If you love to give books as holiday gifts, you’ll find practical and entertaining suggestions below. If you enjoy reading over the long off-season, you’re in luck as well. The following six books run the gamut from vital (forecasting the weather) to fanciful (following your liveaboard dream).
PRACTICAL
Instant Weather Forecasting by Alan Watts and Reeds Weather Handbook by Frank Singleton are small books filled with very interesting and practical information. Both would make a good gift or wise acquisition.
In the Watts’ book, there are explanations of weather occurrences and inferences to be drawn, including when you can predict thunder and rain. Did you know that “dark skies with hard-looking bases do not often rain” and the appearance of cirrus and cirrostratus clouds (photo in the book) mean that wind and rain (or snow) are likely soon?
The pocket-sized Singleton book, designed for sailors and power boaters, delves into additional material such as the alarming effect of shallowing water and what you may see at sea level.
Stress-Free Navigation, Electronic and Traditional by Duncan Wells is another in the author’s series of stress-free boating books. He breaks down navigating tools and techniques into accessible and easy-to-understand portions. There’s a comparison of types of compasses (they aren’t all the same), the differences between beacons and buoys, the types of anchors and how to calculate the length of chain or rope you must let out. There are bonus tips, such as how not to serve hot drinks on a sea passage.
Ocean Sailing, The Offshore Cruising Experience with Real-Life Practical Advice by Paul Heiney is just what its title proclaims. This large book draws on the vast wealth of those who have traversed the waters of the oceans. Subjects (and answers) include the most suitable boats, safety, budgeting, breakdowns, and whether you should bring the kids along. While the entire book is vital, the chapter on what to do when something goes wrong is invaluable, especially for the first-time ocean explorer.
HISTORICAL
Nelson’s Artic Voyage by Peter Goodwin is a detailed and illustrated account of the British Royal Navy’s first polar expedition in 1773. The author uses the surviving expedition journals and commander’s logs to draw the reader in to both everyday life aboard and the enormity of the obstacles the crew faced. As examples, when was the last time your boating day included an attack by furious walruses or an extended imprisonment in ice?
SAIL (or CRUISE) AWAY
Escape Under Sail, Pursue Your Liveaboard Dream by Leonard Skinner and Mary Cooney is the guide for those not looking for a voyage but rather a new lifestyle. The authors, including Cooney’s twin teenagers, live on their 39-foot sailboat. They cover all the essentials for a successful life aboard plus share practical and hard-earned experience. The book is both helpful and entertaining, such as the chapters on letting go physically and psychologically. At the end, your dreams may be fired up or set aside, but you won’t be able to say you didn’t enjoy the authors’ escapades.
Bloomsbury, the publisher of these books, provided review copies. https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/
