An estimated 15,000 people live on board boats in the UK and at any one time thousands more are interested in doing so. The aim of this beautifully illustrated guide is to help people live the dream and not the nightmare, providing a useful step by step introduction to the basics of making a life afloat. Fully updated this new edition of A Beginners' Guide to Living on the Waterways covers different types of liveaboard craft suitable for canals, rivers and estuaries, and the good and bad points of the different options. It goes on to discuss practicalities such as moorings, engines (including basic maintenance and fault finding), heating and cooking, sanitation, furnishing a boat, survival tips and finances. This is a must-have guide for all those considering the alternative way of living that a boat offers, as well as those who are already there!

Coward. Brute. Yellow-livered. For over 100 years, J. Bruce Ismay has been the scapegoat of the Titanic disaster. He is the villain of every film and TV drama: a fit and able-bodied man who sacrificed the lives of women and children in order to survive. Some even claim that it was his fault the Titanic sank, that he encouraged the captain to sail faster. But is this the true story? In Understanding J. Bruce Ismay, Clifford Ismay opens up the family archives to uncover the story of a quiet man savaged by over a century of tabloid press. This is a must-read for any enthusiast who wishes to form their own opinion of the Titanic's most infamous survivor.

The rich history of the P&O Line began in the 1830s when steam power was still in its infancy, and this, coupled with longer voyages, meant that shipwrecks became inevitable - all part of the risk of running a pioneer shipping company at that time. Shipwrecks of the P&O Line explores these losses, starting with the inaugural mail service sailing of the wooden paddle steamer Don Juan, which ran aground in fog in 1837, and ending 120 years later with the cargo liner Shillong (2), which sank following a collision in the Red Sea in 1957. Sam Warwick and Mike Roussel include a detailed history of each vessel leading up to the time of its loss and meticulously investigate the events surrounding the wrecking of each vessel, with exclusive accounts from divers who have explored the wreck, along with striking underwater images. Complete with practical data for divers, this unique history offers a fresh analysis of maritime history, of interest to maritime history enthusiasts as well as the many who have taken up diving as a leisure sport.

Fully illustrated in a striking landscape format, Ships contains 300 mercantile and military vessels arranged in chronological order, from ancient times to the present day. Every type of vessel from every part of the world is featured, from Phoenician war galleys from 1500BC, through the graceful trading clippers of the nineteenth century, to the sophisticated and heavily armed submarines of the nuclear era. In these information-packed pages you will find out about ancient galleys, Viking longships, medieval cogs, galleasses, galleons, men-of-war sailing ships, coastal gunboats, iron-clad steam boats, dreadnoughts, aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines. Many well-known ships are included, such as Nelson's flagship HMS Victory, the ill-fated passenger liner Titanic, the infamous German World War II battlecruiser Bismarck and many, many more. Each ship is illustrated with a colourful artwork, while lively text offers a concise service history of the ship and a specification box provides comprehensive technical data, including displacement, dimensions, machinery, armament, speed and complement.

The deeds and personalities of famous pirates have received significant attention in recent years: however, no detailed depiction of their vessels has ever been produced. This title redresses the imbalance, conducting a detailed exploration of the wide variety of pirate vessels that sailed the high seas during the 'golden age' of piracy (1690-1730), from gun-bristling warships to smaller craft such as sloops, brigantines and early schooners. It incorporates the latest archaeological evidence to produce a fascinating account of these vessels, detailing their origins, development and tactical engagement. Packed with contemporary illustrations and superbly detailed colour artwork, the ships of the 'golden age' are brought vividly to life.

The Tombigbee River flows through the history of Alabama and Mississippi, connecting the Black Prairie cotton belt of northeast Mississippi and west Alabama to Mobile and the Gulf of Mexico. In the early 1800s, it became the regional artery of commerce and trade, with steamboats carrying cotton to the port of Mobile and then returning upriver with farm supplies and consumer goods. Today, the "rollodores," who rolled cotton bales down slides to the decks of boats; the sunken logs, or "dead heads," that could sink a boat if struck; and the "side-wheeler" model steamboats have all but vanished. The Tombigbee River Steamboats brings this forgotten era back to life through accounts of the steamboats, their crews and their trials, such as the haunting story of the steamer Eliza Battle, which burned and sank on a freezing, flooded river.

After the end of hostilities in 1945, the fishing industry was quick to establish some semblance of recovery and a surge of new builds and restoration of Admiralty motor fishing vessels soon followed. In Fraserburgh, on Scotland's east coast, several established yards satiated this desire amongst the fishing-boat owners for new craft. Thus it wasn't surprising that a new yard sprung up at the end of the 1940s when three local apprentices from one of the yards decided to set up their own boatbuilding yard on the breakwater, in what was a very exposed position. And so the yard of Thomas Summers & Co. was born, a yard that became synonymous with fine seaworthy fishing boats suited to various methods of fishing. In the space of just thirteen years they produced eighty-eight fishing vessels and their output was more prolific than most of the other Scottish boatyards. Many of these boats survive to this day, some still working as fishing vessels, and others converted to pleasure, a testament to their superb design and solid construction. Here, Mike Smylie recounts the story of Thomas Summers & Co. through historic records and personal memories of both fishermen and family members, with many striking photographs of the boats they built.

Simple Boat Maintenance concentrates on the 67 most common boat maintenance jobs. Each is rated for difficulty on a scale of 1-5 and is explained in simple steps with lots of photos and diagrams. No special tools are required and no skill is assumed. Take this book in one hand, a spanner in the other and set to work. Learn how to: solve most engine problems; look after the gas, water, fuel and electrical systems; service pumps, winches, windlasses & sterngear; repair cracks & holes in fibreglass; find & cure leaks.

The bestselling guides to Britain's canals and rivers for 50 years. For all users of the inland waterways including boaters, walkers, cyclists and visitors, this established, popular and practical guide covers the canals and waterways between York and the River Trent south of Nottingham. Covered in this guide are: Aire & Calder Navigation; Chesterfield Canal; River Derwent and the Pocklington Canal; Fossdyke & Witham Navigations; Grantham Canal; River Ouse, River Ure and Ripon Canal; Selby Canal; South Yorkshire Navigations; and River Trent. The detailed up-to-date Ordnance Survey (R) maps clearly show the location of essential features such as locks, towpaths and boating facilities, as well as pubs, shops and restaurants in the area. There are comprehensive navigational notes and descriptive text on the history of each canal, and on local services and places of interest, for which postcodes are included - ideal for use with sat-navs. This practical A5 guide features 'lie flat' spiral binding and 'book mark' back cover flap for ease of reference.

Queen Elizabeth: A Photographic Journey allows the reader to travel aboard Cunard's newest ship, the second largest ship to carry the Cunard colors. The ultimate in luxury cruising awaits aboard Queen Elizabeth. From the three-story Royal Court Theater, complete with box seating, to the opulence of the Queens Room, the authors have captured the interior elegance of Queen Elizabeth with never-before-published images. Explore the areas not so easy to see with a tour of the engine room, stores, and the bridge before returning to the passenger areas to explore bars, lounges, restaurants, and cabins. With an afterword by Captain Wells and memories from Commodore Rynd this beautifully updated soft cover edition is the perfect Queen Elizabeth souvenir.

A selection of true-life dramas that chronicle the perils and misfortunes faced by deep-sea sailing ships of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It relates the dangers faced and the battles waged, and all too often lost, against the hazards of the sea. Shipboard work was hard and often routinely dangerous for crews who bore the extraordinary hardships as their duty to obey their captains and drive their ships to a safe port to discharge or take on cargoes. From remarkable voyages, mutinies, hoaxes, curiosities and disease, to messages in a bottle, this book has a fund of amazing tales and will engross the reader - maritime historian, sailor (whether retired , current or armchair), or anyone with an interest in the sea and tales of adventure.

Geoff Hunt is known to millions of readers across the world as the artist responsible for the covers of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin novels, and more recently for those of Julian Stockwin's Thomas Kydd books. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the leading marine artists of his generation. More than a showcase of the versatility and creativity of his work, this book, written by the artist himself, also reveals its accuracy, through five key case studies that explain the initial inspirations, gathering of source material and often lengthy artistic progression that leads to the creation of a finished painting. The artist has selected over 150 paintings and sketches to illustrate his prolific career, painting techniques and influences, dividing them into sections on Nelson's Navy, The American War of Independence, illustrating the naval writers and the Modern Maritime Scene, which includes recent commissions from the commercial sector and yachting community.

Deep in southern latitudes, in a desolate corner of Cumberland Bay on the east coast of the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia, hard by the rotting quays of the abandoned whaling station of Grytviken and almost within a stone's throw of the grave of Sir Ernest Shackleton, lie three forsaken steam ships: rusting remnants of our industrial past, unique survivals from a vanished age of steam at sea. One of these ships is 'Viola', the sole surviving Hull steam trawler from the huge fleet which put 'fish & chips' on Britain's plates more than a hundred years ago. In this absorbing account, maritime historians Robb Robinson and Ian Hart describe her ancestry and origins in the Victorian and Edwardian North Sea fishery - vividly depicting life for her crew in the most dangerous industry of its time; they record her Great War service as a U-boat hunter - one of the many merchant vessels largely unsung for their contribution, and often sacrifice, in wartime; and they recount her subsequent career hunting whales off West Africa, then later sealing and exploration work in the South Atlantic, before her final abandonment in South Georgia. Here she became quarry for the infamous Argentine scrap metal expedition of 1982, in the initiating action of the Falklands War. This improbable yet true story of a humble working vessel and those involved with her is a highly readable work of social, as well as maritime, history.

A Sunday Times Book of the Year 'Three and a half millennia of British Maritime history, from the Middle Bronze Age to the early 20th century ... This book is written with passion and sympathy. It will live with me for a very long time' Francis Pryor, author of The Fens If Britain's maritime history were embodied in a single ship, she would have a prehistoric prow, a mast plucked from a Victorian steamship, the hull of a modest fishing vessel, the propeller of an ocean liner and an anchor made of stone. We might call her Asunder, and, fantastical though she is, we could in fact find her today, scattered in fragments across the country's creeks and coastlines. In his moving and original new history, Tom Nancollas goes in search of eleven relics that together tell the story of Britain at sea. From the swallowtail prow of a Bronze Age vessel to a stone ship moored at a Baroque quayside, each one illuminates a distinct phase of our adventures upon the waves; each brings us close to the people, places and vessels that made a maritime nation. Weaving together stories of great naval architects and unsung shipwrights, fishermen and merchants, shipwrecks and superstition, pilgrimage, trade and war, The Ship Asunder celebrates the richness of Britain's seafaring tradition in all its glory and tragedy, triumph and disaster, and asks how we might best memorialize it as it vanishes from our shores.

Fifty years ago the last British-built transatlantic liner was launched. Christened by HM the Queen on 20 September 1967, the 963ft-long vessel was named Queen Elizabeth 2. By the end of that same day, she was already known by her famous nickname: QE2. Fast, smart and sleek, QE2 sailed over 5.6 million miles and carried more than 2.5 million passengers during a magnificent career spanning nearly forty years. Put simply, she carried more people further than any ship before her and remains the longest serving express liner in history. Having sailed both as a liner and as a cruise ship, served her country in the Falklands conflict and undergone multiple makeovers, she also has one of the most fascinating histories of any vessel and remains one of the best loved and most celebrated. With stories from captains, crew and passengers, and an unparalleled collection of photographs, Chris Frame and Rachelle Cross bring the majestic QE2 to life in this commemorative tribute.

Stress-Free Engine Maintenance is an accessible and practical guide to understanding what is going on with your boat's engine, how to look after it, spotting the signs when all is not well, and how to fix it. Learn how to change a filter and impeller, how to ensure the engine doesn't overheat, and much more. This visual and jargon-free book covers all the essentials for looking after your engine, in one place, including: - Basic principles of how an engine works - Fuel, cooling and air systems - Engine electrical systems - Gearboxes and drives - Checklists (e.g. before starting and once running) - Most common causes of breakdown - Troubleshooting Like the other titles in Duncan Wells' bestselling 'Stress-Free' series, the information is presented in an accessible, manageable way, with the use of diagrams, quick reference tables, box features, QR videos, clear explanations, top tips and checklists, making maintenance and basic repair of your engine straightforward, and with minimum stress. There are also plenty of amusing anecdotes and useful lessons learned. If you find the prospect of fixing anything to do with the engine daunting, then this is the book for you. Stress-Free Engine Maintenance is a key addition to any boat's bookshelf, ready to remind the skipper how to deal with problems and keep everything running smoothly.

This fascinating book provides a unique record of the careers and final underwater resting places of ships of the Cunard Line, whose rich history spans over 300 ships and nearly two centuries. Many books have been published on Cunard's heritage but the final fate of these ships is often little more than a footnote of history. Authors Sam Warwick and Mike Roussel have taken the shipwrecks as a starting point to create a vivid new history. Featured vessels include the well-known Caronia, Lancastria, Campania, Lusitania, Malta, Oregon, Scotia and Carpathia, famous for rescuing the survivors from the Titanic, as well as many others. Events surrounding the wrecking of each vessel are thoroughly explored and unique diver accounts are incorporated, along with never-before-seen underwater images of the wrecks. Finishing off with practical data for interested divers, this book offers a fresh analysis of Cunard's maritime history.

A uniquely detailed visual representation of the legendary Japanese warships. Equipped with the largest guns and heaviest armour and with the greatest displacement of any ship ever built, the Yamato proved to be a formidable opponent to the US Pacific Fleet in the Second World War. The book contains a full description of the design and construction of the battleship including wartime modifications, and a career history followed by a substantial pictorial section with rare onboard views of Yamato and her sister ship Musashi, a comprehensive portfolio of more than 1,020 perspective line artworks, 350 colour 3D views, and 30 photographs. The wreck of Musashi has been recently discovered to great excitement in Japan, renewing interest in these iconic warships. Janusz Skulski's anatomies of three renowned ships of the 20th century Japanese navy are among the most comprehensive of the Anatomy series with hundreds of meticulously researched drawings of the ships. Since their first publication he has continued to research the ships and has now produce a more definitive anatomy than was possible then. He has teamed up with 3D artist Stefan Draminksi who produces superb realistic renditions of the ships that bring a whole new level of detail to the portraits of the ships. This new editions is a genuine 'Super Anatomy' containing the most detailed renditions of these ships ever seen.

Southern Lights recounts the story of how New Zealand lighthouses were established through the transfer of technology from Scotland to New Zealand over a period of almost 90 years. This resulted in most of New Zealand's lighthouses being fully or partially built using Scottish materials and expertise. The major Scottish contribution was the professional services provided by the firm founded by Robert Stevenson. The firm of David and Thomas Stevenson took on the first commissions and its successor companies over a period of 80 years were Consulting Lighthouse Engineers to the New Zealand Government. They arranged tenders, advised on technology, supervised manufacture and dispatch of lighthouse components and stores, and much more, proving invaluable to the New Zealand Agent-General in London. It was on this basis that in the period 1859 to 1941, 38 major lighthouses were built; 30 of which were constructed between 19865 and 1897. Thirty-three were built using Scottish-designed and built lanterns and apparatus and Scottish-designed lenses, although these were of French or English manufacture. Of the other five, two were eventually replaced by Scottish lighthouses, two were upgraded with Scottish technology and the fifth remains the sole example of English lighthouse design, although in its time was supplied with Scottish equipment. Scotland also supplied trained professionals who manned the lights, designed and administered them.

For centuries, ships' commanders kept journals that recorded their missions. These included voyages of discovery to unknown lands, engagements in war and sea and general trade. Many of their logs, diaries and letters were lodged at The National Archives and give a vivid picture of the situations that they encountered. Entries range from Captain James Cook's notes of his discovery of the South Pacific and Australia, to logs of the great naval battles, such as Trafalgar and the Battle of the Nile. From the ships that attempted to stop piracy in the Caribbean, to the surgeons who recorded the health of the men they tended and naturalists who noted the exotic plants and animals they encountered, comes a fascinating picture of life at sea, richly illustrated with maps, drawings and facsimile documents found alongside the logs in the archives.

Most outboard motors will be troublesome at some point in their lives, but armed with the right knowledge a skipper needn't worry. The Reeds Outboard Motor Troubleshooting Handbook is a compact, pocket-sized guide to finding solutions to all of the most common outboard problems, and many of the less common ones too. The perfect format for quick reference on board, this book will help skippers fix troublesome outboards themselves, or enable the skipper to do an emergency patch-up for a more serious problem until they can get back to port. Each topic addresses a particular problem, and gives clear step by step instructions with helpful colour photographs and diagrams showing exactly what to do. Straightforward and accessible, the Reeds Outboard Motor Troubleshooting Handbook should be an essential part of any skipper's DIY toolkit - and perfect for slipping in the pocket.

'If you enjoy Dilly Court or Rosie Goodwin, this one will be right up your street' reader review 'One of the nation's favourite saga writers' Lancashire Post In the grand tradition of Catherine Cookson, Josephine Cox and Poldark, comes a page-turning and enthralling new Cornish-set saga of shipwrecks, smugglers, secrets and romance, from Jennie Felton. ................................................................................ She always knew a piece of her heart was missing... Cecile has been raised to a life of privilege at Polruan House, by her widowed father and aunt. Now she's of age, they are determined that she make a proper match, but Cecile's heart belongs to their coachman, Sam - most definitely not suitable marriage material. When Sam turns to his friend, smuggler Zach Carver, for help eloping with Cecile, Zach tells of a recent encounter with Lise, a beautiful but poor girl in St Ives, who is the mirror image of Cecile. And so a daring plan is born to briefly swap the girls. But bringing Cecile and Lise together will uncover an astonishing family secret of a bold escape from a loveless marriage, a treacherous shipwreck and a sister thought lost to the sea long ago... ................................................................................ For more heartwrenching, heartwarming saga, look out for The Stolen Child and A Mother's Sacrifice, out now! And don't miss Jennie's Families of Fairley Terrace series, which began with Maggie's story in All The Dark Secrets and continued with Lucy's story in The Miner's Daughter, Edie's story in The Girl Below Stairs, Carina's story in The Widow's Promise and Laurel's story in The Sister's Secret.

Launched in 1914, two years after the ill-fated voyage of her sister ship, RMS Titanic, the Britannic was intended to be superior to her tragic twin in every way. But war intervened and in 1915 she was requisitioned as a hospital ship. Just one year later, while on her way to collect troops wounded in the Balkans campaign, she fell victim to a mine laid by a German U-boat and tragically sank in the middle of the Aegean Sea.

There her wreck lay, at a depth of 400 feet, until it was discovered 59 years later by legendary explorer Jacques Cousteau. In 1996 the wreck was bought by the author of this book, Simon Mills.

Exploring the Britannic tells the complete story of this enigmatic ship: her construction, launch and life, her fateful last voyage, and the historical findings resulting from the exploration of the well-preserved wreck over a period of 40 years. With remarkable sonar scans and many never before seen photographs of the wreck, plus fold-out sections of the original Harland & Wolff ship plans, not previously published in their entirety, Exploring the Britannic finally details how the mysteries surrounding the 100-year-old enigma were laid to rest, and what the future might also hold for her.