's an interesting piece of information.

Thanks in advance for any wisdom.

Best,

John Huth