Plug Nickel is a collection of columns written by author Joel Thurtell about the trials and tribulations of restoring a wooden Lightning sailboat. The "boat" was actually a mold used to make fiberglass boats in the 1960s through 1980s, but it just happened that the mold was the last wooden Lightning sailboat made by boat builder Nickels & Holman. hence the name. It was a male mold, and male molds are nicknamed "plugs." Hence the name, "Plug Nickel." The columns were originally published in the Lightning "Flashes," a publication of the International Lightning Class Association. The essays deal with the how-to of restoring wooden boats, the psychology and philosophy of collecting and fixing antique and the problem of time spent away from family because of an obsession. The book emphasizes trying to restore a boat economically, or "on a shoestring.' It's important to note that the author, Joel Thurtell, was a newspaper reporter and not a trained woodworker. Much of his how-to information is spiced with his own take on how to make things work on a sailboat when the fixer is a layman with no special boatbuilding training.

As every boat owner knows, the more you sail, the more conscious you become of small design faults, safety deficiencies, performance problems, or simply ways in which the boat could be more efficiently maintained. This handbook tells you how to tackles such problems, how to carry out the work with confidence, fully aware of the potential pitfalls and armed with plenty of sound, step-by-step practical advice. A whole range of exciting projects are featured some simple, others more complex but none of which require boatyard expertise. As the author makes clear, the experience of doing the work yourself is rewarding and fun, and it will add to the satisfaction derived from the improvements themselves."

For plotting a vessel's position to a tenth of a mile.

The definitive guide to a critical, hotly debated topic

How should a sailor cope with storms at sea? Some advocate heaving-to, others running off. Some say trail a sea anchor over the bow, others a drogue astern. The stakes in the discussion couldn't be higher, or the consensus lower. Finally, preeminent sailor/author Hal Roth offers a practical strategy that can evolve and respond as storms grow stronger.

This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages.

Beyond Acceptable Risk reports on ten Northwest Sea Disasters of charter boats and commercial fishing vessels, and points out guidelines for safety at sea for recreational boaters and commercial operators.

The first complete how-to guide for building the latest generation of quick and easy boats

In "Ultrasimple Boatbuilding," renowned designer Gavin Atkin shows you how to create elegant, seaworthy plywood boats with a minimum of time, experience, and expense. Using clearly written and illustrated step-by-step instructions, Atkin explains the basics of stitch-and-glue construction, tools, materials, shop safety, and more, as he helps you choose and build the simple boat of your dreams.

A FASCINATING INVESTIGATION OF HOW WE NAVIGATE THE PHYSICAL WORLD, "INNER NAVIGATION" IS A LIVELY, ENGAGING ACCOUNT OF SUBCONSCIOUS MAPMAKING.

Why are we so often disoriented when we come up from the subway?

Do we really walk in circles when we lose our bearings in the wilderness?

How -- and why -- do we get lost at all?

In this surprising, stimulating book, Erik Jonsson, a Swedish-born engineer who has spent a lifetime exploring navigation over every terrain, from the crowded cities of Europe to the emptiness of the desert, gives readers extraordinary new insights into the human way-finding system.

Written for the nonscientist, "Inner Navigation" explains the astonishing array of physical and psychological cues the brain uses to situate us in space and build its "cognitive maps" -- the subconscious maps it employs to organize landmarks. Humans, Jonsson explains, also possess an intuitive direction frame -- an internal compass -- that keeps these maps oriented (when it functions properly) and a dead-reckoning system that constantly updates our location on the map as we move through the world. Even the most cynical city-dweller will be amazed to learn how much of this innate sense we use every day as we travel across town or around the world.

Both a scientific and a human story, "Inner Navigation" contains a rich assortment of real-life insights and examples of the navigational challenges we all face, no matter where or how we live. It's a book that is as provocative to ponder as it is delightful to lose yourself in. Don't worry: Erik Jonsson will help you find your bearings.

The book is an excellent guide for Marine Engineers, especially those who have just about started with a career out at sea. Lost in the confines of a never-seen-before engine room, this book brings a deep insight into the actual functioning and the ropes of maintaining machinery on a sea going vessel. Most books are written with the purpose of succeeding at the examinations for certification. This book discusses performance criteria of equipment in detail, maintenance based on those criteria with over 170 sketches, drawings and images, and troubleshooting to resolve problems faced on those rust buckets. The book emphasizes training to be a great manager, staying one step ahead of peers (and may be half a step ahead of superiors). Like they say - who needs mathematics to trace a choked filter, huh? A fun book and yet an eye-opener for those still to find their sea legs.

The Army version "Map Reading and Land Navigation" is the simplest and most straightforward explanation of how to get around with just a compass and a map. This guide is perfect for any outdoorsman or for teaching Boy Scouts how to use a compass.

The Yachtsman's Tidal Atlas, covering the English Channel, Southern North Sea and Bristol Channel, is a comprehensive aid to accurate navigation. In 2 colour for the first time, and compiled from a number of different sources including tide tables, tidal stream atlases, pilot books and charts, The Yachtsman's Manual of Tides provides clear tidal stream information in an easy to read format. All boaters will appreciate the large format, well laid out tidal stream charts with their detailed coverage and easy to read strength arrows. 'A superb navigational aid...this handy paperback is a well-proven aid to passage-planning.' Yachting Monthly 'Whether for cross-Channel planning or coastal cruising, many yachtsmen would not be without their Reeve-Fowkes.' Practical Boat Owner

Find a small cruising sailboat and restore it to pristine condition on a budget that won't sink your budget

Small, trailererable cruising sailboats are more popular than ever as mooring spaces dwindle and marina dockage and winter storage costs soar. "Fix It and Sail" helps you discover boatloads of fun far less than a single ski weekend or golf club membership. Veteran sailor and journalist Brian Gilbert shows you how to select and inspect a boat, then restore it from keel to rigging.

Gilbert's clear, step-by-step instructions guide you through every phase of the restoration process from repairing keels, hulls, ports, and cabins to painting, wiring, and sealing. You'll learn how to evaluate, repair and replace hardware, upholstery, canvaswork, and more. Profusely illustrated appendices give you a vivid picture of the costs, tasks, and labor involved in an actual restoration project.

Published by the Hydrographic Office under the Authority of the Secretary of the Navy.

During the nineteenth century, the roughest but most important ocean passage in the world lay between Britain and the United States. Bridging the Atlantic Ocean by steamship was a defining, remarkable feat of the era. Over time, Atlantic steamships became the largest, most complex machines yet devised. They created a new transatlantic world of commerce and travel, reconciling former Anglo-American enemies and bringing millions of emigrants who transformed the United States.

In Transatlantic, the experience of crossing the Atlantic is re-created in stunning detail from the varied perspectives of first class, steerage, officers, and crew. The dynamic evolution of the Atlantic steamer is traced from Brunel's Great Western of 1838 to Cunard's Mauretania of 1907, the greatest steamship ever built.