Nautical Books

Below you will find a list of that I've found all excellent candidates for a cruising sailor's library. Not just books on sailing and crusing, but also books that are just fun to read, like Parrothead and Travis McGee novels, and Jimmy Buffett CD's. I've chosen to link with Amazon.com because of it's well-earned reputation for honesty and good service. Since many great books on sailing and cruising are no longer in print, the willingness of Amazon.com to make the extra effort to find these books is another reason for my choice. Under terms of my agreement with Amazon.com, I will objectively review selected books about sailing and cruising. Links from each review will go directly to Amazon.com for handling. Most books are sold at a 20 to 30 percent discount from the publisher's price, and all are sold with the Amazon.com money-back guarantee; you also have my personal guarantee that I'll intervene in the very unlikely event of any dispute. Payment may be handled by credit card or by telephone. Books are all shipped Priority Mail. ANY and ALL profits of mine from providing this service will be donated to support the Save the Manatee Club.

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	SEAMANSHIP

The Annapolis Book of Seamanship by John Rousmaniere, Mark Smith (Illustrator) "A complete and thorough guide to every aspect of sailboat handling by a leading expert in offshore sailing. Chapters include the boat and her environment, safety, navigation, and self-sufficiency." - mp

Chapman's Nautical Guides : Knots, by Brion Toss, Gae Pilon (Illustrator) "A nice little basic introduction to the important knots and their use by a good writer." - mh.

	Chapman Piloting : Seamanship & Small Boat Handling (63rd) by Elbert S. Maloney, Charles Frederic Chapman The basic handbook of seamanship every yachtsman should have. From ettiquette to "how-to's" of everything to do with boats.

The Complete Rigger's Apprentice : Tools and Techniques for Modern and Traditional Rigging, by Brion Toss "The more sophisticated aspects of rope and lines." - mh

One Hand for Yourself One for the Ship : The Essentials of Single Handed Sailing, by Tristan Jones "The best book on singlehanding. Jones is opinionated and eccentric to say the least, and old fashioned as well. He is a sailor of vast experience, however, and has many good ideas." - cw

The Perfect Storm : A True Story of Men Against the Sea, by Sebastian Junger. This was the storm of 1991; the "perfect storm" with waves 100 feet high. Exciting for those on land....terrifying for those caught at sea. "Read Perfect Storm. Pretty scary in parts and if you can ingnore all the plot development, a sober look at what can happen when you have to go out to seain all sorts of weather." - Yacht-L

Oceanography and Seamanship, by William G. Van Dorn, Richard Van Dorn (Illustrator) "This is a great book, basics of winds, waves, tides, etc. for the first half and practical applications to small boating in the second half." - Yacht-L

Survivor, by Michael Greenwald "The part of it you don't want to think about but must. Mainly about liferaft survival, but also covers many other topics concerned with safety and emergencies including medical procedures. Highly recommended." - mh

	SAILING	Back to top

The Art and Science of Sails : A Guide to Modern Materials, Construction, Aerodynamics, Upkeep, and Use, by Tom Whidden, Michael Levitt

At one with the sea, by Naomi James In June 1978 Naomi james became the first woman to sail around the world via cape Horn and in the fastest time ever. The daughter of a New Zealand sheep farmer, newly married and with only two years' sailing experience behind her she made sailing history.

The Aubrey / Maturin Series by Patrick O'Brian

The Boating Bible : An Essential Handbook for Every Sailor, by Jim Murrant, Hardcover, 320 pages

Capsized, by James Nelepka, Steven Callahan Enroute from New Zealand to Tonga in a trimaran, four inexperienced sailors have to survive for 119 days trapped within the hull after a capsize. While about sailing, this book is heavy on the social interaction between four people in a stressful, life threatening environment.

The Complete Sailor : Learning the Art of Sailing, by David Seidman, Kelly Mulford (Illustrator), Paperback

Desperate Voyage, by John Caldwell "In May, 1946 John Caldwell, stranded in Panama after the war, set out for Sydney to rejoin his wife, Mary, whom he had not seen since their three-day honeymoon over a year before. Unable to secure any other form of transport, he had to resort to single-handed seamanship. After an ignominious scene in the harbor, where a tangled anchor led him to take an early dip, he spent ten days learning from a book the rudiments of navigation and sailing, before embarking on the 9,000-mile journey aboard the 29-foot Pagan..."

Fastnet, Force 10, by John Rousmaniere "Fascinating, absolutely riveting book. It tells the story of the 79 Fastnet race from the perspective of the participants, by one of the participants. His story gives a different view than most of the general media reports, by somebody who was there." - mp Hardcover, 287 pages, Paperback

A Field Guide to Sailboats, by Richard M. Sherwood "This little book lists about 250 types of boats, from Dyer Dhows up to Columbia 50s. They are mostly ones that are in current production, and some of them are so painful to the eye that you want to know their names only in order to avoid them. Each page gives a drawing of the boat, with arrows pointing to distinctive features, and a long paragraph of text describing the boat. There's also basic info like tankage, sail area, displacement, length overall, waterline length, etc." - jfh

Fundamentals of Sailing, Cruising, and Racing, by Steve Colgate, Hardcover

The Handbook of Sailing, by Bob Bond, Paperback, 352 pages

Heavy Weather Sailing, 30th Anniversary Edition, by K. Adlard Coles, Peter Bruce. This fifth edition is the most thorough revision since the book's first publication. Twenty-one of the book's 31 chapters are new, and include contributions from famously experienced sailors such as Olin Stephens, John Shuttleworth, Mike Golding, Robin Knox Johnson, and Val Haigh. Peter Bruce himself has contributed seven chapters. Four chapters deal with multihulls, and one wilth powerboats. Although two-thirds of the book is brand-new and eight of the remaining 11 chapters are heavily revised, Heavy Weather Sailing retains the mix of actual storm survival stories with expert analysis and advice.

High Performance Sailing, by Frank Bethwaite "The book is about 400 pages with four sections on the wind, water, boat development, and how to use what you have." - ab "it would appear to be the very best on the subject, supported by serious research data rather than conjecture." - jfh

Let Me Survive : A True Story, by Louise Longo, Marie-Therese Cuny This book teaches a very valuable lesson: to never abandon your boat unless you are sure it is sinking. Louise Longo makes the mistake of abandoning too early, only to have to watch her daughter die two weeks later of thirst. Trajically, ten days before rescue the boat was found afloat. Hardcover, 160 pages

Life in Nelson's Navy (Bluejacket Books), by Dudley Pope "A great book that should be of interest to any Aubrey/Maturin or Horatio Hornblower fans. It's "Life in Nelson's Navy," by Dudley Pope. Similar to "Men-Of-War: Life in Nelson's Navy" by Patrick O'Brian, but much more detailed and descriptive. You wouldn't believe, for example, just how many trees it took to make a 74 gun ship. Or, for that matter, what percentage of sailors back then died of disease, vs those who died in battle. Highly recommended." - Yacht-L

Logbook for Grace : whaling brig Daisy, 1912-1913, by Robert Cushman Murphy The authors dedication (to the boat) on the fly leaf of this book has stuck with me: 'Without Grace's clairvoyance in 1911 ... the meaning of my opportunity would have gone unrealized: no voyage, no salty yarn, only different, less stimulating paths toward a career'." - Yacht-L

The Magic of the Swatchways, by Maurice Griffiths, F. B. Harnack (Illustrator), Paperback, 240 pages

Men-Of-War : Life in Nelson's Navy, by Patrick O'Brian "The author of the acclaimed Aubrey/Maturin historical sea novels presents a concise, profusely illustrated description of daily life in Nelson's navy, including anecdotes about the battles and commanders that established Britain's naval supremacy."

N by E, by Rockwell Kent "An interesting journal of a small sailing voyage in and around the seas by Greenland. And, terrific pictures -- woodcuts by this well known painter of Greenland and boats." - Yacht-L

Royce's Sailing Illustrated : The Sailors Bible Since '56 , by Patrick M. Royce "A compact little book with a lot of info in it, including descriptions and pictures of sloops, schooners, marconi rigs, gaff rigs, etc., in other words, a general intro to the styles of boats that are around (although it doesn't get into the distinctions between a brig and a bark, etc., but these rarely come up in day-to-day harbor scans)." - cw

Sailing Alone; Around the World (Coastline Collection, vol. 0), by Joshua Slocum Though I haven't personally seen it, I've been told this is a much more thorough and attractive edition than the one listed below.

Sailing Alone Around the World, by Joshua Slocum, Victor Slocum More in love with the sea than being ashore, Joshua Slocum becomes the first man to circumnavigate the world singlehanded, making a living carrying and bartering trade items.

The Sailing Yacht by Juan Baader. Hard to find but well worth it if you can.

Swallows and Amazons, by Arthur Ransome "This book and its companions were the 'stuff' of my childhood. I couldn't get enough of them. In fact the stories of Arthur Ransome opened up the whole world of literature to me. Now I know that I can obtain them again, I look forward to reading and recommending them all over again."

	NAVIGATION	Back to top

Boater's Bowditch : The Small-Craft American Practical Navigator, by Richard Keith Hubbard, Hardcover, 384 pages

Celestial for the Cruising Navigator, by Merle B Turner, Paperback

Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen, by Mary Blewitt "Widely regarded as the best self-teaching book on celestial navigation. A cook-book approach to HO-249." - cw

Dutton's Navigation and Piloting, by Elbert Maloney, Benjamin Dutton, Hardcover

A Star to Steer Her by : A Self-Teaching Guide to Offshore Navigation, by Edward Bergin "Another highly regarded self teaching book on celestial navigation, this one based on HO-229." - cw

	LIVING ABOARD	Back to top

	Gently With the Tides : The Best of Living Aboard, by Michael L. Frankel (Editor), Paperback

The Liveaboard Report : A Boat Dweller's Guide to What Works and What Doesn't, by Charlie Wing

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