David Burch, the director of the Starpath School of Navigation in Seattle, Washington, has been teaching navigation and seamanship since 1977. He has logged more than 60,000 sea miles, including three wins in the trans-Pacific Victoria to Maui yacht race. He is the author of nine books on marine navigation, including Emergency Navigation (International Marine, 1984), and his magazine articles have appeared in "Cruising World, Ocean Navigator, Sailing", and "Sea Kayaker". He holds a U.S. Coast Guard Master's license (100 tons). He is also a past Fulbright Scholar and holds a PhD in physics.