How did Jack London learn celestial navigation?

During his 1907 South Pacific sailing adventure chronicled in his 1911 non-fiction book The Cruise of the Snark, author Jack London taught himself celestial navigation, boat handling, and sailing basics. Accompanied by his wife Charmian London and a small crew aboard his ketch the Snark, he documented these experiences and his visits to remote locations. These firsthand accounts offer a look into his journey and self-taught maritime skills.

What we know

• Jack London taught himself celestial navigation during his voyage across the south Pacific. [1, 2]
• The 1911 illustrated non-fiction book The Cruise of the Snark chronicles Jack London's 1907 sailing adventure. [1, 2]
• London sailed in his ketch named the Snark, accompanied by his wife Charmian London and a small crew. [1, 2]
• During the course of the adventure, London also taught himself the basics of sailing and of boats, describing these details to the reader. [1, 2]

Where to go next

• whenWhat was the route of the Cruise of the Snark?
• whoWho was Charmian London?
• whereWhat remote locations did Jack London visit in the South Pacific?
• how it workedHow does celestial navigation work at sea?
• the bigger pictureWhat other non-fiction books did Jack London write?
• an unexpected connectionHow is a Cold War cruise missile connected to Jack London's ketch?The U.S. Air Force SM-62 Snark intercontinental cruise missile was named after Jack London's ketch via a character from Lewis Carroll.

Sources

• [1]The Cruise of the Snark (Wikidata Q3207964) · CC0 1.0
• [2]The Cruise of the Snark · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]SM-62 Snark · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Missile guidance · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird · CC BY-SA 4.0