Meteorology can seem like a black art with the meteorologist producing forecasts that seem to contradict what you are reading from the charts. "The Sailor's Book of the Weather" takes the confusion out of the forecasts and helps you answer, 'Why is that happening?'

"The Sailor's Book of the Weather" introduces key principles that influence the weather and gives the sailor the tools to forecast from observations and make the most of the available information. Wind, clouds and knowledge of weather patterns and local conditions all contain ample hints to allow the informed mariner to accurately predict the weather.

Illustrated with charts and over 100 beautiful photographs, this book is a must for anyone who ventures onto the water, whatever your vessel or experience. It should be carried aboard every boat and is essential reading whether you are on the water, in land, on the coast or venturing further afield.

Kim Sturgess was a weekend sailor: he enjoyed club racing and several brief sailing holidays, but had never attempted a substantial expedition. Reaching the age of fifty focused the mind and he decided to sail around Britain. While many cruising sailors would not contemplate a 1900 nautical mile voyage, he broke the voyage into a series of day sails, making it an achievable ambition for him, largely single-handed, and for many other weekend sailors who might dream of sailing around their home island. This book tells the quirky traveller's narrative of the voyage and visits to forty-eight towns. Evoking the spirit of both Jerome K. Jerome with his Three Men in a Boat and Joshua Slocum's Sailing Alone Around the World, Kim shares his thoughts and struggles, recounting how easy it is for anyone to become an adventurer here at home. But don't expect to always agree with him - he has been described as "the Jeremy Clarkson of yachting"!

Learn the essentials of seamanship from one of the world's premier boating organizationsDeveloped and refined through 40 years of Coast Guard Auxiliary training courses, Boating Skills and Seamanship is your perfect introduction to recreational boating's fundamentals. Great for beginning and intermediate powerboaters alike, it offers you the basics of choosing, equipping, and handling a small to midsize powerboat. This updated edition of the Coast Guard Auxiliary'sclassic boating skills manual will answer all yourquestions on: Selecting the right boat--whether a 10-foot skiff or a 35-foot cruiserEssential equipment, both required and recommendedThe latest electronic navigationPersonal Locator Beacons (PLBs) and private communication services, e.g., SPOT devices and othersStability and safe loadingBoat handling and seamanship on coastal and inland watersTrailering a boatNavigation and the rules of the nautical roadAnd much more! Approved by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), with chapter review questions and answers, Boating Skills and Seamanship is theideal study and reference guide for anyone taking a state boating license exam or seeking better boating skills and knowledge.

A compact, handy, on-the-water reference guide containing all the essential information about keeping your marine diesel engine running for when you need it most: the perfect quick reference guide to keep onboard. The book covers the parts of the engine and has checklists for monthly, weekly and daily checks. It outlines what to do if the engine won't start, or stop, if it overheats or there are problems with the fuel system. It tells you about servicing, the electrics and winterisation. Splash-proof and spiral bound - allowing you to lay it out flat beside your engine - this little book stands up to frequent use and will be a valued companion when the engine doesn't behave.

A lifetime of reflections on the joys, terrors, and triumphs of sailing from Britain's greatest yachtsman The first man to sail solo and non-stop around the world, in 1969, Robin Knox-Johnston instantly became an international legend. In addition to setting other global sailing records, he has led sailing expeditions to far flung destinations, amassing a breadth of experience few can equal. In his new book, a compilation of his monthly articles in Yachting World, Sir Robin shares his thoughts on the majesty, mystery, and dangers of sailing the open seas. He describes the "Joy of the Solo Sailor" as well as the realities of safety at sea and life on board a yacht, recalling his escape from a perfect storm, night terrors and waves capable of devouring a ship.Allows readers to experience the joys (going round the Horn of Africa in a day) of sailing, as well as close calls Sheds light on the role of the media and sailing as well as the changing face of sailing A fascinating record of heroic and larger-than-life exploits from Britain's most famous celebrated yachtsman, Knox-Johnston on Sailing is a fascinating account of one man's quest for physical challenge and adventure and the rewards they offer.

This book aims to provide and challenge coaches and rowers with best practice, advice, principles and training programmes to improve their rowing experience and performance. Regardless of whether you are looking to improve on-water performance, set an indoor rowing personal best or enhance the quality of your training you will find something of value within these pages. Topics covered include: training and technique; egrometer training; specific rowing conditioning; strength training; monitoring and assessing land training; mobility and flexibility; weighlifting technique; trunk training; nutrition and mental skills. "With the approaches detailed in this book, were were able to break records on the water and on the rowing machine and face our Olympic final feeling totally prepared and genuinely excited about the challenge. Regardless of your starting point, the guidance in this book will help you take the next steps towards your own goal, and to making your own magic. Good luck!" Dr Katherine Grainger CBE and Anna Watkins MBE

With weather conditions continually evolving, skippers need to factor forecast data into every passage plan and be prepared to modify it if the situation changes. This spiral-bound instant reference guide will help you draw the most relevant weather information from a variety of sources, understand and apply broader forecast data to your location and your anticipated route, and know when and how to make those necessary alterations. In clear, practical language, and with diagrams, photographs, explanations and bulleted lists, the book is also a useful primer or overview for RYA Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster Offshore students by following the contents of the course: - Basic terms / the Beaufort Scale - Air masses - Cloud types - Weather patterns associated with pressure and frontal systems - Sources of weather information - Interpret a shipping forecast, weatherfax and weather satellite information - Land and sea breezes - Sea fog - Use of a barometer as a forecasting aid As a reference before sailing, a reminder of what is available for use before going to sea, and a guide to what to look out for and use when sailing, this practical handbook is aimed at skippers and crew of all levels, whether on day cruises or longer ocean-going passages. Spiral bound to lie flat and printed on splashproof paper, it is the ideal hands-on weather-focused passage planning guide, but with lots of tips for use on board it is the essential aide-memoire to have on the boat.

Heavy weather is a lurking spectre that most of us hope and plan to avoid, but not even internet forecasting can make it go away. Anyone intent on crossing oceans must be ready to deal with it if it comes, as well it may. Even well-informed inshore and continental-shelf sailors will inevitably be caught out sooner or later. The object of this slim, quickly absorbed volume is to give everyone, whatever their passage-making aspirations, a sound brief so that whether they find themselves at the wrong end of a force-six blow along the coast, or confronting serious waves far out at sea, they are fully aware of their options for taking it in their stride.

This beautiful full-colour book covers knots, splices and whippings. It begins with the ten knots everyone should know. The other knots are grouped by use so that if, for example, you want to make a loop you have eight knots to choose from. Each stage of each knot is illustrated and its uses, strong points and weak points are highlighted.

'What a fun book! Reading Sea Fever is enticing and intriguing, like watching floating treasure bob past your nose.' Tristram Gooley, author of The Natural Navigator Can you interpret the shipping forecast? Do you know your flotsam from your jetsam? Or who owns the foreshore? Can you tie a half-hitch - or would you rather splice the mainbrace? Full of charming illustrations and surprising facts, Sea Fever provides the answers to all these and more. Mixing advice on everything from seasickness to righting a capsized boat with arcane marine lore, recipes, history, dramatic stories of daring-do and guides to the wildlife we share our shores with, even the most experienced ocean-dweller will find something in these pages to surprise and delight.

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park is long established as a playground for paddlers and attracts visitors from all over the world. Loch Lomond itself has over eighty kilometres of shoreline to explore, but there is so much more to the park. The twenty-two navigable lochs range from the vast sea lochs around Loch Long to small inland bodies such as Loch Chon. The rivers vary from relaxed meandering waterways like the Balvaig to the steep white water of the River Falloch and everything in between. This vast array of options in such close proximity makes this park the perfect place for every paddler of any level, looking for whatever type of adventure. The area is also outstandingly beautiful and it is commonplace to see deer and red squirrels playing on the shores, as well as the many other species of mammal, bird and water life which call this park home. Rather than limiting you to one discipline, we have focused on all options within the national park. Whether you want hardcore white water, multi-day touring trips or a relaxing afternoon exploring sheltered water with your family, you'll find all that and much more in this book.

This second edition, 2018, shows - 8 new marinas, 11 new pontoons & 13 new sets of visitor moorings - also new roads and ferry routes. This high quality topographical map is specially designed to show the `Big Picture' for the yachtsman planning to cruise in the West of Scotland at a convenient scale of 1:350,000. It provides a unique combination of the best information shown on a conventional road map with selected nautical details. The map covers the sailing area from the Clyde to Ullapool and the Outer Hebrides as far north as Stornaway. The topographical base map is a quite detailed and shows the information that is important to most visitors - towns, villages, roads, railways, stations, ferry crossings, airports, islands, bays, headlands, straits, mountains, relief, rivers and lakes with all this detail in slightly muted colours. Over this is superimposed the sailing information - highlighted in bright colours to stand out - Marinas, pontoons, visitor moorings, selected anchorages, diesel supplies, areas with especially strong tidal streams, and a few selected pubs. The format of the map is designed to be clear, convenient and user friendly.

More than just a book about sailing, Go for the Green is a clarion call to bring sailing out of the doldrums and into an expanded role as a catalyst for the more environmentally sensitive enjoyment of the sea. As a former Coast Guard Officer, active racer, cruiser and yacht designer, author Garry Hoyt combines a lifetime of sailing experience, with a weather eye to uncover the new challenges of global warming and the need for energy independence.

His prediction that carbon based fuels will eventually draw the same degree of social scorn that smoking now receives, creates an automatic need for ingenuity in the harnessing of sail and solar power as better alternatives for water based recreation. To encourage readers along that path, Hoyt presents a philosophy and a variety of new design solutions to stimulate more creative design development. He makes his case in a simple, readable style that will interest all those who love the sea.

Flotilla sailing enables thousands of people every year to charter a yacht and enjoy a holiday in a sunny foreign location: a group of boats sails together under the guidance of a lead crew. In 1974, the first holiday flotilla of eleven yachts set off from Aegina in the Saronic Gulf of Greece and no-one involved could have had any idea that they were at the beginning of something that would grow so big. It is now possible to go flotilla sailing in every continent of the world. The author traces how flotillas originated, how new cruising areas were opened up and new companies formed. He worked closely with the pioneers of this form of tourism who willingly contributed to the research into what they called 'the time of our lives': managers in one or other of the companies, skippers or engineers in charge of the boats, and clients. The second part of the book looks in detail at changes in some villages and harbours of the Ionian Sea, an area where much of the development has occurred through the influence of the boats rather than land-based tourism. It draws on conversations with taverna owners who remember when two visiting yachts was big business. Every page has coloured reproductions from the original brochures and cruising guides, and in the Ionian section modern photos are set alongside equivalent views before the yachts started coming in numbers. The book may be an introduction to flotillas, an insight into the background of the companies which now offer charters of this sort, or just a memento of a wonderful holiday.

The lifesaving guide to treating any accident or sudden illness at sea

When someone is injured or becomes ill while on a boat, help may be miles and days away. "First Aid Afloat" is the onboard guide to taking control of any medical emergency. Illustrated with photo sequences showing exactly what to do, and written in language that is short and simple, this book will allow anyone to act quickly, stabilize the casualty, and provide the appropriate treatment at sea.Aimed at the novice first-aider and adopts a "no experience necessary" approach to first aidCovers bleeding, burns, musculo-skeletal injuries, environmental injury, illness and medical emergency, and treating childrenInstructions on moving a casualty, resuscitation, and getting help

With advice on what to look for when buying a first aid kit as well as how to be medically prepared when onboard, "First Aid Afloat" could save someone's life. No boat should be without it.

All you need to help you learn the important knots, and a perfect gift for the keen sailor or outdoor adventurer. The pack contains 3 one-metre lengths of coloured rope (the colours may vary) together with the beautifully illustrated 64-page Knots & Splices book. The book features the ten knots everyone should know, plus 16 other knots and 7 splices and whippings. It illustrates clearly how to tie each knot using sequential diagrams and a step-by-step approach. The use and benefits of each knot is described and the times when special care is needed highlighted. Combined with the practice ropes, this is an ideal way to learn how to tie knots which will serve a lifetime’s sailing or adventuring.