MEN against the sea 
19 
To use wind or current advantageously, two things are re- 
quired : 
(a) Knowledge of the direction you wish to go. 
(b) Knowledge of the direction of wind and current. 
Certain types of life rafts are now being equipped with charts 
printed on water-resistant paper. They show the direction of 
prevailing winds and currents at different periods of the year as 
well as land and water areas. To use them it will be necessary 
to have a general idea of your position at the time you hit the 
water. In the case of aircraft, as has been said, it is the respon- 
sibility of the officers to give out this information in the event 
of a forced landing. But just in case they might be unlucky 
in the landing it is a good idea to carry a rough — necessarily 
very rough — log of over-water flights in your mind, whatever 
your duty in a plane crew may be. 
For example, suppose you were en route from Pearl Harbor 
to San Francisco. If your departure time was 1500 one day and 
you expected to reach the mainland about 1000 the next, but 
were forced down about daybreak, which would be the best way 
to head? You should be closer to the mainland, and even 
if there were no one to tell you exactly where you were, it 
would be easy to figure that your best bet would be to work over 
toward the east wdiere there would be plenty of land. 
The wind and current map may not have reached your outfit 
on the date you need it most. Or the plane captain may have 
it stuck in his bunk instead of the raft you find yourself in. 
Therefore, form the habit of studying maps and charts of the 
area in which you are operating. Get a general picture in your 
mind of the locations of lands and islands in the vicinity. We 
hope the information will never come in handy, but it might. 
