How do you think sailors on Planetos navigate the high seas? I would think any star-based navigation is out of the question since it is dependent on reliable records and predictive modeling of the nights sky (that assumes the seasons are still the result of the angle of Planetos’ axis in relation to the sun, as IRL). The unreliable seasons also lead me to conclude that trade winds are out of the question and with them any reliablilty on the wind for long distance trade. Love the blog and essays

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Well, for the most part, they don’t – most naval travel in Planetos follows the coastlines as opposed to deep sea voyages, although the Summer Islanders are an exception to that rule. 

The seasons are not the result of the angle of the axis, but rather the result of magic. Given the maesters’ intense focus on astronomy and their use of it in trying to detect if not predict the changes in the seasons, for example, I think star-based navigation is quite viable.

And I don’t think the seasons affect the trade winds at all.