Koncocoo

Best Sailing

Get Real, Get Gone: How to Become a Modern Sea Gypsy and Sail Away Forever
If you are not rich, but dream of seeing our beautiful world from the deck of your own boat, this book is packed full of practical and spiritual advice to help you cut through the endless marketing and identify what it is you truly need to become a modern sea gypsy and sail away on the greatest adventure of your life…. He became a RYA qualified skipper in 2008 and has lived aboard every day since 2007 when he bought his first boat Marutji – a steel Van de Stadt 34 (pictured on the cover).
Reviews
"Interesting take on considerations made for affordable and comfortable sailboat cruising."
"Reading this book will no doubt prevent many bad purchases or decisions."
"Incredibly brilliant book."
"Even if sailing is not your bailiwick the book is applicable anyone looking for inspiration and advice on how to move forward with experiencing life vice a job."
"Though a little over the top in the beginning, bashing corporate everything, the book settled in to very good and strong information."
"This book is similar to the Fatty Goodlander book "Buy, Outfit, and Sail" but rather than more of the same it was a good complement to the Goodlander book."
"It is amazingly written, full of real info, and extremely funny."
"I think this book has had a bigger impact on my state of mind than books about how to change your state of mind."
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Sailing a Serious Ocean: Sailboats, Storms, Stories and Lessons Learned from 30 Years at Sea
And be warned, you'll very likely want to sail with John, perhaps across an ocean." In Sailing a Serious Ocean , John tells you what to expect when sailing the oceans and shows how to sail safely across them. He is longtime contributing editor to Sailing magazine, was a sailing/travel columnist for the Miami Herald for 10 years, and writes regularly for Southern Boating and Cruising World .
Reviews
"Great one liners " He was still in a leg brace that trip , one of my best crew was pretty limited . One rich boat owner was found smiling at the wheel , as everyone came up from below ,hearing a loud grinding sound . "."
"Thanks for some good sea stories John!"
"The book is an excellent account of heavy weather sailing with many sidebars about weather, the state of the sea's roughness, and an examination of what makes a good boat for heavy weather sailing."
"John Kretschmer writes in a straight forward plain spoken manner about the great joys and great dangers of sailing across the major oceans of the world."
"if you have ever been caught in a squall you know sailing can go from leisurely to hairy in a matter of minutes."
"True knowledge really does only come by experience......and always stay engaged.....two huge takeaways......."
"Once again, if only for a short time, John Kretschmer allows the wannabe dreamer to spend a little magical time with him at sea."
"Nor does he tell us the cost of the mast and rigging replacement on his yacht after a big storm, (he wasn't insured for this and it was probably many thousands of dollars). His descriptions of big Atlantic storms and how to look after your yacht and crew, show plenty of common sense and good advice."
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A Foolish Voyage: Self-Discovery At Sea
Disillusioned with his life of normality a young man decides to buy an 18ft sailboat, make her his home and set sail in search of adventure. This is a book not just about sailing but about life. I started reading it for the "sailing adventure" aspect....but ended up getting so much more out of it.” B.RICH. This book is the story we need to hear. “I have a feeling reading Neil's book will be a life changer for me. At the age of 17 he joined the Royal Naval Fleet Air Arm where he spent 3 years working as a Survival Equipment Specialist. After leaving the Navy he worked as a Parachute Technician in South Africa before returning to the UK to 'settle down'.
Reviews
"More importantly, as a working stiff, I really identify with the longing for freedom that the sea promises and the author captures so well."
"Neil Hawkesford could have come back from his adventurous voyage a totally broken man and stuck his head under a pillow. We will never know but what we do know is that the weather gods were not nice to Neil for those nights and days he was tossed about as he pushed south across the Bay of Biscay bound for Spain."
"The book is not a Pulitzer prize candidate, but it is really great for us small craft lovers who will love to take on ocean cruising and learn a few things that this lifestyle brings."
"A Foolish Voyage is a good book to read."
"Good book, though not professionally written, in my opinion."
"There are no glorified over-the-top resort perfect scripts that make sailing the world a utopia ending, but rather real, practical and simple way of living and exploring."
"Thanks Neil!!"
"An honestly written book by an ordinary bloke, so easy to relate to and learn from."
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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

The Weekend Navigator
Pinpoint locations at all times Determine the precise ranges and bearings of destinations Compensate for wind and current effects Avoid underwater hazards. The Fast, Easy Way to Master Boat Navigation. Thanks to modern electronic navigation tools, getting from one place to another on the water has never been faster, easier, or safer. Ideal for inland and coastal cruisers, sportfishers, and aspiring recreational boaters, this innovative handbook features an easy-to-use, quick-reference format that helps you operate your GPS, depth sounder, and radar and interpret what they tell you. With the help of over 300 full-color illustrations, you’ll learn how to use your electronics to navigate even the most treacherous waterways with little or no risk, and discover waypoint navigation techniques that let you choose a destination, plot a course, and monitor your progress as you go. *Plot GPS positions on paper and digital charts *Determine the precise range and bearing of your destination *Evaluate and compensate for wind and current effects *Avoid reefs and other underwater hazards *Make a seamless transition to chart-and-compass navigation if your electronics fail *Praise for GPS for Mariners: "Useful for those looking to buy a GPS, as well as current owners who want to use theirs more efficiently. Now a business advisor to high-tech companies and a navigation instructor, Bob holds a Senior Navigator rating with The U.S. Power Squadrons. Ideal for inland and coastal cruisers, sportfishers, and aspiring recreational boaters, this innovative handbook features an easy-to-use, quick-reference format that helps you operate your GPS, depth sounder, and radar and interpret what they tell you. With the help of over 300 full-color illustrations, you’ll learn how to use your electronics to navigate safely in all conditions, and you'll discover waypoint navigation techniques that let you choose a destination, plot a course, and monitor your progress as you go. Plot GPS positions on paper and digital charts Determine the precise range and bearing of your destination Evaluate and compensate for wind and current effects Avoid reefs and other underwater hazards Integrate GPS information with compass courses, visual bearings, dead reckoning, and the other techniques of traditional piloting Make a seamless transition to chart-and-compass navigation if your electronics fail. Now a business advisor to high-tech companies and a navigation instructor, Bob holds a Senior Navigator rating with The U.S. Power Squadrons.
Reviews
"Helpful easy to read and understand."
"I boat in the cold, rocky, unforgiving waters of coastal Maine where safety is ALWAYS a concern."
"A great book for how most people navigate today."
"If you want a rare combination of smart tech and understandable language, this is the navigation user manual for you."
"I just completed navigation course and wish I had this book as the course book."
"This is a great resource for the recreational boater that wants to know the essentials of navigating using the electronic tools that are available to the boater today."
"An excellent book for those wanting to learn safe navigation."
"A very good book."
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Best Extreme Sports

Arthur: The Dog who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home
Crossing rivers, battling illness and injury, and struggling through some of the toughest terrain on the planet, the team and the dog walked together toward the finish line, where Mikael decided he would save the dog, now named Arthur, and bring him back to his family in Sweden, whatever it took. "Arthur latched onto an extreme sports team during the Amazon race - and what happened next will melt the hardest heart"—Daily Mail.
Reviews
"GREAT BOOK IT REALYY TOUCHES YOR HEART."
"Great story!"
"I loved this account of a bond made in an unexpected place and at an unexpected time."
"Great story !"
"A very good read.Thank you."
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Best Transportation Reference

Navigation Rules: Rules of the Road, updated ed.
This Navigation Rules book contains a complete copy of the Inland and International Navigation Rules as presented by the United States Coast Guard. Transportation Dept., Coast Guard.
Reviews
"Good basic list of the rules and probably sufficient for a USCG inspection."
"I had a lot of previous experience at reading, understanding, being tested and using the rules - on the high sea and inland."
"If you want a handy to use, up-to-date (and easy to keep that way), and legible copy of the Navigation Rules, go with the Paradise Cay Publications Inc. version."
"The product is great."
"Hey, it's a Coast Guard publication."
"great book as a reference to the rules of the road for navigation."
"This is NOT the book you are looking for."
"My mistake for not reading the negative reviews as it looks like this item has been reviewed by the publishers instead of customers."
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Best Swimming

Total Immersion: The Revolutionary Way To Swim Better, Faster, and Easier
Swim better—and enjoy every lap—with Total Immersion, a guide to improving your swimming from an expert with more than thirty years of experience in the water. Eddie Reese 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004 United States Olympic Coach and Head Coach, University of Texas (six-time NCAA champions) The most valuable service a good coach provides is to sharpen your technique, not make you work harder.
Reviews
"I am not like Olympic swimmer great b/c that's absurd, but I do swim a lot better and also, the most important thing is that I enjoy swimming now."
"That means low effort against high speed which is basically efficient swimming. A warning - if you like to swing your arms into the water with full force, crank your neck up to gulp air, or create huge froth as you kick your legs wildly, this book is not for you."
"i am a 42 year old who just learned to swim this year."
"This book really makes me think about how I'm swimming."
"The point is that I found this book helpful even as a neophyte in the water, though I think the people who will profit most from it will be people who can already swim adequately but want to improve, although Laughlin stresses that anyone from beginners through competitive athletes can benefit. I think that as a beginning swimmer if I had read the book without first watching the DVD I would have gotten very little out of it, and would have probably given the book a lower rating. As it is I see the book as an indispensable companion for the DVD, and really think they should be sold as a set, the alternative being to profusely illustrate a new edition of the book with numerous photographs. The DVD is relatively expensive, and if you have some swimming experience the book will have more value on its own than it does for beginners like me, but in all cases the book and DVD are mutually reinforcing, and are of much greater help when used together. If you want to be a better freestyle swimmer, this book can help you."
"Understand also that I'm old, a senior who led an active outdoor life until my knees gave out, and I washed up into the backwater of swimming and kayaking, all that remains for the older athlete when your legs give out. There are a lot of similarities between TI swimming and kayaking, as both are somewhat concerned with a principle of that naval architects call "hull speed." for every description, and speaks excessively of "training" and "drills," which may appeal to a certain class of competitive athlete interested in winning races, but leaves me dead on arrival. A competitive swimmer or triathlete would understandably disagree because coaching, training, drills and dedication may be music to his ears. But TI needs to hire a professional technical writer to rewrite a version with illustrations for the common man who isn't a competitive swimmer or triathlete, and who isn't interested in personal bests or races, a version for somebody who just wants to learn from good pictures and illustrations with well-designed, descriptive captions, and wants to swim effortlessly and gracefully in a noncompetitive world of his own."
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Best Boating

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
The #1 New York Times –bestselling story about American Olympic triumph in Nazi Germany and now the inspiration for the PBS documentary “The Boys of ‘36” For readers of Unbroken , out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant. It encompasses the convergence of transcendent British boatmaker George Pocock; the quiet yet deadly effective UW men’s varsity coach, Al Ulbrickson; and an unlikely gaggle of young rowers who would shine as freshmen, then grow up together, a rough-and-tumble bunch, writes Brown, not very worldly, but earnest and used to hard work. In doing so, he offers a vivid picture of the socioeconomic landscape of 1930s America (brutal), the relentlessly demanding effort required of an Olympic-level rower, the exquisite brainpower and materials that go into making a first-rate boat, and the wiles of a coach who somehow found a way to, first, beat archrival University of California, then conquer a national field of qualifiers, and finally, defeat the best rowing teams in the world.
Reviews
"But by taking every sliver of hope, and mixing in superb craftsmanship (from George Pocock), excellent coaching (Al Ulbrickson), and these nine perfectly attuned young men learning together........the result was perfection. It is nice to learn something you never knew, but is common knowledge to an entire set of other people. Concepts from Daniel Brown to consider that are mixed into the story to teach all of us: 1) One of the fundamental challenges in rowing is that when any one member of a crew goes into a slump the entire crew goes with him. The speed of a racing shell is determined primarily by two factors: the power produced by the combined strokes of the oars, and the stroke rate, the number of strokes the crew takes each minute. There are other great ideas to ponder in this epic almost 400 page, could-not-put-down story."
"Astonishing tales of Joe's upbringing and resilience; the unbelievable drive of every member of the rowing teams, their coach Al Ulrickson and boat builder George Pocock; the rivalry between West Coast universities; and then the astonishment of the East Coast clubs and schools confronting the Seattle crew."
"This book tells the true story of the nine young men from Seattle, Washington, then a far west, rustic town, who won the rowing championship for the United States in the infamous 1936 Berlin Olympics, presided on by Hitler."
"I am sitting here, just having finished the book, with tears drying on my face. I have just spent the last hour turning the last pages the book and sobbing. These boys lived this life, this dream, this dedication, this passion, this experience. Thank god we have men like these, who have daughters like this, who work with story tellers like this one."
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