Readers are able to appreciate the seafarer’s method of keeping watch as the Nautical Institute’s October journal The Navigator (N°19) explores the important role of a ship’s lookout, and the challenges which arise on duty.

Discussion begins with Captain Rajiv Singh who investigates the mechanisms by which the human eye works, and how these affect our effectiveness as lookouts. Later, Captain Trevor Bailey offers valuable insight into watchkeeping on the bridge by considering not just optical observation, but radar, AIS and the magic of the navigator’s intuition.