In the late 1990s John Pollack was working as a Washington speechwriter when, frustrated by the cynicism and hypocrisy on Capitol Hill, he quit his job to pursue a boyhood dream: to build a boat made entirely of wine corks and take it on an epic journey.
Cork Boat tells the story of Pollack's improbable quest. Overcoming one obstacle after another, he convinces skeptical bartenders to save their corks, corrals a brilliant but disorganized partner, and eventually cajoles more than one hundred volunteers who help build the boat until their fingers bleed. Ultimately, Pollack completes his vessel of 165,321 corks and sets sail on a fantastic voyage down the Douro River in Portugal, where the Cork Boat becomes a national sensation.
In recounting these adventures, Pollack skillfully meanders through fascinating arcana, from the cork wars to the history of rubber bands (some 15,000 of which help hold his boat together). He also offers an insider's look at the White House, where he was a Presidential speechwriter and enlisted navy stewards to save corks for the boat.
Written with unusual grace and disarming humor, Cork Boat is a buoyant tale of whimsy, adventure, and the power of imagination.

The quick andcost-effective way to build the boat of your dreams In this much-anticipated Second Edition of the cutting-edge book on boat building, pioneer Sam Devlin gives you the plans and expert advice you need to apply his highly developed, easy-to-use stitch-and-glue technique to a wide variety of boats ranging in size from 7 to 55 feet. This new and expanded edition of Devlin’s Boat Building Manual features 200 photographs, including an entirely new section that follows the complete boat building process from start to finish. Boat building enthusiasts will enjoy seeing the stitch-and-glue method applied to such larger vessels as powerboats and sailboats, and DIY hobbyists interested in building their first boat will find more instruction than in the previous edition. This updated edition also features, a revised painting section, coverage on the latest epoxies and resins and how to work with them, and an expanded design section showing the broad range of sizes and types of boats now buildable with this technique.

Covers problems with metal corrosion on the hull and fastenings, lightning hazards and protection and electrical problems on a boat. It is part of series of books about technical issues facing every boat owner and is fully illustrated with photos and technical drawings.

“I take a stroke and lean back, gazing up into the jet skies, bejeweled by the moon and the galaxies of stars. The hull glides in silence and with such perfect balance as to report no motion. I sit up for another stroke, now looking down as the blades ignite swirling pairs of white constellations of phosphorescent plankton. Two opposing heavens. ‘Remember this,’ I think to myself.”

Few people have ever considered the eastern United States to be an island, but when Nat Stone began tracing waterways in his new atlas at the age of ten he discovered that if one had a boat it was possible to use a combination of waterways to travel up the Hudson River, west across the barge canals and the Great Lakes, down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, and back up the eastern seaboard. Years later, still fascinated by the idea of the island, Stone read a biography of Howard Blackburn, a nineteenth-century Gloucester fisherman who had attempted to sail the same route a century before. Stone decided he would row rather than sail, and in April 1999 he launched a scull beneath the Brooklyn Bridge to see how far he could get. After ten months and some six thousand miles he arrived back at the Brooklyn Bridge, and continued rowing on to Eastport, Maine.

Retracing Stone’s extraordinary voyage, On the Water is a marvelous portrait of the vibrant cultures inhabiting American shores and the magic of a traveler’s chance encounters. From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where a rower at the local boathouse bequeaths him a pair of fabled oars, to Vanceburg, Kentucky, where he spends a day fishing with Ed Taylor -- a man whose efficient simplicity recalls The Old Man and the Sea -- Stone makes his way, stroke by stroke, chatting with tugboat operators and sleeping in his boat under the stars. He listens to the live strains of Dwight Yoakum on the banks of the Ohio while the world’s largest Superman statue guards the nearby town square, and winds his way through the Louisiana bayous, where he befriends Scoober, an old man who reminds him that the happiest people are those who’ve “got nothin’.” He briefly adopts a rowing companion -- a kitten -- along the west coast of Florida, and finds himself stuck in the tidal mudflats of Georgia. Along the way, he flavors his narrative with local history and lore and records the evolution of what started out as an adventure but became a lifestyle.

An extraordinary literary debut in the lyrical, timeless style of William Least Heat-Moon and Henry David Thoreau, On the Water is a mariner’s tribute to childhood dreams, solitary journeys, and the transformative powers of America’s rivers, lakes, and coastlines.


From the Hardcover edition.

Accompanied by an eight-part series, this is the story of Adam Nicolson's adventure in a small boat around the western coast of the British Isles. Early in the year, Adam Nicolson decided to leave his comfy life at home on a Sussex farm and go on an adventure. Equipped with the Auk, a forty-two-foot wooden ketch, and a friend who at least knew how to sail, he set off up the Atlantic coasts of the British Isles: Cornwall to Scilly, over to Pembrokeshire and the west of Ireland, to the Hebrides and its offliers, St Kilda and North Rona, before heading on to Orkney, and finally to the Faroes, a two hundred mile leap out into the autumn winds of the North Atlantic. But the book is not just a travel journal. Adam Nicolson writes of his own yearnings for the sea and for wide open spaces. His year is strung between the competing claims of leaving and belonging, of thinking that no life could be more exhilarating than battling a big gale driving in out of the Atlantic and of wanting to be back, in harbour, safe, still and protected. Running throughout the book is a dialogue within the author himself between the attractions of home and not home, the certainties of what you know and the seductions of what you don't. Reflective and poetic, this book is full of rich experience. It is a story passionately engaged with the beauty and marvels of the wild Atlantic coast, but is also a self-portrait of a man in the middle of his life who is determined to find out what it's all for.

A treasure chest of information, ideas, projects, and maintenance hints for the hands-on boat owner, Modern BoatWorks is novel in that it covers a wide variety of topics, including mechanical, electrical, communications, and maintenance information. It is not just another do-it-yourself text, although it includes some DIY projects. Its purpose is to stimulate, inform, and assist boat owners who have an interest in technology and the hands-on aspects of operating, maintaining, and improving their boats. Many of the chapters of this book started out as magazine articles which were intended to explain some of the newer technologies and their benefits. Others are directed toward helping the reader to use the technologies, or, in some cases, be prepared when they let you down.Modern BoatWorks offers details on improvement projects including the correct tools to use and hints to make the job easier and safer. There are also several chapters on the fine art of maintenance and some suggestions for innovative tools and methods to help take the mess and drudgery out of the tasks. Even though not all readers will own a diesel engine, install a hatch, rework an electrical system, or need to customize an instrument panel, they will still find valuable information in every chapter. Modern BoatWorks is a potpourri of practical knowledge that will lead to a better understanding of boats in general - knowledge that can be applied in a wide range of situations, help solve a multitude of problems, and enhance the boating experience. The chapters are grouped by a tenuous commonality, but the book is meant to be browsed at the whim of the reader. Enjoy And remember, the best things in life are afloat. Illustrated.

Bright work, Hull Finishes, Interior Finishes, Design, Layout, "Floor & Wall" CoveringsBright work: Stripping old finishes, Surface preparation, Proper application of clear finishes. Hull Finishes: Surface preparation, Fairing compounds and usage, Filler compounds and usage, Sealants above the waterline, Sealants below the water line, One part paints for wood, Two part paints for fiberglass and wood, Paint preparation, Brush selection.Interior: Finishes: "Walls", Trims, Hardware, Coverings, Paints, Clear coats. "Floor" Coverings: Types available and their usage, preparation and installation. Using plastic laminates and veneers. Appendixes: Addresses and phone numbers for Manufacturers, Distributors and Retailers; Tools and supplies needed; Thorough glossary of boating terms.

A breathtaking account of the world's most gruelling yacht race. The world's greatest round-the-world yacht race is the Volvo Ocean Race. The men and women who compete have an insatiable appetite for tough competition, danger and the challenge of life-threatening experiences. It is a competition in which they must cover more than 32,000 miles (52,600 km) in nine months and conquer the world's oceans. It's non-stop racing. To win the battle they must overcome the elements - from the mind-bending frustration and oppressive heat of tropical calms, to the icy blasts that drive through the minefield of icebergs deep in the Southern Ocean. This is a story about human endeavour and testing the limits of physical and mental endurance. It's also the story of team cohesion and racing to the max as we delve inside the struggles and triumphs of one particular team, Team News Corp, as they battle to become the world's best ocean warriors.

Hard Aground with Eddie Jones is a collection of cruising and boating stories, offering a "stuck up" look at the underside of cruising and the frustrations we "land-cuffed" sailors experience when our plans for coastal exploration and tropical destinations run aground on the shoals of family, finances and failing health. These columns first appeared in Carolina Cruising and Coastal Cruising Magazine. "If there is a better nautical writer when it comes to relationships and family interactions on the water than Eddie Jones, we don't know about them." -Claiborne Young, author of Cruising Guide to North Carolina "Thanks for your latest Hard Aground column, Eddie. Mel was wondering why I was laughing so early in the morning." -Tom Neale, Cruising Coast and Islands "Eddie has an excellent ear for words and is one of North Carolina's nautical treasures."-Dave Martin, Cruising World Magazine

The 12-Volt Bible for Boats is a clear, nonthreatening introduction to the 12-volt electrical systems used on small boats to power everything from reading lights to bilge pumps. This second edition is thoroughly updated with respect to modern batteries, breaker and panel design, alternative energy sources, and troubleshooting equipment, but it retains the fundamental simplicity that is the source of its enduring popularity (more than 100,000 copies sold).

Know Your Boat is here to rescue the millions of boaters who have always been afraid to peer into their boat’s innards for fear of what they’ll find. Here at last is the humorous, user-friendly guide that will give a timid skipper the courage to grab a wrench and tame the savage beast in the bilge (or at least make its acquaintance). Assuming no mechanical aptitude, David Kroenke provides readers with an easy-to-read introduction to the use and maintenance of the many systems found on today’s typical power or sail boat, including: engine, electricity, electronics, plumbing, refrigeration, windlasses, pumps, and steering system.

Have you ever listened to a weather forecast stating there may be a slight chance of showers but the rain is coming down so hard you are seriously considering a lifejacket while standing on the dock? During such times, one suggestion to the forecaster runs through everyone's mind: "Look out the window!!" That is certainly one of the most accurate methods to forecast the immediate weather.

Everyone knows the look of the sky when a thunderstorm or squall is moving in, but few know how to determine what is in store more than a few hours ahead.

Frank has taken the mystery out of weather forecasting in his book Marine Weather Forecasting. He explains how to tell more about the weather, for hours and days to come, than any broadcast. But you must know what to look for when you go on deck. The wind, clouds, moon and sun all tell the story and Frank explains how to read these signs.

Anyone can understand Frank's detailed descriptions of forecasting and the illustrations add to the ease.

Caution: After reading this book you may never rely on another broadcast report.

Illustrated

Retired Coast Guardsmen Denis Noble captures the stories of the brave crews who man the U.S. Coast Guard's small boat stations. Each year, these everyday heroes respond to over 37,000 calls for assistance and save more than 4,000 lives. Lifeboat Sailors bears witness to the courage of these unique men and women, and sounds the alarm for the rescue of this cherished American institution.

Dave Wheeler has been on boats for more than forty years, living aboard and cruising for over half of those forty years. In that time he has encountered every conceivable problem that can and will arise. Fortunately for boaters he has also found solutions to those pitfalls and explains them clearly, concisely and often with a little humor.

Dave has written hundreds of magazine articles for your favorite boating magazines but After Forty Years, is his first book on the subject of boats and boating.

After Forty Years combines all the knowledge of his articles in one, easy to understand, book with many helpful, simple solutions explained in detail. This is not another project book that has only a few projects, most not suited to your boat. This is a book that will be helpful and informative to every boater at every skill level.

Thorough treatment of traditional and electronic [sailing] methods by an expert.--WoodenBoat

Want a full course in navigation? A whole toolbox of little-known tips and shortcuts to deal with real-life navigation situations without resorting to a slide rule? You get both in Boat Navigation for the Rest of Us, second edition, a guide to pleasureboat navigation that shows you how to combine electronic aids like radar and GPS with visual observations, simple chartwork, and common-sense piloting. In plain, simple language, it explains how to find where you are and get where you want to go with a minimum of fuss. You’ll find many little-known, low-tech methods specifically designed for use aboard small powerboats and sailboats. This edition brings you up to speed on the many changes to navigation systems and equipment that have occurred over the past six years, including dramatic improvement in GPS accuracy, the proliferation of electronic charts and plotting systems, and the growing importance of the Internet as a navigation tool.

Jack I. Davis has written this very easy to understand instructional navigation book. After traveling thousands of miles on the water and teaching hundreds of navigation and boating courses, Captain Jack has put his vast experience into this excellent book. Filled with knowledge, sea stories and humorous anecdotes, this book is not only a learning tool but thoroughly enjoyable to read. He has even thrown in a few boating lessons to help you at sea.

Captain Jack takes the reader through each phase of navigation by first explaining, in detail, the steps needed to complete each phase. This is followed by a list of questions to answer, using your new found knowledge. After you have completed the questions, you can check your answers at the end of each chapter. All the calculations are accomplished with simple, grade school math using an inexpensive calculator and basic plotting tools.

If you believe you do not need these Old Time navigational skills in this modern age of electronic navigation, Captain Jack makes this suggestion to you: "Tape a mirror below your GPS display. When the electronics fail, you can look in the mirror and see exactly who is lost". Illustrated.

With aluminium becoming a more widely used boat building material, Aluminium Boatbuilding proves to be an authoritative and practical guide to designing and building aluminium alloy boats. The advantages of building in aluminium are discussed???its light weight, strength and need for minimal maintenance???as well as many other aspects, including the machinery, tools, techniques and skills needed. Ernest Sims also explains how to handle setting-up procedures, painting, and dealing with corrosion and repair. This newest edition also has a new chapter on adhesives and bonding, plus new updated information on friction stir welding, plasma and waterjet cutting. Passenger ferries, racing powerboats and design structures are also covered. Overall, this new edition of Aluminium Boatbuilding will be invaluable for anyone building or designing aluminium craft.

Anyone who has spent time at an anchorage, a marina, beside a channel or at a harbor entrance quickly realizes a great many people operating power boats are relatively new to the sport and are still coping with the learning process.The need to know why boats handle as they do and how those conditions can be overcome or used to an advantage is the reason for this book. Starting with the basics - every action has an equal and opposite reaction - and working up through thrust, windage, currents, center of gravity, hull shape and beyond, Practical Seamanship provides the knowledge in simple terms and clear illustrations.David's goal is not to make every reader a blue-water cruiser, but to provide the basics to help them handle their boats in a knowledgeable, responsible manner, backed up by a recognition of what the boating community expects from them (and why) while they are on the water. The text touches upon lines, rigging, equipment, boat design, rules and courtesy, but only where they impact the main theme, becoming a good and safe boater.Trailer BoatsGOTTA HAVE ITBrush Up On Boat HandlingHow many boaters suffer embarrassment, or worse, due to lack of boat-handling experience? Anyone hanging around a marina or public dock for very long knows this is an all too common problem.Now from Bristol Fashion Publications comes Practical Seamanship: How to Handle Your Boat Like a Pro, the latest book by Trailer Boats columnist David S. Yetman. This time the prolific author is out to help novice boaters gain mastery over powerboating -- and become better and safer boaters overall. According to Yetman, many boat-handling problems stem from inexperience and lack of familiarity with the mechanics ofit.Chock-full of basic information, the illustrated, 116-page book addresses issues pertinent to inboards with single or twin screws, outboards and sterndrives. Other chapters outline heavy-seas handling, docking and anchoring. This sturdy, laminated book is constructed to accompany you onboard.

After many years in the boating industry and writing countless articles for your favorite boating magazines, John Fleming has put his wealth of knowledge into his new book, The Complete Guide To Gasoline Marine Engines.

This book is not limited to the routine maintenance tasks or simple repairs that many engine books detail. These pages take the reader deep inside the engine by discussing the design, function and results of the entire "engine system". The book's design allows the reader to start with the basics and progress through each skill level until a thorough understanding of engines is achieved.

Although this book delves deeply into the technical aspects of engines, to more clearly relate the repair procedures, the information remains extremely easy to understand and follow throughout each phase.

You will not find another book that will explain gasoline marine engines as completely or easily as this book.

One fact is clear; when you complete this book you will know more about gasoline marine engines than you ever thought possible.

Illustrated

Robert Grossman has incorporated into the Skipper's Handbook, virtually all the information any skipper could possibly use aboard boats to sixty-feet.The quick reference layout covers everything from plotting a dead reckoning course to docking maneuvers, from CPR to advanced first aid. Here is just a sample of the detailed information contained in this book; First Aid, Rules of the Road, Navigation, Boat Handling and Seamanship.Unlike other books of this nature, this book is meant to be used at the helm for quick reference when the need arises. It will lay flat for easy reading at a powerboat helm or in the cockpit of a heeled sailboat. Every skipper from the novice aboard a small bow-rider to a lifelong professional aboard the finest yacht, will find the Skipper's Handbook the most useful book aboard their vessel.