Book reviews
Fibreglass Boats 5th edition
Lots of information, lots of diagrams and lots of photographs make this book an essential handbook for all owners of fibreglass boats whether the owner does any work on the boat or not.
The Unofficial Rules of Sailing
This is an almost pocket sized book of cartoons making fun of some of the mishaps of sailing - or at least those caused by not complying with the collision regulations. The line drawings are mostly of dinghies but the problems and mistakes remain the same.
The author is an American, resident in New York, so I am sure you can all guess what the cartoon covering Bearing off contains! If you struggle to remember all the Col Regs this book would provide an amusing way of revising and remembering them.
DW
Left to Die
Most sailors know of the terrible 1979 Fastnet Race and its horrific storm and the loss of 15 lives. This account is the un-put-downable gripping story of physical and emotional survival of crew member Nick Ward when abandoned on board by escaping crew, with a possible mystery still hanging over the truth. I found it doubly interesting since I’d heard Charles Whittam’s talk on taking part in the Fastnet this year and how, now, crews have to have completed qualifying races and yachts’ equipment is heavily specified and a digital tracker is placed on board that one can access on line during the race, as I’m sure many know.
Replacing your Boat’s Engine
I think this is a great book for anyone who would like to understand more about their engine, how to keep it going, and to have some chance of restarting it, if its breaks down at some inconvenient moment.
Every aspect of the engine is covered simply and clearly, from engine selection, removal, preparation, mounting and re-installation, including the fuel, cooling and electrical systems. The text is backed up by numerous photographs clearly identifying the various parts and functions of the system.
Islas Baleares Pilot - Ninth Edition 2011
Graham Hutt undertook a major revision of Islas Baleares in 2005 and in this ninth edition he has ensured it is fully up to date. I say this with some confidence, as I first used the fifth edition of this comprehensive pilot in 1995 and have since found it invaluable sailing to all five of the main Balearic Islands (Ibiza, Formentera, Mallorca, Cabrera and Minorca).
Islas Baleares is a publication of the RCC Pilotage Foundation. The objective of this charity is ‘to advance the education of the public in the science and practice of navigation’ - an objective that is being ‘achieved through the writing and updating of pilot books covering many parts of the world.’
IONIAN (Pilot) – Seventh Edition
The five Ionian sailing areas are each covered by a chapter, with this edition being extended further South and East than previous editions.
Each chapter is easily accessible and written well, making the day-to-day business of sailing and visiting the various islands and mainland Greece simple.
There are also useful sections on Greece’s history and culture, getting to and from the Ionian and plenty of general sailing information, all easily referenced.