'From a young age, I was flirting with the sea and its power.' says Ben Thompson. This is the colourful and moving story of a boy who realised at an early age that the sea was his calling and followed his dream. By the age of twenty-five, Ben Thompson was being paid to dive the world's most exquisite coral reefs. Few people have worked as dive instructors in such varied locations around the world as he has. From exploring the far reaches of South East Asia by local yacht to off-roading through sub-Saharan Africa looking for new dives, Ben sees the world through a diver's mask. Along the way, he dives one of the world's only vertical wrecks (at a top-secret location) just as it ruptures its gas tanks and causes an international incident, is held up at gunpoint by a militia group in the Philippines, rescued by pirates in Indonesia, and visits the Caicos with America's largest naked diving group. His story will fascinate divers, travellers, seafarers, and adventurers of all stripes. It's an exhilarating tale of escaping the humdrum, and also a cheering love story as his ever-patient partner and dive buddy, Vic, accompanies Ben on his escapades around the world.

A handy, splash-proof, on-the-water aide memoire of everything the skipper and crew need to know - or find out quickly - when cruising: from lights, shapes and sound signals to knots, ropes and engine troubleshooting. With diagrams and illustrations throughout, this quick reference guide will help to keep you safe when out at sea.

For most sailors, boat tuning may seem a mystery understood only by sailmakers and the like. In this book, sailor, chandler and championship winner, Ian Pinnell, unravels this daunting subject and will help improve your boatspeed as a result. Since most races are won or lost by a difference of less than 2% of racing time, you will soon be moving up the fleet. With hundreds of photos and diagrams to illustrate every point, the book clearly explains what each control does and how to set it up optimally for different conditions. Additional troubleshooting and skills sections take things even further, making this the bible of dinghy tuning.

Hannah Dines and Jess Leyden are two perfectly normal, brilliant women. One, a world record-holding athlete and a Paralympian on the trike. The other, a multiple age-group world champion and one of the most promising rowers Great Britain has to offer. In the five years (yes, that's right) between Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, they will face cancer scares, crushing defeats, and the biggest global health crisis in a century. They will get dropped, they will get injured, and they will win medals. They will spend the best years of their lives knowing that at any moment, it could all come crashing down. That all the training, all the sacrifice could be in vain, wasted effort as a pandemic raged. That maybe these could be the years that will shape their finest hour - or that maybe, after everything that they've been through, it could all still be snatched away at the last...

This guide covers the coast of Turkey from the Bosphorus to the Syrian border and Cyprus. There is also a chapter on the Black Sea coast.

The Turkish coast has changed more than any other in the Mediterranean and in some places beyond recognition. There has been a steady growth in the number of cruising yachts, many of which are now Turkish-owned and to match this facilities have been improved, harbours extended and new marinas built.

This edition has been thoroughly updated and provides the latest information on these developments. The text has been revised and contains new plans and new photographs, many of which are aerial shots.

Turkish Waters and Cyprus Pilot is regarded as essential reading for anyone sailing in the country.

Part of the small format Y series (A2 size), this replicates sheet 2400.3 from the 2400 West Country Chart Pack

From highlands to islands, wrecks to reefs and caves, Wild and Temperate Seas is a new-style guide which will whet your appetite for UK diving. These are over 50 personal favourites at some of the UK's most popular underwater destinations. Dorset Dives author Will Appleyard and his team of experienced collaborators share their picks as they showcase our beautiful coastal locations. Many of the dive sites featured in this new guide already appear regularly in avid UK divers' log books. Others are visited by only those with local knowledge and some rarely see divers at all. All are special in some way to those who have contributed and evidence for those to whom the UK underwater is still a mystery that once you tame these wild and temperate seas there really are some magnificent experiences to be had. As a wise man once said 'There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong thermal protection' (paraphrased). So, demist your mask and embrace the emerald, don your drysuit and conquer the cold... this book shows what incredible quality is waiting to be found if you just scratch the surface of UK diving. Wild and Temperate Seas is an introduction to some of the UK's best dives covering over 50 accessible sites in 15 beautiful locations across the nation. Includes wrecks and reefs, boat and shore dives. By experienced contributors and with stunning images by award-winning underwater photographers, the book is perfect for anyone new to or considering scuba diving in the UK and those seeking inspiration.

Sam Cottle grew up in a fishing family and, thanks to the inspiration of his grandfather, "Cap," who nearly single-handedly created the port of Point Judith in southern Rhode Island, he became a successful captain in his own right. Here are Sam's first-hand accounts of his life at sea, from the terror of a vessel sinking in the middle of the night, to the excitement of dragging up unexploded depth charges and great white sharks in the nets, to the grueling toil and ultimate satisfaction that comes with an honest day's haul. Captain Sam introduces a whole host of colorful characters-from loving grandmothers to eccentric neighbors-all of whom played a role in shaping Sam's life and seafaring career.

'This fascinating history of how, where and why humans swim...is perfect reading for those missing a splash-about during the lockdown.' Guardian From the first recorded dip into what's now the driest spot on earth to the recreational swimmers in your local pool, humans have been getting wet for 10,000 years. And for most of modern history, swimming has caused a ripple that touches us all. Splash! dives into Egypt, winds through ancient Greece and Rome, flows mostly underground through the Dark and Middle Ages (at least in Europe), and then re-emerges in the wake of the Renaissance before taking its final lap at the modern Olympic Games. Along the way, it kicks away the idea that swimming is just about speed or great feats of aquatic endurance, revealing how its history spans religion, fashion, architecture, public health, colonialism, segregation, sexism, sexiness, guts, glory and much, much more. As refreshing as jumping into a pool on a hot summer's day, Splash! sweeps across the whole of humankind's swimming history with an irrepressible enthusiasm that will make you crave your next dip.

Most sailing vessels and motorboats have a marine diesel engine. This book will help the owner keep this vital piece of equipment going. It covers; how it works, fuel, air, cooling, lubrication, electrics, installation and winter lay up.

This second edition is fully revised and now covers turbochargers and long-distance voyaging (very demanding on engines).

Don Seddon is both an engineer and a sailor. This makes him uniquely qualified to write this book.

For the economical do-it-yourselfer who wants to build his or her own skiff, this instruction manual relies on simple techniques and hand-powered tools and shows how to make a boat in a minimum amount of time. Start your flatiron skiff in the spring and be on the water by summer. Boat-building instructor K. D. Jones explains his "Thoreau Approach," which involves learning to trust your instincts like craftsmen of centuries past as you use your eyes and hands to build simple, elegant, functional boats. The book includes lists of recommended tools and accessories, design variations, instructional photographs and drawings, and a little history about this under-appreciated type of boat, named for its resemblance in shape to an antique cast-iron press. The use of these traditional methods and of local materials not only reduces construction costs but also prevents exposure to toxic adhesives and solvents.

An immersive, unforgettable, and eye-opening perspective on swimming—and on human behavior itself.

We swim in freezing Arctic waters and piranha-infested rivers to test our limits. We swim for pleasure, for exercise, for healing. But humans, unlike other animals that are drawn to water, are not natural-born swimmers. We must be taught. Our evolutionary ancestors learned for survival; now, in the twenty-first century, swimming is one of the most popular activities in the world.

Why We Swim is propelled by stories of Olympic champions, a Baghdad swim club that meets in Saddam Hussein’s palace pool, modern-day Japanese samurai swimmers, and even an Icelandic fisherman who improbably survives a wintry six-hour swim after a shipwreck. New York Times contributor Bonnie Tsui, a swimmer herself, dives into the deep, from the San Francisco Bay to the South China Sea, investigating what it is about water that seduces us, despite its dangers, and why we come back to it again and again.

Swimming has been an Olympic sport since the inception of the Games, with the 100, 400, and 1500 freestyles being the original events along with the 100 freestyle for sailors. While the spirit of the sport remains the same, the technology and the competitive formats have advanced tremendously through the years. The number of events contested in competition has increased to the point where the program for a typical international meet, such as the World Championships or Olympics, produces a true reflection of the best swimmers over various distances and in different strokes. The Historical Dictionary of Competitive Swimming examines the sport of swimming since its inception as a competitive athletic event. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and appendixes that detail Olympic and World Championships medal winners. The dictionary section has over 500 cross-referenced dictionary entries on individuals, major competitions, and there are also entries for each of the competitive strokes and countries that have enjoyed significant success in the sport.

High Performance Youth Swimming provides an in-depth view of the physiological, biomechanical, and multifaceted underpinning of swimming success, with a focus on youth. Considerations of both growth and maturation processes and the intricacies of the swimming training environment are core throughout the book. Divided into sections on physiology of swimming, motor control, biomechanics, and long-term well-being, the book also includes chapters from international contributors on: Strength and conditioning Skill acquisition Overtraining Burnout Respiratory health This volume is for those interested in enhancing their art of coaching through a deeper understanding of the science of swimming, including swimming coaches, those who wish - and question how - to best support youth swimming performance, or anyone interested in swimming science more generally.

Health geography makes critical contributions to contemporary and emerging interdisciplinary agendas of nature-based health and health-enabling places. Couched in theory and critical empirical work on nature and health, this book addresses questions on the relationships between water, health and wellbeing. Water and blue space is a key focus in current health geography research and a new hydrophilic turn has emerged with a particular focus on the aspects of water which are affective, life-enhancing and health-enabling. Research considers the benefits and risks associated with blue space, from access to safe and clean water in the Global South, to health promoting spaces found around urban waters, to the deeper implications of climate change for water-based livelihoods and indigenous cultures. This book reflects recent theoretical debates within health geography, drawing from research in the public health, anthropology and psychology sectors. Broad thematic sections focus on interdisciplinary, experiential and equity-based elements of blue space, with individual chapters that consider indigenous and global health, water's healing properties, leisure and blue yogic culture, coastal landscapes, surfing, swimming and sailing, along with more contested hydrophobic dimensions. The interdisciplinary lens means this book will be extremely valuable to human geographers and cultural geographers. It will also appeal to practitioners and researchers interested in environmental health, leisure and tourism, health inequalities and public health more broadly.

Like the instant classic "The Last American Man, Fearless" is the story of a remarkable individual who accepts no personal limits--including fear. Freya Hoffmeister, a forty-six-year-old former sky diver, gymnast, marksman, and Miss Germany contestant, left her twelve-year-old son behind to paddle alone and unsupported around Australia--a year-long adventure that virtually every expert guaranteed would get her killed. She planned not only to survive the 9,420-mile trip through huge, shark-infested seas, but to do it faster than the only other paddler who did it.
As journalist and expert kayaker Joe Glickman details the voyage of this Teutonic force of nature, he captures interminable days on the water and nights camped out on deserted islands; hair-raising encounters with crocs and great white sharks; and the daring 300-mile open-ocean crossing that shaved three weeks off her trip. For 332 days Glickman followed Freya's journey on her blog--along with a far-flung audience of awestruck, even lovesick, groupies--as she took on one terrifying ordeal after the next. In the end, he says, "her vanity and pigheadedness paled next to her nearly superhuman ability to master fear and persevere."

This is the ultimate guide to liferaft survival for all boaters and its purpose is to ensure the survival of skipper and crew in the event of their boat sinking. In this essential safety book, expert authors, Frances and Michael Howorth, cover how to be mentally and physically prepared for a sailor’s ultimate nightmare. It includes invaluable advice on the essentials to pack into the emergency grab bag for a short or long cruise, hot or cold climate, coastal or offshore trip. Packed full of checklists and clear diagrams, there are lessons learned from disasters, flowcharts to prioritise abandon ship procedure, sections on first aid and emergency treatment. Featuring some essential content from the authors’ previous title The Grab Bag Book but completely revised and updated, the new Liferaft Survival Guide is what you need right now to stay safe at sea and covers up to date information on the way satellites and beacons work, world monitoring of distress signals and advances in medical practice. Preparation and planning are key for safe enjoyable sailing. Every boater needs to plan and prepare, and every boater should read this book. This unique survival at sea handbook helps you ensure your crew’s survival in a liferaft. Buy it, build your own grab bag and be sure to be prepared!

Collisions are expensive! Learning, understanding and remembering the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) is essential for anyone venturing onto the water. Leisure boaters, as much as professional mariners, need to know the rules, and a firm understanding is required to pass many nautical exams. But with the COLREGs stretching to over 12,000 words, this is no small task. This is where Paul Boissier's excellent book comes in. Paul knows the COLREGs backwards having used them extensively in his career with the Royal Navy - from the bridges of submarines and warships which he has commanded, with each giving a rather different perspective on other shipping! He also knows the other side well with his extensive cruising experience, from his early years with his father to now, sailing his own yacht. These experiences mean that he knows and understands the COLREGs from both sides and this gives him the ability to take you through the COLREGs from a mariners' and sailors' perspective. He brings the vital, but dry, document to life, going through it not in order, but by topics which are relevant to the mariner and sailor. Paul explains the intention of each rule and how it should be applied when at sea. He includes personal anecdotes (not all favourable to him!) which make everything real and tells us how he remembers different aspects of the Regulations through mnemonics and other devices. Finally, each chapter ends with a self-test to reinforce what has been learnt - other tests are also available online on the Fernhurst Books' website. This new edition has been updated with the 2016 changes to the CLOREGS. Whether you want to increase your confidence, pass an exam, require an on-board reference, or wish to improve your understanding of the nautical rules of the road, this is the ideal book for you.

The SCA Guidebook for Canoeists, Kayakers and Paddleboarders. This is a completely redesigned, revised and updated 2nd edition, previously published under the title Scottish Canoe Touring. Where can I go paddling? Find the answers right here, with 135 great canoe, kayak and paddleboard trips, 12 cross-Scotland routes, and numerous ‘short easy trips’ in a unique guide for those seeking gentler waters. This guide is aimed at those looking for calmer waters – rivers, canals, inland lochs and sheltered sea lochs. Routes described cater for all tastes, from those seeking an idyllic afternoon’s paddle to those looking for a multi-day canoe-camping expedition.

This beautifully produced compendium gives you a knot challenge for every day of the year. With hundreds to choose from, all colour coded by use, you can work through the book from start to finish, gradually building on your knowledge as you go, or alternatively dipping in and out for your daily knotting fix. Covers: - all the essential knots - useful hitches, bends, whippings and splices - handy knots for making outdoor items: plant hangers, harnesses, tree swings, rope ladder - mini knot craft projects: cool keyrings, friendship bracelets, belts, mats - magic 'trick' knots: escapology knots, vanishing knots, travelling knots - freestyle knots: have a go at the 'thrown bowline' (an old cowboy trick) - everyday fashion knots - new ways to tie your shoelaces, scarf, or even your tie! You won't escape this book without learning something, and you won't put it down without picking up an interesting fact or useful technique. Give it a month and you'll be a knot tying fanatic; give it a year and you'll be a knotting supremo!

With a "Passions" book in your hand, you can turn to any page and escape life's little miseries - be it dull meetings, delayed trains, or waiting "on hold". Whether your passion is for diving or horse-riding, swooshing down the snow or lounging on the beach, each collection of sumptuous full-colour photographs will transport you to the world's ultimate locations. Compiled with expert input from professionals, these books are pure indulgence and will take you to wonderful places...including some which you never dreamed existed!

Yachtsmen can now benefit from the practical expertise of scores of sailors and captains from a vast range of boating experience who divulge a wealth of information on types of ships, sailing areas, and requirements. This guide brings together their best ideas and secrets, including simple and cost-effective ways to improve equipment performance that make life on board more convenient and comfortable, and sailing easier and safer. Included are tips on mooring and anchoring, handling, stowing, securing, storing during the winter, and cleaning and of course, maximizing comfort in the cockpit and on deck. Easy-to-follow demonstrations of how to tackle often complicated tasks efficiently, without much effort, and without breaking the bank, are sure to turn any serious sailor into a master yachtsman."