The Phoenicians were extremely careful and secretive about their trade routes, discoveries, and their knowledge of winds and currents. They had two types of navigation; the first one was coastal navigation, which was usually a short daytime expedition between ports that were not more than 45 to 55 kilometres apart.
The second type of navigation was open sea navigation. This was used when the Phoenicians sailed to far-off destinations, when they cruised much farther out in open water. During such voyages, they always preferred to anchor safely during nights. When that was not possible, they would steer their ships trusting the Ursa Minor constellation.
Ursa Minor had been important in navigation because of Polaris, a fairly bright star in the constellation, approximately 434 light years from Earth. Ancient writers called Polaris the Phoenician Star.