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This site could benefit from a "library" or a recommended reading link. I know that suggestions have been made many times in various threads but who wants to go hunting for them? I thought that if I start a thread then we would all know what to look for when we were looking for recomendations for a good sailing read.
I have taken the liberty of cutting and pasting books that I am aware of that have been recommended in other posts and tried to give credit where it is due to whom it is due.
Perhaps the Administrator would make this post a sticky so as not to be lost until a link could be added to the resources section - if that is what is chosen to be done.
Anybody interested in an excellent NEW book that combines honest cruising narrative with a wealth of "How To" information should check out Roger Olson's 644 page book "Plot Your Course to Adventure".
Roger has accumulated a life-time of knowledge and cruising experience that are combined to make his book enjoyable for both the arm chair sailor and those planning a blue water cruise.
how about some fun reading, J Buffetts, tales of margaritaville, Where is Joe Merchant, A pirate looks at 50, and a salty piece of land, come on sailors, this is a law in places
Championship Tactics by Jobson. It's a hard read but the information inside changed the way I sail. Most sailors and/or crews don't have the skills to begin to consider the options this book explores. It really opens your mind as to why some people keep winning and others just whine about them winning. I fit into the category of not having the skills to use all the information. But I was able to use some and understand why others were just out performing me.
Great idea to have this made a sticky Sonofasonofasailor. I just placed orders for several of these suggestions here. I read all of the O'Brian books and I thoroughly enjoyed them.
A well organized collection of first hand accounts of vessels lost at sea. Different causes are grouped together. It contains intense descriptions at times.
This is good background and motivation for managing the risks on your own vessel.
I agree. Nichols tells the story well. I couldn't put it down. There is a documentary available through netflix about the chap who tried to cheat. I can't remember the name of it though.
"Endurance" by Earnest Shackleton. I'm not sure which version I read long ago as I see many iterations out there. However, this is one of the greatest adventure/survival stories ever told, and true.
In my search for the actual name of it, I came across a movie by the same name starring Liam Nissan (sp?). I'll be ordering that muy pronto.
Lots of good suggestions here, as usual. But what about good, non-historical sailing fiction?
Bernard Cornwall, author of the semi historical Sharpe series also penned a number of novels based on contemporary times involving sea and sailing based story lines.
Claire Francis, herself a seasoned offshore sailor, has written some novels which have very well written sailing "scenes".
Ferenc Mate, the respected author of various books such as "From a Bare Hull","Best Boats to Build or Buy", "World's best Sailboats" etc. (All are enjoyable - the latter for its drool factor, the others for DIYers) has branched out into fiction.
Currently I am enjoying his first novel, "Ghost Sea". A story set in the waters of British Columbia in the early 20th century. It's a good seafaring yarn with interesting side stories and some Canadian aboriginal history and culture thrown in.
Especially enjoyable if you are familiar with the waters and passages in the story!
Another excellent read but probably out of print is "Voyage" by Stirling Hayden (yes, the actor). A great story about the last steel hulled Clipper ship put into service before steam took over. He also wrote a autobiographical book "Wanderer" based on his life and sailing his yacht of the same name.
If you want a riveting read do not overlook anything by Bernard Moitessier or Alan Villiers, the latter of whom is one of the greatest writers on nautical matters that I have ever read. He understood the sea and the men who plied their trade upon it.
Well if we want to enter the arena of fiction, I love Clive Cussler novels. Although actual sailing is only sometimes involved, all the books revolve around sea stories. Cussler has an uncanny ability to meld historical fact and fiction into a remarkable story. Funny, fun, always involves the sea as his hero (alter ego?), Dirk Pitt is the Special Projects Manager for NUMA (National Underwater and Marine Agency). It's pretty cool that Cussler uses book money to support the "real" NUMA which is a non profit organization specializing in finding and recovering historical sunken wrecks.
Universally known as "Bowditch" after it's original author. The bible of marine navigation, but not nearly as weighty to read as it's name would suggest. Volume 1 discusses all aspects of marine navigation as well as history of same, weather, oceanography, and about a million fun facts to know and tell. It's worth the price of admission just for the biography of Bowditch and the section on hurricanes. Vol. 2, formerly Bowditch tables, is the vol. to carry coasting and offshore. It has all the tables needed for piloting as well as numerous articles explaining their use. No electronics-no problem, this volume acqaints one with bow and beam bearings, etc... If you can't use that sextant on stars vol. 2 will tell you how to use it to measure your distance offshore from that radio tower. All good stuff for winter reading.
Universally known as "Bowditch" after it's original author. The bible of marine navigation, but not nearly as weighty to read as it's name would suggest. Volume 1 discusses all aspects of marine navigation as well as history of same, weather, oceanography, and about a million fun facts to know and tell. It's worth the price of admission just for the biography of Bowditch and the section on hurricanes. Vol. 2, formerly Bowditch tables, is the vol. to carry coasting and offshore. It has all the tables needed for piloting as well as numerous articles explaining their use. No electronics-no problem, this volume acqaints one with bow and beam bearings, etc... If you can't use that sextant on stars vol. 2 will tell you how to use it to measure your distance offshore from that radio tower. All good stuff for winter reading.
If you do a search on the web, you can find and download this publication in its entirety free of charge. I did, can't remember from where though.
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