Literary Nonfiction. Women's Studies. BOAT GIRL is the heartbreaking memoir of growing up aboard a sailboat. Throughout the 1980's and 90's, Melanie's family lived aboard a 47-foot sailboat, spending their summers along the US East Coast and their winters in the Bahamas. But the cruising life was not all fun in the sun. The family had to work hard to pay for their way of life. They dodged hurricanes, overzealous federal agents and bullying land-kids. And they endured a boatload of family drama. As her father published articles about how living on a boat brings families together, Melanie secretly struggled with an eating disorder, the alienation of being a boat kid, and confusion over her developing sexuality. As an adult, she lived aboard her own 28-foot sailboat and had several relationships trying to find someone who wasn't intimidated by her stubborn independence and free-spirited lifestyle. BOAT GIRL weaves all this together into a story about a girl who, once all is said and done, simply wants her own boat and her own life. Melanie paints a vivid picture of the trials and tribulations of family life aboard a sailboat without drowning the reader in the technical details of sailing. BOAT GIRL strikes a perfect balance between a coming of age story and a sea tale, enjoyable for boaters and land-lovers alike.

The only rules-of-thumb compendium for boaters, updated with 45 new entries to delight, entertain, and most importantly, inform. These are tried and tested rules of thumb--the distilled essence of centuries of seafaring experience--providing succinct answers to the questions most-asked by boaters.

""The perfect, practical gift to give or receive."" -- The Ensign

.".".reads like a lively conversation with a friendly, seasoned pro."" -- Lakeland Boating

""All in all it is refreshing, and it is often a giggle. But most importantly, it is always helpful--very helpful."" -- SA Boating

About the Book
A concise, alphabetically organized reference for sailors and boaters. New edition includes over 460 concise entries on diverse topics such as: hull thickness, estimating distance, anchoring rights, making a rum punch, stability as assessed by roll times, and hallucinations, occurrence of. This updated to provide a new generation of boaters with an instant reference like none other. This is either the most useful boating book ever designed to entertain, or the most entertaining book ever designed to be useful.

Features Unusual, engaging, and practical collection of information not found anywhere else Format is concise and trim, and packs well aboard, as a print book or ebook Alphabetic organization makes navigation easy, as does the exhaustive index Wit and wisdom of some of the entries ("Fear, Widespread Occurrence of" and "Useless Articles on a Boat, the Three or Four Most") combines nicely with practical emphasis on others ("Fiberglass, Drawbacks of,") Comprehensive appendix of useful forms, tables, and measurements (tank capacity, rope strength, power of attorney for a cruising couple) Includes Vigor's now, well-known and often referenced "Black-Box Theory"

About the Author
A journalist who has worked for major daily newspapers in Great Britain, South Africa, and the United States, John Vigor is a former managing editor of California-based Sea magazine. A certified sailing instructor and a former national dinghy-racing champion in South Africa, he has raced, cruised and written about boats for decades. He has sailed more than 10,000 ocean miles on small boats and in 1987 voyaged from South Africa to Florida with his wife and teenage son in a 31-foot sailboat. He is the author of 12 boating books, including "Small Boat to Freedom" (Sheridan House) and "Things I Wish I'd Known Before I Started Sailing" (Sheridan House), national winner of the prestigious John Southam Award, "The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat" (McGraw-Hill), and "The Practical Encyclopedia of Boating" (McGraw-Hill). He lives in Bellingham, Washington. He writes a blog which can be found at http: //www.johnvigor.com/.

From the author of the bestselling High Performance Sailing and Higher Performance Sailing comes the first scientific analysis of what makes fast sailors fast. Rejecting the idea that luck or innate talent are the keys to success, Frank Bethwaite shows how knowledge truly is power. Making use of video cameras aligned to GPS read-outs to track the fastest racers, he meticulously analyses what winners do and how they do it, to show the rest of us how to get the best out of a racing craft. Frank Bethwaite's previous books were groundbreaking bibles that applied scientific theories to how sails and hulls interact with wind and water to influence boat speed. But whilst they applied scientific theories to boat construction, they didn't apply science to practical boat handling. This book fills that gap, and then goes further. Budding racers of all levels will welcome this unique book as a godsend. It will inform, instruct and enable them to employ the techniques (and timing) of the most successful racers, and make racing more competitive for participants, and more exciting for those of us watching.

If you can't break the rules, you might as well laugh at them. This lighthearted look at the various rules that govern the world of sailing is for anyone who's come down on the wrong side of the race committee, anyone who's broken into a sweat just reading the COLREGS, and anyone who thinks bureaucracy saps all the fun out of boating. Jim Crawford turns a humorous eye on right-of-way rules, racing rules, sailing etiquette and more in this witty collection of sardonic cartoons that will have you laughing or groaning - or both.

A comprehensive guide to help you identify and equip the boat that best suits your needs

Well-known boating writer Charles Doane unravels the complexity of cruising sailboat design and explains the fundamentals and the ramifications of each design decision. In easy-to-understand terms, Doane explains theoretical aspects of design, pragmatic issues like keel shape and berth configuration, pros and cons of various construction methods and materials, outfitting, propulsion, rigging and much more.

"Das lange vergriffene Kultbuch von David Burch, einem der weltbesten Navigatoren und Grnder der Starpath School of Navigation, nun auf Deutsch neu erschienen. Kein Survival-Handbuch, sondern ein umfassendes Werk ber die eigentlichen Grundlagen der Orientierung auf See, von den polynesischen Sternenpfaden bis zum Steuern nach dem Wind und nach Wellenbildern. Wenn die Technik teilweise oder zur Gnze versagt sollte der verantwortungsbewusste Skipper oder Navigator zumindest einige der hier aufgearbeiteten Grundlagen um Kopf haben. Ein leicht verstndliches Standardwerk fr alle, die sich mit dem Hochsee-Segeln befassen."

Pocas actividades humanas pueden compararse con la prctica de la navegacin a vela en lo que respecta al trabajo en equipo. Sea una embarcacin antigua o de ltima generacin, a bordo cada cual tiene un rol que desempear. Pero como un velero poco o nada comparte con cualquier otro tipo de mvil, tampoco sus elementos y partes operacionales son siquiera un reflejo de otros, y entonces nos encontramos con que cada uno o una merecen su propia denominacin especfica, as como las acciones que con ellos se efecten. Un tripulante debe conocer estas particularidades y, ya sea para establecer o desactivar un velamen, como para accionar con un ancla o liberarse de una amarra, ha de poseer conocimientos elementales que suelen enmarcarse en un trmino generalizado: marinera. En este libro comenzamos por el primer escaln, el del embarcado que no toma decisiones propias, sino que interpreta los requerimientos que le trasmite quien est a cargo de la nave -y por ende responsable de lo que ocurra-, y los ejecuta con rapidez y eficiencia. Si el lector no est familiarizado con la prctica valerstica, valga una sola -y desconcertante- particularidad: un yate de vela no posee frenos; no se han inventado an, y tal vez sea un requerimiento insoluble. Una vez puesto en marcha, slo el equipo de a bordo, coordinadamente, es capaz de maniobrarlo y detenerlo a voluntad. Algo que nunca dejar de sorprendernos, porque es a la vez simple y complejo.

Gua completa para el palista en mar abierto: las tcnicas y aspectos especficos.

50 listas con mas de 3.500 consejos sobre la preparacion del barco antes de zarpar: el equipamiento tecnico y de seguridad, las privisiones, el ocio, la salud, etc.

An excellent and practical step-by-step manual to help prepare you for the cruising lifestyle and to entertain you as you learn. --Cruising World

More than two decades ago, Tom and Mel Neale moved onto a boat full-time with their two daughters. Now their neighborhood is anywhere they choose to anchor. Heres all the information needed to follow in their footsteps, including choosing a boat, earning a living, raising and educating kids, and much more.

[A] well-researched, gracious and truthful account. --Georgian Bay Today

When her husband proposed living on a boat full-time, Debra Cantrell wondered what other women in her position had done and began a five-year study to find out what choices they had made and how it had all worked out. The result is Changing Course, a guidebook for navigating this odyssey. No matter what the outcome, each woman was strengthened by the experience.

In an era when downshifting is common and people are considering the benefits of simplified living, Changing Course is both timely and practical.

This is the eagerly awaited follow-up to Des Sleightholme's bestseller A Funny Old Life, which instantly established itself as a must-read for Des's multitude of admirers. Former editor of Yachting Monthly for many years, Des is well known for his irreverent outlook on the Establishment and for his unfailing eye for the funny side of things; here he returns with further yarns about the hilarious happenings throughout his life.

An analysis of the design, performance and handling of multihulls. Beginning with their evolution, how they are designed and their sailing performance, the author goes on to examine reasons for choosing a multihull.

An invaluable resource. [Vigors] practical wisdom gives you the know-how and confidence to prepare your boat for the sea.--Cruising World. Here is the book that answer the sailors fundamental question--Can my boat take me offshore safely?--then shows how to make it happen.

It is every sailor's goal to cross the Atlantic - but to complete an entire Atlantic circuit by sailing the tradewind circular route, with the highlight of a Carribbean cruise on the way, is the stuff that dreams are made of. This book is intended for sailors planning to join the Atlantic loop at any stage of the circuit. It is an informative user-friendly guide that will provide the the reader with all the facts, first-hand advice and useful data they need to give their dreams substance. Topics covered include: * modifying a standard cruiser to make the trip * taking on crew - known and unknown * route planning and timings * tropical storms; how to miss them * living aboard - at sea and in harbour * paperwork required for vessel and crew * reef navigation for the Caribbean * gear to work harder for longer * heavy weather strategies * security and crime prevention * disaster management; planning for the worst * tables of costs

Des Sleightholme, former Editor of "Yachting Monthly" for many years, is well known for his irreverent outlook on the Establishment and for his unfailing eye for the funny side of things; here he takes on a hilarious anecdotal romp through his sailing life.;From childhood efforts to get afloat at all costs - "if it floats stand on it" - to the tribulations of running a charter boat, the wandering narrative moves from the high drama of a force ten dismasting to the farce of a shattered toilet bowl. The author has a connoisseur's eye for a cock-up.

Doris Colgate knows what women want. Well-known as a sailing role model and a confident yet gentle teacher, she writes with clarity on even the most complex sailing concepts, as well as answering often-asked questions on the safety, comfort, and social sides of sailing. Sailing: A Womans Guide pulls it all together for the beginning sailor. Finally, an excellent book for women that both teaches and motivates. Bravo, Doris. Youve opened up the sport.
--Bernadette Peters, editorial director, Cruising World

It took a person with her fingers on the pulse of women aspiring to sail to write this book, and that person is clearly Doris Colgate. Sailing: A Womans Guide is as much a source book as empowerment to women the world over desiring to become sailors.
--Micca Leffingwell Hutchins, editor of SailNet

An excellent introduction to the sport of sailing. It will undoubtedly encourage many women to try this challenging, noncontact activity while enjoying the great outdoors.--Betsy Alison, Four-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year

This new series is designed to teach outdoor skills to women in the way they learn. . . . Women of all ages describe how they overcame obstacles, what they enjoyed most, or just how they felt about undertaking a new activity . . . extremely well done and appealing.
--Library Journal (starred review)

For over fifty years Maurice Griffiths cruised in a variety of small
yachts amongst the rivers and creeks of the Thames Estuary and round
the coasts of Suffolk, Essex and Kent. In this classic book he tells of
the boats he owned in that time, and shows how the experience gained
with these small craft helped to turn him into a dedicated yacht designer.

There is more than an echo here of the magic the author found amongst
his beloved swatchways, so although this book contains much lore and
advice for the yacht designer, discerning owner and builder, it is also
a book of delightful reminiscences.

Up Aloft with Old Harry is another wonderful collection of Des Sleightholme's batty observations on the sailing scene. Wickedly perceptive, Sleightholme attacks pomposity with scarifying gusto, taking the mickey out of everything and everybody afloat. Such topics as leaking boats, dragging anchors, the charms of twin keels, the Fastnet Race, moving house by boat, chartering and, of course, the perils of going aloft, are handled with pitiless relish, while the improbable yet all too familiar character, Old Harry, appears with regularity like some pantomime devil in wrinkled red tights. 'Sleightholme is the man to make you laugh' Yachting Monthly 'Nobody is safe from Sleightholme's wit and wisdom' Motor Boat & Yachting

Anyone who has come across Des Sleightholme's bitingly witty writing will know they are in for a treat with this book. In his usual hilarious tongue-in-cheek manner, Des Sleightholme seeks to introduce the newcomer to the joys of cruising, explaining how to go about choosing a boat, what is likely to happen on your first time out, coping with tides, knots, and etiquette, and how to behave in marinas. In his own inimitable words: 'This book is for all those who are willing to leave the empties on the doorstep and their teeth on the bathroom shelf and go to sea. Having spent many a fascinating hour aground on the Buxey, keel banging like a town band drummer and praying in a loud falsetto voice, there's no doubt that it's a sport which broadens both mind and buttock.' Read it and you'll curl up! 'Des Sleightholme is one of the very few genuinely funny yachting writers' - Andrew Bray, Yachting World

"The Sharpie Book" traces the development of the sharpie from its earliest days to the latest plywood-and-epoxy designs; gives comprehensive instructions that can be used to build sharpies of all types and sizes; and includes more than a dozen designs and plans for sharpies from 15 to 40 feet from the likes of Chapelle, Kunhardt, Munroe, Boiger, Clapham, Kirby, and the author. A sharpie is a long, narrow, flat-bottom craft that evolved in the 19th century along the Connecticut shore as an oyster fisherman's boat. An 1880 report by the U.S. Census Bureau characterized the sharpie as "so good a fishing boat and so fast a yacht that it has been adopted in a great many other localities throughout the United States." To this add three more superlatives--easy, cheap, and fast to build--and you have the keys to the sharpie's almost cultlike popularity among backyard boatbuilders.

Here are 75 novel and wonderful boats--some strange, some beautiful, all of them paragons of Philip Bolgers form-follows-function design philosophy. A planing microtrawler; a glass-galleried, beachable birdwatching boat; a fully enclosed ocean-cruising rowboat; cruising sailboats that take the ground at low tide; power, sail, and rowing boats from 6 to 95 feet--these are boats as only Bolgers unfettered imagination does them. This is the first collection of Bolgers work in almost 15 years. It is long overdue.

Bolger is an eloquent writer and his comments run the gamut from hilarious to profound.--The Ensign

Bolger brings a kind of youthful feeling to yacht design--he would rather make precedent than follow it.--WoodenBoat

Bolger has a way of seducing even the lay reader into thinking about and beginning to understand boat design.--Cruising World

Boat lovers who are used to designers who conceive the same boat over and over, camouflaged with a face-lifting here and there, will be amazed at Phil Bolgers diversity.--Boatbuilder

With Sailing: The Basics, acclaimed teacher and racer Dave Franzel moves you quickly from book to boat. It is his firm conviction that the best and most effective way to learn to sail is to be out on the water. Accordingly, he treats the theory of sailing in a straightforward, no-nonsense fashion-just the way he's done so successfully for decades at his Boston Sailing Center, and more recently, his St. Thomas Sailing Center. The essential information in this book is comprehensive, effectively reinforced, and clarified with more than 100 excellent line drawings. New to this edition is a discussion of advances in electronic navigation and weather apps. Also new is a section on the use of asymmetrical spinnakers. Sailing: The Basics is exactly what it says it is. After studying this book, you'll understand the fundamental concepts well enough to be confident of your abilities when you board your boat for the first time. You'll learn how to sail on and off moorings and docks, how to trim the sails, and how to balance the boat properly. You will be introduced to the rules of the road, anchoring, navigation, spinnaker sailing, heavy-weather sailing, and basic seamanship. In short, you'll have all the keys to a successful, fun, and safe time under sail.