10-11 / 86
February - March 2017
February - March 2017
10
11
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The author, a surfer and skipper of a 46’ sloop on the
Pacific Northwest Coast, begins his bookwith a falling
tide bringing near disaster to his sloop. Narrowly
avertedwith a good crew, hardwork, and a flood tide.
Traveling the world to witness the largest and most
unusual tides he digs deep into the mythology,
science, history and culture of he world’s tides and
The chapter on how harmonic convergence and
resonance affect tides differently in different locations
left me out of my depth, but convinced me that there is
more to the tides than meets the eye, or the ear.
What makes the books so enjoyable is“Whites”keen eye
for details. Pluckingmud shrimpat lowtide fromCanada’s
Bay of Fundy, (an important source for migrating sand
pipers), to the sights, sounds, and smells of an indigenous
community on Panamas east coast.
He also strikes an easy rapport with an engineer
overseeing the building of floodgates, protecting Venice,
Italy, to the monks of Mount Saint Michael in France who
are surrounded by the sea half the day and muddy land
the other half.
He delves into human’s attempt to understand the tides
through the ages, although themoons influence was well
known, the rest was speculation and myth. One of the
most imaginative myth’s is that of the Tlingit people of
Canada and Alaska where it was told..A raven, the great
sprit, and an old woman who lives in a cave strikes a deal
to allow the Tlingit to harvests the bounty of ebb tide.
Western understanding of tides came in fits and starts
with Pliny Natural History, one of the first written,
(and mostly wrong) explanation of tides. With the
beginning of modern science from Copernicus to
Galileo and finally Isaac Newton developing his laws of
physics. Motion and gravity playing it mysterious but
quantifiable role.
What sort of role the tidewill playproviding renewable
energy for the world is still being decided. Currently
contributing just two percent of the world’s electrical
output. Serious environmental and engineering
problem’s needed to be overcome for its immense
potential to be realized.
Through his book, Jonathan White infuses the reader
with his awe at the interconnectedness of the tide
with the solar system, humans and what he calls the
“Sprit of the Ocean”. For any reader of this magazines
Sea Tow tide charts they would be wise to read the
disclaimer in its masthead stating, “please be aware
these charts should not be considered the last word on
tide conditions at any given moment of point or time.”
After reading Jonathan whites “tides you’ll knowwhy!
the people who live with them. From the straights of
Magellan at the tip of South America where the Pacific
and Atlantic meet, to the 25 foot high tidal bore that
roars up China’s Qiantang River, often with fatal results,
with a foray under artic ice at low tide to forage for
clams and mussels with a native Inuit.
He deftly describes many of the factors or constituents
that affect any given tide and those constituents that
affect all tides. The apogee and perigee of the moon
and sun, familiar words from middle school earth
science, describes the celestial dance between earth,
moon and sun in their orbits. Other constituents to
name a few include sea floor topography, shoreline
geography and weather.
Reviewed
by
John Michael Vargo
Reserve Now for Spring 2017
Revi
F
or anyone with the least
curiosity about theworld’s tides
this well written and researched
book is a must read.