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Books are one of our weaknesses - we
have lots of them. Here are the ones we have found most useful.
Information on all sources is at the bottom of this page.
| Book/Author |
Subject Coverage |
Source |
| Offshore Cruising
Encyclopedia by Steve and Linda Dashew |
An excellent collection of
information on all aspects of cruising - well organized. |
West Marine,
Amazon |
| The Voyager's Handbook -
The Essential Guide to Blue Water Cruising by Beth A. Leonard |
One of our favorite new guides
that spans topics from maintenance to sail configurations - tightly
written by recent circumnavigators. |
Amazon, or
www.bethandevans.com |
| Managing Your Bluewater
Cruise by Rory Burke & Sandra Buchanan |
Good, general purpose reference
when preparing to go cruising. |
Amazon, or www.burkepublishing.com |
| Chapman Piloting -
Seamanship and Small Boat Handling by Elbert S. Maloney |
Good reference to have on-board,
not used often but nice to know it is there. |
West Marine,
Defender Industries,
Amazon |
| Desirable and Undesirable
Characteristics of Offshore Yachts by John Rousmaniere |
Captures the lessons of the '79
Fastnet disaster - can help you narrow down your choices of yachts to
consider for cruising. |
Amazon |
| The Complete Book of
Anchoring and Mooring by Earl Hinz |
Title says it all: the bible
for selecting and using your ground tackle. |
West Marine
Amazon |
| Heavy Weather using Sea Anchors
and Drogues by Earl R. Hinz |
Good source of information on
some heavy weather techniques. |
Amazon |
| Boat Data Book by
Ian Nicholson |
Do you know how much shoulder
space you need in a bunk, or how many feet of anchor fit in a cubic
foot? This book tells you this and much more. |
Amazon |
| MetService Yacht Pack
by Bob Mcavitt and NZ Met Service |
Handy source of South Pacific
weather pattern information - order it before crossing the Pacific, not
really necessary after you reach NZ. |
Boat Books - New
Zealand, or email:
mcdavitt@met.co.nz |
| Advanced First Aid Afloat
by Peter F. Eastman |
Good little book when serious injuries
strike. |
West Marine,
Amazon |
| Passport to World Band
Radio by International Broadcasting Services |
Handy if you want to find BBC or
Voice of America in the middle of an ocean. (Published annually - but the
frequencies do not change that often, so no need to have the latest
issue.) |
Amazon |
| Flags of The World
by DK Publishing |
This, or one of many similar
books is handy when you see an unusual flag in the marina. |
Amazon |
| Book/Author |
Subject coverage |
Source |
| Marine Diesel Engines
by Nigel Calder |
Useful supplement to your engine
manual. |
West Marine,
Amazon |
| Understanding Rigs and
Rigging by Richard Henderson |
Helpful for tuning your rig. |
Defender Industries,
Amazon |
| The Complete Canvas
Worker's Guide by Jim Grant |
We have found this very helpful
as we made sail covers, sun awnings and other canvas items. |
Defender Industries,
Amazon |
| The Splicing Handbook -
Techniques for Modern and Traditional Rope by Barbara Merry |
Necessary for many splices,
including wire-to-rope splices and new high-tech lines. |
West Marine,
Defender Industries,
Amazon |
| The 12 Volt Doctor's
Alternator Book by Edgar J. Beyn |
Helps to identify and fix most
alternators. |
Defender Industries |
| The 12 Volt Doctor's
Practical Handbook for the Boat's Electric System by Edgar J. Beyn |
Handy for planning or
troubleshooting electrical problems. |
West Marine,
Defender Industries,
Amazon |
| Fiberglass Boat Repair and
Maintenance by West System |
Shows how to make most common
repairs and build small items. |
West Marine |
|
Brightwork - The Art of
Finishing Wood by Rebecca J. Wittman |
Beautiful examples of brightwork
and how to get the same finish on your boat. |
West Marine,
Amazon |
| Book/Author |
Subject coverage |
Source |
| Quick and Healthy Recipes
and Ideas by Brenda J. Ponichtera |
Healthy and tasty low calorie recipes
using common provisions. |
Amazon |
| Quick and Heathy Volume II
by Brenda J. Ponichtera |
More of the same. |
Amazon |
| Betty Crocker's New
Cookbook (paperback) |
One of the standard
cookbooks, easy to use and stow. |
Amazon |
| Nicole Parton's Galley Gourmet
by Nicole Parton |
Geared towards cruisers using
items normally available in your galley. Identifies several
substitute ingredients when possible. |
|
| Book/Author |
Subject coverage |
Source |
| World Cruising Routes
by Jimmy Cornell |
Describes ocean weather patterns, identifies
cyclone seasons and areas, describes times to travel between all cruising
areas world-wide. |
West Marine,
Defender Industries,
Amazon |
| Atlantic Crossing Guide
by RCC Pilotage Foundation |
Useful for crossing the Atlantic
as well as reaching Bermuda - reported to be out of print. |
Unknown |
| Cruising the Chesapeake -
Gunkholer's Guide by William Shellenberger |
A great guide to this wonderful
cruising ground (we may be a little prejudiced since it is our home). |
Defender Industries,
Amazon |
| Guide to Cruising The
Leeward Islands by Chris Doyle |
One of the 'bibles' in the
Caribbean. |
Defender Industries,
Amazon |
| Sailor's Guide to The
Windward Islands by Chris Doyle |
The other one. |
Defender Industries, |
| Landfalls of Paradise
by Earl Hinz |
The original guide to the South
Pacific, with high level information about all of the islands and the
weather patterns. |
Amazon |
| Charlie's Charts of
Polynesia by Charles E. and Margot Wood |
We found this to very handy as
we sailed from the Marquesas to Bora Bora. |
West Marine,
Amazon |
| Sailing Guide to Tonga
by Moorings Yacht Charters |
Available from Moorings in
Tonga, it has sketch charts and sailing instructions suitable for bareboat
charter crews - thus it is quite adequate for the rest of us. |
Moorings Charters in Tonga |
| Yachtsmen Guide to Fiji
by Michael Calder |
Good aerial photos of many
anchorages in Fiji. |
|
|
Royal Akarana Cruising Guide
|
A guide to cruising the North
Island of New Zealand, short on good sketch charts and long on wordy
descriptions. Useful if you are going to some out-of-the-way places. |
Boat Books - New Zealand |
| Cruising The Coral Coast
by Alan Lucas |
The definitive guide for
cruising from Brisbane to the Torres Straits, including the Great Barrier
Reef with lots of sketch charts and detailed information on each town,
river, and anchorage. |
Boat Books - Australia |
| 100 Magic Miles
of The
Great Barrier Reef - The Whitsunday Islands by David Colfelt, Windward Publications |
Beautifully done book for the
Whitsunday Islands (in the Great Barrier Reef). Aerial photos, good sketch
charts and beautiful pictures - somewhat expensive for only 100 miles of
coast but it may save you the trouble of taking pictures along the way. |
Boat Books - Australia,
Amazon |
| Cruising Guide to
Southeast Asia, Volume II by Stephan Davies and Elaine Morgan |
Good guide for Indonesia,
Malaysia, and Singapore published by Imray Laurie Norie and Wilson |
Boat Books - Australia |
| Red Sea Pilot by
Stephan Davies and Elaine Morgan |
The standard reference for those
going up or down the Red Sea. |
Boat Books - Australia |
| Lonely Planet Guides |
We have found the Lonely Planet
guides to be helpful everywhere we have gone, from their South Pacific
Handbook to Trekking in Nepal - although oriented towards backpacker's,
much of the information is pertinent to cruisers since we are also
traveling on our own, without vehicles or guides and are on limited
budgets for extended periods. |
www.lonelyplanet.com |
| Book/Author |
Subject coverage |
Source |
| Sailing Alone Around The
World by Joshua
Slocum |
Just a good yarn. |
Amazon |
| The Voyage of American
Promise by Dodge Morgan |
Good story, and useful info on
preparing a yacht for offshore passages. |
|
| Maiden Voyage by
Tania Aebi |
Shows the tenacity of a 16-year
old girl on a circumnavigation. |
Amazon |
| Longitude by Dava
Sobel |
Fascinating history of trying to
measure this important component of a ship's position. |
Amazon |
| Darwin and The Beagle by
Alan Moorehead |
|
Amazon |
| After 50,000 Miles
by Hal Roth |
Good information on what it
takes to travel long distances in a modest-sized yacht - a little dated
but still pertinent. |
|
| Maiden by Tracy
Edwards |
Good story about a women's crew
in a Whitbred race. |
|
| Northern Light by
Rolf Bjeke and Debra Shapiro |
Rolf and Debra have traveled far
and wide in their 40' steel yacht - this provides good insight into
preparing a yacht for traveling in high latitudes. |
|
| Survive The Savage Sea
by Dougal Robertson |
A classic survival story - handy
to have in a ditch bag in the event of the unthinkable. |
Amazon |
|
