The distance to the horizon in miles is 1.17 times the aquare root of the height of the ‘eye in feet’. Example 10 feet up equals the square root of 10 X 1.17 which is approximately 14 miles.
So the higher the lookout (’eye’), the sooner we spot land, thus the lookout in a sailing ship (’Crows Nest’) Deck - 4 miles - Mast Top - 14 miles.
Editor: Gordon Martin | Category: Sea Navigation