Hafvilla - Loss of one's course at sea

From Crosby’s "Ecological Imperialism"

“Even so, hafvilla is a word that appears often in the sagas. It means the loss of all sense of direction at sea, a state that could last for days or even weeks, even, we may suppose, to death.”

Some more here:

Hafvilla: A Note on Norse Navigation

Hafvilla

I may take the phrase “All available means” too literally but with an instance of hafvilla it would apply.

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