stones and stars

On his first day, Mr. Piailug took stones from the garden and made a map of the stars on the ground, Mr. Thompson said. Slowly, he learned to pay attention to ocean currents and read the weather from the color of the light at dawn.
Laura Parker, "A Hawaiian Canoe Crosses the Ocean, Guided by Sun and Stars." NYT 11/2/2015. The Hokule’a (“star of gladness”) will travel 60,000 nautical miles using wayfinding, "a traditional navigational technique that relies on gauging the position of the sun, moon and stars, taking into account variations in ocean currents and wave patterns and even the behavior of fish and birds."