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Best Sailing Narratives

The Hungry Ocean: A Swordboat Captain's Journey
Known to millions of readers of The Perfect Storm as the captain of the Hannah Boden , sister ship to the Andrea Gail , Linda Greenlaw is also known as one of the best sea captains on the East Coast. -- Douglas Whynott, The New York Times Book Review. The term fisherwoman does not exactly roll trippingly off the tongue, and Linda Greenlaw, the world's only female swordfish boat captain, isn't flattered when people insist on calling her one. The Hungry Ocean , Greenlaw's account of a monthlong swordfishing trip over 1,000 nautical miles out to sea, tells the story of what happens when things go right--proving, in the process, that every successful voyage is a study in narrowly averted disaster. Greenlaw's straightforward, uncluttered prose underscores the qualities that make her a good captain, regardless of gender: fairness, physical and mental endurance, obsessive attention to detail.
Reviews
"If one is interested in fishing and the challenges of that profession, this is the book."
"Another great book by a great author and lobster boat skipper."
"Love Linda Greenlaw's story of the long line swordfishing."
"Very good."
"Ms. Greenlaw is a great writer and has plenty of interesting tales."
"Fascinating account of deep sea fishing- battling boredom one minute, killer weather the next..."
"It was a fictionalized account of actual events surrounding the loss of the Andrea Gail, a swordfishing vessel lost at sea with all of its crew during a horrific storm in 1991. One of the characters in that story, Linda Greenlaw, captain of the Andrea Gail's sister ship, the Hannah Boden, has written a fascinating tale of life aboard a swordboat--minus the tragedy. To most of us, the concept of spending a month or more at sea in smelly, cramped quarters, working torturous 20-hour days and MAYBE getting a paycheck to show for it, (depending on how good the catch is), hardly seems worth the effort."
"I love fishing, she goes over every aspect of a trip."
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Honey, Let's Get a Boat... A Cruising Adventure of America's Great Loop
This is the story of a couple's travels on a forty-foot trawler cruising 6300 miles and 145 locks around the eastern part of North America known as America's Great Loop or the Great Circle Cruise. Honey, Let's Get a Boat... is for the hopeless romantic as well as the serious boater eager to learn about America's Great Loop (or Great Circle) trip.
Reviews
"My husband is very interested in cruising The Great Loop so we both read this iconic book to see what to expect."
"I liked the book so much that I purchased the same boat!"
"Good book about this couple's experience on the great loop trip, especially if you're planning on doing the great loop yourself for first trip."
"Cute book!"
"I purchased this for my husband we are second year express cruisers and interested in someday completing the loop."
"Awesome story to read if you're contemplating this trip!"
"My main complaint is that it needs detail maps for the more restricted canals areas."
"A little flowery in the writing and not enough writing on the Tenn-Tom and Gulf Coast but overall a good book."
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River-Horse: A Voyage Across America
In his most ambitious journey ever, Heat-Moon sets off aboard a small boat he named Nikawa ("river horse" in Osage) from the Atlantic at New York Harbor in hopes of entering the Pacific near Astoria, Oregon. But the hard days yield up incomparable pleasures: strangers generous with help and eccentric tales, landscapes unchanged since Sacagawea saw them, riverscapes flowing with a lively past, and the growing belief that efforts to protect our lands and waters are beginning to pay off. The voyage--from New York harbor to the Pacific Ocean--packs surprises, wisdom, regrets, mishaps, candor, and conversations that readers who savored Blue Highways and PrairyErth will delight in. The impetus for River Horse is one of intrigue--less urgent than the departure in Blue Highways --and the narrative possesses a captivating pull as it courses westward through the strongest currents and pauses in the back eddies of contemporary American life.
Reviews
"It is a well crafted account of the challenge, both technical and personal, of taking a small craft across the country using river routes that are barely passable at times, routes that were used hundreds of years ago by both native Americans and the early settlers of the United States."
"I find River Horse fascinating, entertaining, and believable, a worthy companion to Blue Highways and PrairyErth, and having shared the trials, fears, joys, and victories of the Northwest Passage, I store his travels with my own travels with my wife, on secondary roads, around, over, and through the middle and western states on our motorcycle (about 52,000 miles)."
"However, William Least Heat-Moon's earlier books fascinated me with their combination of travelogue, social history and natural history, and I expected the same from "River Horse." Although he is constantly impelled to move onward and westward for fear (unfounded mostly) of having too little water in the West, Heat-Moon still takes plenty of time to learn and relate the histories of many of the small river towns he finds along the way."
"I hate to see the book end."
"I am enjoying the book, but have only read a few chapters so far."
"Doing it the way the author did -- and also not naming minor real-life characters such as the Reporter and the Photographer -- keeps the story moving, and this book is all about movement. I will, though, agree with those who say that a bit of self-righteousness had crept into the author's writing by the time this book was composed, which is why I give it four stars instead of five."
"Heat-Moon chooses a most challenging transit of this country and recalls the experience in words of absolute stark reality."
"this is an extraordinary book."
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Best Sailing Narratives

River-Horse: A Voyage Across America
In his most ambitious journey ever, Heat-Moon sets off aboard a small boat he named Nikawa ("river horse" in Osage) from the Atlantic at New York Harbor in hopes of entering the Pacific near Astoria, Oregon. But the hard days yield up incomparable pleasures: strangers generous with help and eccentric tales, landscapes unchanged since Sacagawea saw them, riverscapes flowing with a lively past, and the growing belief that efforts to protect our lands and waters are beginning to pay off. The voyage--from New York harbor to the Pacific Ocean--packs surprises, wisdom, regrets, mishaps, candor, and conversations that readers who savored Blue Highways and PrairyErth will delight in. The impetus for River Horse is one of intrigue--less urgent than the departure in Blue Highways --and the narrative possesses a captivating pull as it courses westward through the strongest currents and pauses in the back eddies of contemporary American life. Written in short thematic chapters, River Horse plies canals, greets the Missouri's many moods, and challenges chaotic waves. Writing under the name Heat-Moon (Blue Highways), William Trogdon once again sets out across America, this time propelled chiefly by a dual-outboard boat dubbed Nikawa, "River Horse" in Osage. Citing 19th-century travelogues and dredging odd bits of the rivers' past, Heat-Moon conveys the significance of passing "beneath a bridge that has looked down on the stovepipe hat of Abraham Lincoln, the mustache of Mark Twain, the sooty funnels of a hundred thousand steamboats."
Reviews
"It is a well crafted account of the challenge, both technical and personal, of taking a small craft across the country using river routes that are barely passable at times, routes that were used hundreds of years ago by both native Americans and the early settlers of the United States."
"I find River Horse fascinating, entertaining, and believable, a worthy companion to Blue Highways and PrairyErth, and having shared the trials, fears, joys, and victories of the Northwest Passage, I store his travels with my own travels with my wife, on secondary roads, around, over, and through the middle and western states on our motorcycle (about 52,000 miles)."
"However, William Least Heat-Moon's earlier books fascinated me with their combination of travelogue, social history and natural history, and I expected the same from "River Horse." Although he is constantly impelled to move onward and westward for fear (unfounded mostly) of having too little water in the West, Heat-Moon still takes plenty of time to learn and relate the histories of many of the small river towns he finds along the way."
"I hate to see the book end."
"I am enjoying the book, but have only read a few chapters so far."
"Doing it the way the author did -- and also not naming minor real-life characters such as the Reporter and the Photographer -- keeps the story moving, and this book is all about movement. I will, though, agree with those who say that a bit of self-righteousness had crept into the author's writing by the time this book was composed, which is why I give it four stars instead of five."
"Heat-Moon chooses a most challenging transit of this country and recalls the experience in words of absolute stark reality."
"this is an extraordinary book."
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Best Sailing Navigation

Chapman Piloting & Seamanship 66th Edition
- The latest developments in outboard motors and inboard vectored thrust propulsion systems, including joystick controls - New mayday procedures. - Cutting edge technology: VHF/DSC radio; Rescue 21 coastal communication system; networking electronic devices; features and capabilities of GPS, radar, depth sounder, fish finders, and chartplotters; eLoran system; autopilot; NMEA 2000 and more. He is a former Chairman and President of the Chris Craft Boat Company.
Reviews
"Even today, you can see the family resemblance between the Coast Guard Boat Crew Manual and Chapman."
"But to have two full chapters on these subjects, plus dozens more, at the level of detail that it does, is a testament to the exhaustive research that went into this book. If you're a sailor or a power boater or a fisherman or just have a deep love and respect for the water, don't go out to eat tonight and buy this book instead."
"An absolute must-have volume for every sailor, whether a novice or professional skipper."
"It's Chapman Piloting and Seamanship."
"A must have for every serious boater!"
"Great book full of great information and diagrams where needed."
"Some great rules/regs, some great newbie boat-handling tips, but it seems to get bogged-down in high-detail on some things (like compass compensation) while quickly overviewing other topics (like VHF/DSCC) that could use more detail (like how to call for radio-checks, how to use DSCC, how to use AIS)."
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Best Sailing Excursion Guides

A Cruising Guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands: Olympia to Port Angeles
"Simply put, every local boater should have a dog-eared, well-thumbed copy [of this guide] as a permanent feature in the nautical library. A Cruising Guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands has earned an outstanding reputation for the accuracy of its piloting instructions, the clarity of its writing, and the high quality of its information. Approaches and anchorages for hundreds of bays, harbors, and inlets―many with annotated charts Weather, tides, currents, and commercial traffic patterns Local history and attractions 240 full-color photos 75 color chartlets Larger size and lay-flat binding for ease of use. For even those few boaters who think they know all Puget Sound has to offer, this invaluable reference guide will introduce them to hundreds of new places yet to explore. "An encyclopedic sailing guide to area waters, written with exhaustive first-hand research to almost every cove and inlet, and complemented with a remarkable series of maps, charts, and pictures. "A monumental book that gives minute details on every bay, waterway, and stretch of navigable salt water from Olympia to Port Angeles, including the San Juan Islands. A Cruising Guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands has earned an outstanding reputation for the accuracy of its piloting instructions, the clarity of its writing, and the high quality of its information. Approaches and anchorages for hundreds of bays, harbors, and inlets―many with annotated charts Weather, tides, currents, and commercial traffic patterns Local history and attractions 240 full-color photos 75 color chartlets Larger size and lay-flat binding for ease of use. For even those few boaters who think they know all Puget Sound has to offer, this invaluable reference guide will introduce them to hundreds of new places yet to explore. "An encyclopedic sailing guide to area waters, written with exhaustive first-hand research to almost every cove and inlet, and complemented with a remarkable series of maps, charts, and pictures.
Reviews
"Cruising up there can be very complex....considering ship traffic, reefs that are close to the water surface, floating logs that can separate an outdrive from the boat in a nanosecond, and private or shallow areas that it is a good idea to stay away from."
"A must have for cruising down sound or in the San Juan Islands."
"We constantly use this book for boating in the puget sound."
"the wire coil back is a pain to deal with."
"We've been sailing in the San Juans for over 30 years and still found this book helpful."
"The spiral binding is very nice which allows the pages to lay flat and the heavy cover tucks acound them when the book is closed to protect the page edges - a great touch. I expect this will be a book we will really use this season."
"Great book for cruising the Sound."
"The Waggoner book that was in our charter boat was much better but our favorite was San Juan Islands Cruise Guide: A Boaters Handbook for Camping the San Juan's and Surrounding Area by Cummins."
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Best Instructional Sailing

Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual: Including Inspecting the Aging Sailboat, Sailboat Hull and Deck Repair, Sailboat Refinishing, Sailbo
Evaluate the condition of your boat or one you’re about to purchase Repair structural damage to your fiberglass sailboat Improve or repair your sailboat’s electrical system Troubleshoot, maintain, and repair your boat’s diesel engine Put a professional-looking finish on your boat’s hull, deck, spars, wood, and trim Make and repair sails, sail covers, dodgers, awnings, sailbags, and bimini tops. Don Casey’s Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual combines six core volumes into a single, utterly dependable resource that answers every frequent question, explains every major system, and helps you keep your boat and its components shipshape. Evaluate the condition of your boat or one you’re about to purchase Repair structural damage to your fiberglass sailboat Improve or repair your sailboat’s electrical system Troubleshoot, maintain, and repair your boat’s diesel engine Put a professional-looking finish on your boat’s hull, deck, spars, wood, and trim Make and repair sails, sail covers, dodgers, awnings, sailbags, and bimini tops.
Reviews
"Casey certainly explains and shows through copious illustrations, how fiberglass repairs - even "major" ones - can be done by the DIYer with some degree of aptitude."
"This is a very good book on how to maintain, repair and assess the various systems on a sailboat."
"Oh I love this book, so many different project ideas it gives me and ways I can check on stuff, currently having a problem with the tach and this at least shows me how one works which I never quite paid attention to so hopefully I'll be able to fix it."
"Excellent and has a great amount of variety and much needed information."
"Fantastic book for anyone, in this case my son, who has a sailboat and is doing the maintenance himself."
"This book is a reference book and doesn't spend a lot of time on any one subject. Update (2 weeks later): I've had a chance to look closer at this book and I just reduced my opinion of this book from 5 Stars to 4 Stars. But if you need to know exact numbers on how much electricity that you are pulling and how much you need (And you have been out of school as long as I have been), I would suggest ordering an additional book on boat electronics."
"Please this before you buy a used sailboat."
"I can see how you can use these articles to fix things that Don points out that you may have missed previously, but I wish I would have read this book before I bought my boat, not after."
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