### L1079 mental models for sailing > This is etak, a system of expressing distance used by pilots who well know that the notion of a stationary canoe is a fiction. They work with mental images, with a bearing of a reference island to the side of their course. Thus, the imagery of the star bearing set on the horizon that shows the position of a moving island is entirely logical as a navigational device. In this way the navigator minimizes the number of moving systems around him. He mentally allows the canoe and stars to remain stationary while the islands move around in a perception of the ocean that enables him to know he has reached his destination when the reference island has the same bearing from the canoe as it does from his destination island. Etak is a timeless exercise, for the duration of longer passages across open ocean is not an important consideration for navigators whose primary concern is to reach their “target,” not how long it takes to get there. Reminds me of Amazon trail game. Also I really like how this isn't presented as a "primitive foolishness" thing but rather just as a useful mental model. - [[Beyond the Blue Horizon by Brian Fagan#L1079 mental models for sailing|View in Vault]]