A VHF set has a variety of functions: use it to call other craft, marinas and the Coastguard; listen to information broadcasts, gale warnings or even get medical advice from a doctor. In an emergency it is your lifeline and far more effective than a mobile phone. All of these uses make VHF an invaluable piece of kit on board.

VHF Afloat explains how to use your VHF DSC radio. It covers licensing the equipment and the gaining the operator certificate, and then takes you through each type of call.

Each procedure is clearly illustrated using the story of the yacht "Sierra," to show how the radio is used on passage to communicate with marinas, other vessels and the Coastguard, including how a MAYDAY is managed by the rescue services.

Use VHF Afloat to help pass the assessment, and then keep it on board when you need to make a call - the facts will be right at your fingertips.

A pocket database containing everything a busy skipper needs to know but might find hard to remember. It is easy to take for granted how much a skipper needs to know : Navigation, how to pilot the boat into a new harbour, using the radio, checking the engine, keeping an eye out for things that need repair, monitoring the weather, feeding the crew and much, much more! This pocketbook is designed as an aide-memoire with checklists to make life easier for busy skippers and a must-have reference for first-time skippers. It should also prove an invaluable reference book for the RYA Yachtmaster syllabus. The book has been helping skippers for nearly 20 years and has now been edited and thoroughly updated by Yachtmaster Instructor and Examiner, Sara Hopkinson. (RYA and Yachtmaster are registered trademarks of the Royal yachting Association.)