Reference Books

Amazon description

Happy Hooking is a very readable book loaded with valuable information on anchoring tackle, anchoring technique, tying up and rafting, anchoring etiquette, as well as the occasional anecdote - simply stated a must have for any boater or sailor!

Unless you are far offshore, at some point or another you are going to need to park your boat. Just like knowing how to stop your car before you start is perhaps the most important part of driving, we feel that anchoring is perhaps the most important skill you can and should acquire in boating. Anchoring a boat can be a lovely dance in a harbor, or a painful and often embarrassing display of Homo sapiens’ inability to plan or communicate. We will endeavor to help you find a combination of tackle and technique best suited for your circumstances when anchoring your vessel.

By outlining how different anchors work, the pluses and minuses of different adjunctive pieces of equipment, the current thinking about how to deploy this equipment, and how to select an anchorage, we hope you will be armed with enough information to make some informed decisions about what might work best for you.

If you could take only one piece of advice from these pages with you on your travels, perhaps you will remember what Tommy Moran, an old salt in the West of Ireland, advised time and again: “Anchor as though you plan to stay for weeks, even if you intend to leave in an hour.”

Women and Cruising comments

An excellent overview of features and performance ratings on various anchors in use by today’s cruisers as well as a detailed examination of good anchoring prodedures for various situations.

Amazon description

Since the publication of the widely hailed first edition in 1983, The Annapolis Book of Seamanship has set the standard by which other books on sailing are measured. Used throughout America as a textbook in sailing schools and Power Squadrons, The Annapolis Book of Seamanship thoroughly and clearly covers the fundamental and advanced skills of modern sailing. This edition of Annapolis is a major overhaul. Over half the book has been revised; old topics and features have been updated, and many new ones have been introduced. The design has been modernized, and many color illustrations have been added.

As big and detailed as Annapolis is, the wealth of technical information (including dozens of step-by-step instructions) is presented here in a way that is uniquely readable; it's both useful and easy to use. This is because John Rousmaniere and artist Mark Smith bring to Annapolis decades of experience both as sailors and as professional communicators.

Annapolis emphasizes the standard skills and proven methods that eliminate error and confusion, ensure security in emergencies, and allow every sailor more time for enjoyment on the water. Much has changed on the water since 1983 when this book was originally published. Black buoys are now green, the Global Positioning Satellite navigation system (GPS) is almost universally used, new types of anchors and sails have appeared, safety skills and gear are vastly improved, many more women are commanding boats, and catamarans and trimarans are common where only monohulls used to sail.

But for all these modern developments, the basic skills and spirit of sailing have not changed at all. Sail trimming, keeping up steerageway, maintaining the dead reckoning plot, heaving-to -- these fundamentals are as important now as ever and receive much attention here. Among the innovations in this edition are:

* Basic skills in early chapters: Fundamental sailing and boat-handling skills and gear, which are introduced in chapters 1, 2, and 3.
* "Hands On" segments: Three dozen special sections, each devoted to a particular seamanship problem and an expert solution.
* More how-to tips: Additional rules of thumb that guide a crew quickly and successfully through seamanship problems.
* New coverage of multihulls: Advice on evaluating, anchoring, and handling catamarans and trimarans under sail (including in storms).
* More on emergencies: New material on emergencies, safety, and heavy-weather sailing, including a section on preparing a docked boat for a hurricane.
* Equipment updates: Expanded coverage of the use and care of modern gear and hardware, including radar, GPS, rescue devices, and asymmetrical spinnakers.
* Terminology: Full definition and illustration of major terms when they're first introduced, with alternative language provided in parentheses.
* Gender: The use of feminine personal pronouns, which reflect the fact that more women are captaining and sailing boats than ever before.

From navigation and seamanship to boat and gear maintenance, from pleasure cruising to heavy-weather sailing, here is the definitive, state-of-the-art guide that provides systematic step-by-step techniques to see you through every situation on deck and in the cockpit.

Amazon description

Find your way around the globe with expert advice

World Cruising Routes covers more than 1,000 sailing routes through the world’s oceans with descriptions of winds, currents and weather, chart recommendations, GPS waypoints, entry ports, navigational hazards, and more. This book is updated with information gathered from the author’s website, noonsite.com, as well as from his recent circumnavigation.

Amazon description

A handbook containing practical information on all aspects of cruising worldwide. Covering 187 maritime nations of the world, it provides details of ports of entry, customs requirements, clearance procedures, cruising permits, medical facilities, radio and satellite communications, and much more.

Amazon description

A complete reference for anyone contemplating sailing the Pacific in their own boat. From ideal timing, suitable boats, routes, methods of communication and provisioning to seasonal weather, departure and arrival ports, facilities, likely costs and dangers, the comprehensiveness of this new edition will both inspire dreamers and instill confidence in those about to depart. This is the definitive reference on the subject, relied upon by many thousands of cruisers.

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This second edition of the popular Spanish for Cruisers has been greatly expanded so that it now covers ALL the language and vocabulary necessary to cruise the Spanish-speaking countries of the Caribbean, Central and South America and Europe. There is no other source that provides boaters and marine interests with the practical, specialized phrases they need to communicate with port captains, dock attendants, marina and boatyard staff, mechanics, marine technicians, rescuers, fishermen and divers. Spanish for Cruisers is just as useful ashore for food provisioning, shopping, dining, medical care, banking, phone, internet, transportation and directions. Completely indexed in English and Spanish, with easy-to-use pronunciation for every word, plus illustrations and diagrams of systems and boat parts, Spanish for Cruisers will be the boater's essential companion throughout their stay in Spanish-speaking countries.

Amazon description

This alphabetically arranged reference work puts over 2,000 modern nautical topics and terms at your fingertips, with enough explanatory advice to be truly useful. Topics ranging from the Navigation Rules, cruising under sail and power, electronics, and communication, to safety, weather, technical topics, and commonly-used spoken nautical language make this book a comprehensive resource. The Topic Index helps you test your knowledge and learn more about a subject, and the extensive annotated bibliography identifies hundreds of relevant publications and Internet resources. These terms are illustrated with 173 color photographs and 11 line drawings. If you are thinking about getting started on the water this book is for you. If you are already out there and dreaming about distant horizons, there is a wealth of information to help you become more competent, confident, and comfortable afloat. International emphasis is also incorporated for readers in Canada and across the pond.

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Turn a run-down fiberglass boat into a first-class yacht

Since it first appeared in 1991, Don Casey's This Old Boat has helped tens of thousands of sailors refurbish older fiberglass boats and has become a revered classic among boat rehabbers.This second edition is revised from first page to last with new information on electrical systems, diesel engines, refrigeration, resins, plumbing and more. Plus, more than 600 newly created illustrations enhance the book's beauty as well as its utility.

Amazon description

The Big Book of Boat Canvas is a thorough revision and updating of Karen Lipe's two popular earlier books, Boat Canvas Cover to Cover and More Boat Canvas , combined with a whole new section on below-decks sewing projects. In this latest volume Lipe ranges well beyond the boundaries of traditional canvas work to create a comprehensive guide to fabric work on board. You'll find dozens of traditional canvas projects--sail covers, awnings, duffel bags, dodgers, and Biminis, wind chutes, winter covers--all with clear, step-by-step instructions, generously illustrated. You'll also find dozens of not-so-traditional fabric projects to add comfort and a touch of elegance to your below-decks spaces: custom interior cushions, fitted sheets and daycovers, privacy curtains, lee cloths, even a tablecloth to fit your varnished table. Lipe offers a veritable minicourse in interior yacht decoration, dozens of useful sewing tips, a careful detailing of materials nad tools needed for each project, and an extensive discussion of modern fabrics appropriate for exterior and interior use. In short, this handy book covers everything you need to know to sew comfort, utility, and style into your boat.

Amazon description

"Illustrated Sail & Rig Tuning" ISBN 1 898660 67 0 An uniquely illustrated sailing manual on sail trim and rig tuning both for the racing and cruising yachtsman. 150 descriptive colour illustrations.shows you the art of trimming sails and tuning of rigs for optimum performance. Sail trim and Rig tuning made easy!

Amazon description

Describes every practical knot, what it looks like, where it comes from, and how to tie it. The book includes 4,000 knots, with all the varieties of shipboard knots as well as knots used by butchers, steeplejacks, electric linesmen, knitters, cobblers, surgeons, poachers and cowboys.

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Combining and updating the renowned Rigger's Apprentice and Rigger's Locker, meets the changing face of modern materials and technology while remaining true to rigging's best traditional principles and practices. It's much more than a knot book, though the knots a sailor needs are all here. It's a book for sailors who want the satisfaction and hard-cash savings of stepping their own masts, inspecting and maintaining their own rigs, and turning their own tailsplices and wire eyesplices. It is for boatowners who want to replace an entire gang of rigging themselves--measuring, choosing appropriate wire, turning soft eyes, leathering, and serving. It is for bluewater voyagers who want to feel secure in the knowledge that, should a shroud carry away far at sea, they will be able to repair it.

The Complete Rigger's Apprentice is also a free-roaming collection of useful ideas and tips on everything from supplementing winches with block and tackle, to rigging snubbers at anchor, to using pantyhose for an emergency fanbelt. In short, it's the definitive book on the art of rigging, written by its most entertaining practitioner.

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More than a first-aid guide, the Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness and Travel Medicine is the gold standard for advanced patient care when medical help is hours or days away. By Michael Jacobs, M.D. and Eric A. Weiss, M.D,, this book contains the most up-to-date information on wilderness and travel medicine, including an extensive section specific to injuries at sea, including lifeboat survival tips and how to treat bites and stings from common ocean predators.

Women and Cruising comments

Written by Dr. Eric A Weiss and Dr. Michael Jacobs, it covers hazardous marine life, submersion injury and dive medicine, rescue and evacuation of sick and injured, wound cleaning and closing, and much more.

Amazon description

This comprehensive medical resource, The Merck Manual - - Third Home Edition , extensively covers health care for newborns, the elderly, and everyone in between.  The new Third Home Edition provides the same authoritative information doctors have relied on in The Merck Manual, for more than a century, in easy-to-understand, everyday language.  Previous editions have sold more than 3 million copies.

Written by more than 200 internationally respected medical experts, this new edition of the world's bestselling reference presents in-depth information for medical situations, including:
Aging
Gynecological Disorders

Amazon description

Hesperian's classic manual, Where There Is No Doctor, is perhaps the most widely-used health care manual in the world.

Useful for health workers, clinicians, and others involved in primary health care delivery and health promotion programs, with millions of copies in print in more than 75 languages, the manual provides practical, easily understood information on how to diagnose, treat, and prevent common diseases. Special attention is focused on mutrition, infection and disease prevention, and diagnostic techniques as primary ways to prevent and treat health problems.

This 2007 reprint includes new material on preventing the transmission of blood-borne diseases, how HIV/AIDS is reflected in many health issues, and basic Antiretroviral treatment information, as well as updated information on children and aspirin, stomach ulcers, hepatitis, and malaria treatments.

Amazon description

The only boater’s emergency medical guide designed to provide fast answers in an emergency and to withstand the marine environment

Designed and packaged for use on your boat, this emergency medical handbook has waterproof covers and features 50 quick-reference flow charts to guide you through the proper responses to injuries and illnesses on board.

Amazon description

THE CONSUMER’S GUIDE TO PILLS—COMPLETELY REVISED 14th EDITION FOR 2010 WITH MORE THAN 20 IMPORTANT NEW DRUGS AND DOZENS OF NEW BRAND NAMES

For more than three decades, millions of consumers have trusted The Pill Book to provide official, FDA-approved information on more than 1,800 of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States with guidelines from leading pharmacists. Each drug is profiled in a concise, readable, easy-to-understand entry, making The Pill Book the perfect reference when you have questions about the medications your doctor prescribes. Inside you’ll discover

• generic and brand-name listings that can help you save money
• What each drug is for, and how it works
• usual dosages, and what to do if a dose is skipped
• side effects and possible adverse reactions, highlighted for quick reference
• interactions with other drugs and food
• overdose and addiction potential
• alcohol-free and sugar-free medications
• the most popular self-injected medications and their safe handling
• information for seniors, pregnant and breast-feeding women, children, and others with special needs
• cautions and warnings, and when to call your doctor
• 32 pages of actual-size color photographs of prescription pills

No home should be without this book!

Women and Cruising comments

Sailor and nurse Margaret Henry recommends this book as a not-too-technical onboard reference to medicines. The book includes 1 1,800 of the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States with guidelines from leading pharmacists.

Amazon description

With over 1,500 of the latest and most common FDA-regulated drugs, the 2010 PDR Nurse's Drug Handbook continues to be an essential resource for the most important drug information. Each entry provides a wealth of facts concerning drug indication, dosage, interactions and contraindications. Clear guidelines are also provided for administration of drugs, communication with patients, and nursing considerations. The current and concise information in the 2010 PDR Nurse s Drug Handbook aims to prevent medication errors and foster clinical accountability like no other drug resource, making it a trusted guide for nursing students, practicing nurses and other healthcare professionals.

Unique features include:

Detailed nursing considerations for each drug, including important patient counseling information;

Black Box warnings that alert users to drugs with serious and life-threatening side effects;

Includes an Appendix with Useful Reference Tables;

Scores of Rx and OTC Drug Comparison Charts;
Immunization schedules
Common abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols used by healthcare professionals;
A Generic Availability guide;
Sugar-Free Product List;
Visual Identification Guide for 300 Drug Products;
Single-column format for quick referencing capability;
and more.

New from PDR the most trusted name in providing accurate and reliable drug information for over 60 years

Women and Cruising comments

Sailor and nurse Margaret Henry recommends this book as an onboard reference to medicines. This one is aimed at nurses, so if the technical terminology is uncomfortable, The Pill Book (also listed here) is a good alternative.

Amazon description

Find your way around the globe with expert advice

World Cruising Routes covers more than 1,000 sailing routes through the world’s oceans with descriptions of winds, currents and weather, chart recommendations, GPS waypoints, entry ports, navigational hazards, and more. This book is updated with information gathered from the author’s website, noonsite.com, as well as from his recent circumnavigation.

Amazon description

One of the most influential cruising yachtsmen writing today, Jimmy Cornell has sailed over 200,000 miles in more than thirty years on the oceans, including three circumnavigations and voyages to the Arctic and Antarctic. His successful guide to sailing around the world, World Cruising Routes, has helped many aspirational voyagers turn their dreams into reality and follow in his footsteps.

In this new book, Jimmy tells the story of his own travels in great detail. Decades of offshore sailing experience are distilled into this colorful account, which is packed with valuable observations, spiced up with entertaining anecdotes, and illustrated with brilliant photos from along the way.

Much more than just an exciting report of his adventures, Jimmy draws on his experiences to share practical tips for those inspired to follow his example, along with important technical information.

Read Kathy Parsons's review of "A Passion For the Sea" on the Women & Cruising blog:

A Passion for the Sea by Jimmy Cornell
Book review by Kathy Parsons

Amazon description

A handbook containing practical information on all aspects of cruising worldwide. Covering 187 maritime nations of the world, it provides details of ports of entry, customs requirements, clearance procedures, cruising permits, medical facilities, radio and satellite communications, and much more.

Amazon description

"Illustrated Sail & Rig Tuning" ISBN 1 898660 67 0 An uniquely illustrated sailing manual on sail trim and rig tuning both for the racing and cruising yachtsman. 150 descriptive colour illustrations.shows you the art of trimming sails and tuning of rigs for optimum performance. Sail trim and Rig tuning made easy!

Amazon description

The original Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia has inspired a generation of cruisers to untie their dock lines and go! Packed with data on every facet of sailing, from design and systems to the cruising lifestyle, it has provided sailors around the world with the knowledge necessary to buy, equip, and prepare themselves in the most efficient manner possible. Now it is even better!

Women and Cruising comments

"A compendium of information on boats and how to live aboard." Marcie Lynn of Nine of Cups

Amazon description

“Belongs in the bookshelf of every cruising vessel.”—Blue Water Sailing

“If you are serious about that extended voyage, read The Voyager’s Handbook.”—Sailing

“Every now and then a new voice emerges in the world of sailing literature that stands out, a voice that is both clear and of lasting quality. The appearance of such a new voice is something of an event, and that’s what we’d call the publication of The Voyager’s Handbook.”—Blue Water Sailing

This inspirational and comprehensive manual leads you step by step through every aspect of choosing, planning, and following the voyager’s life. Using three example boats representing three cruising lifestyles—Simplicity, Moderation, and Highlife—Beth Leonard helps make your bluewater dreams come true, whether you’re sailing on a shoestring or a CEO’s pension. Starting with the things you can’t do without—an enthusiastic crew, a seaworthy boat, and, of course, money—Leonard offers sage advice on how to select crewmembers who are truly committed to the voyage, how to choose the right boat for you, and how to find just the right approach to financing your voyage and making the most of every dollar spent.

Managing life from a floating home and keeping that home livable, seaworthy, and safe requires you to become, among other things, the ship’s purser, engineer, doctor, cook, and cruise director. You’ll discover how to prepare for these new roles and put necessary equipment and arrangements in place before you untie your docklines. This exquisitely detailed guide also helps you master the skills you’ll need to handle a boat at sea with a small crew, including

• Weather forecasting
• Passage planning
• Watchkeeping
• Heavy-weather sailing
• Emergency management
• Midocean repairs

Complete with dozens of easy-to-use graphs and tables for quick reference, along with the hard-won wisdom of experienced cruisers, The Voyager’s Handbook is the ultimate resource for anyone who is planning, preparing for, or just dreaming about a great adventure on the high seas.

Women and Cruising comments

This comprehensive manual, by Beth Leonard, leads you step by step through every aspect of choosing, planning, and following the voyager’s life.

"For the newbie I was, it gave a good base to build my own reference material and to think about all the things I needed to prepare myself for. This is where I picked up my home canning. Well worth it, and fun, too!” Jane of Lionheart

Amazon description

A new, completely revised and expanded version of this book is now available. Storm Tactics Handbook 3rd edition was released in July. It contains all of the information in this edition plus nine additional chapters including: Notes from a voyage around Cape Horn, Preventing Rudder damage, Storm Staysails, An interview with the Late Sir Peter Blake on storm tactics. The new edition also has updates on important items such as choosing a para-anchor, check lists for getting fin keeled boats to lay hove to, when to heave to without a para-anchor and when to deploy one. Several new chapters telling the stories of people who have weathered severe storms using these tactics are also included. You will find the 3rd edition much more user friendly and up to date. Reviewers are recommending that people who used the second edition will find sufficent addirional information to buy the more recent 3rd edition. To go directly to this edition click on other editions on the opening page of this one.

Amazon description

Weather Predicting Simplified is the first book that shows the reader, with many sample satellite photos and weather maps, how to predict the weather easily and accurately - without having to wait for hours for NOAA updates.

Amazon description

METEOROLOGY TODAY, Ninth Edition, is one of the most widely used and authoritative texts for the introductory meteorology course. This ninth edition helps you understand and appreciate the dynamic nature of the inevitable weather phenomena that continually influence our lives. The text?s clear and inviting narrative is supplemented by numerous pedagogical features that encourage observing, calculating, and synthesizing information.