What reference books do you have on board?

[SteveSails]

Do you have a nautical reference book on board? You know, the paper kind. In this age of smart phones and iPads many younger sailors new to this game might not know they even exist or still have any relevance.

I'll start with my favorite for the US east coast and New England, ELDRIDGE, the orange colored paperback published every year since 1875. Even has a hole punched through a corner so it can be chained to the nav station and not wander off to a crew persons bunk. Besides the usual tide and current tables it's full of interesting nautical trivia like how to fly flags. Remember when flying a flag meant something?

So what do you have on board and why?

P.S. I also use a phone and iPad so not a fossil yet.

[Adelie]

West Coast Pilot #7
SoCal chart atlas
Tide tables
US navigation rules (not required for my boat due to small size but I carry it anyway)

At some point I’ll put aboard:
HO9 Bowditch
NP100 The Mariner’s Handbook (BritAdmiralty)
HO211 Ageton
Kolbe’s Long Term Almanac
Sailboat Maintenance Manual by DCasey

[Gruz]

Nories Nautical Tables

The Complete Nautical Dictionary by Bowditch

American Practical Navigator: An Epitome Of Navigation And Nautical Astronomy by Bowditch

Three Sheets to the Wind: The Nautical Origins of Everyday Expressions by Cynthia Barrett

The Sailor's Word Book: The Classic Source for Over 14,000 Nautical and Naval Terms: The Classic Dictionary of Nautical Terms by Admiral W.H. Smyth

Primer of Navigation by George W. Mixter

Admiralty Rapid Sight Reduction Tables for Navigation, Pt.2 & 3

Sight Reduction Tables for Marine Navigation, Volumes 1,2,3,4

How to read Nautical chart, symbols, abbreviations and data displayed on nautical chart by Nigel Calder

Reeds Channel Almanac

Reeds Nautical Almanac

few books about sextant

few books about tides and tide tables (not needed in Med)

Compass Wise, or getting to Know Your Compass by J. Klinkert

This is usualy my cruising ground,

Portofino, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, St.Tropez, Pampelonne Beach, Plage Notre Dame, Porquerolles Island, Bonifacio, Porto Cervo, Bay of Calvi, Capri, Ischia & Salina Islands, Sorento (amalphi coast)

so a lot of books about those places, probably around 20 books or so.

also.....


Jean-Paul Sartre

Marcel Proust

Albert Camus

Marguerite Duras

Virginia Woolf

Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette

Soren Kierkegaard

Sigmund Freud

Gustave Flaubert

Saul Bellow

Germaine Greer

Robert Baldick

Jenifer Smith

Theodor W. Adorno

Roland Barthes

Betty Friedan

[Scott Berg]

Nav:

Bowditch, Chapmans, Duttons
Coat Pilot, Almanac, HO 229 2,3,4,5
Calder: How to Read a Nautical Chart

Tech:

Calder: Handbook v4, D'Antonio, Sailpower

General:

Beth Leonard: Handbook
Dashew: Handbook
Pardey: Care and Feeding of Offshore Crew
Coles: Heavy Weather
Hinz: Anchoring
and several more

[Skededel]

Nigel Calder’s Mechanical and Electrical maintenance and Repair

[jen1722terry]

In addition to some, but not all, of the above, we carry diesel and electrical repair books as well as a well-worn copy of Tom Neale's "All in the Same Boat."

Plus the usual stack of equipment manuals and back issues of Practical Sailor.

Cheers!

[Stu Jackson]

Nigel Calder’s Mechanical and Electrical Boatowners Manual


Calder's Cruising Handbook


These are the only two needed IMHO to be on the boat. They really cover everything. Used them on the way up the coast from SF to BC.



Of course, tidal and light lists are not in my opinion reference material, they are navigation tools.


I also have all manuals for all the equipment on my boat, including the boat manual well written by Catalina, on my hard drive and backup PHDs. Who wouldn't?

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by Gruz

Nories Nautical Tables

The Complete Nautical Dictionary by Bowditch

American Practical Navigator: An Epitome Of Navigation And Nautical Astronomy by Bowditch

Three Sheets to the Wind: The Nautical Origins of Everyday Expressions by Cynthia Barrett

The Sailor's Word Book: The Classic Source for Over 14,000 Nautical and Naval Terms: The Classic Dictionary of Nautical Terms by Admiral W.H. Smyth

Primer of Navigation by George W. Mixter

Admiralty Rapid Sight Reduction Tables for Navigation, Pt.2 & 3

Sight Reduction Tables for Marine Navigation, Volumes 1,2,3,4

How to read Nautical chart, symbols, abbreviations and data displayed on nautical chart by Nigel Calder

Reeds Channel Almanac

Reeds Nautical Almanac

few books about sextant

few books about tides and tide tables (not needed in Med)

Compass Wise, or getting to Know Your Compass by J. Klinkert

This is usualy my cruising ground,

Portofino, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, St.Tropez, Pampelonne Beach, Plage Notre Dame, Porquerolles Island, Bonifacio, Porto Cervo, Bay of Calvi, Capri, Ischia & Salina Islands, Sorento (amalphi coast)

so a lot of books about those places, probably around 20 books or so.

also.....


Jean-Paul Sartre

Marcel Proust

Albert Camus

Marguerite Duras

Virginia Woolf

Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette

Soren Kierkegaard

Sigmund Freud

Gustave Flaubert

Saul Bellow

Germaine Greer

Robert Baldick

Jenifer Smith

Theodor W. Adorno

Roland Barthes

Betty Friedan

Your "also" book list is quite impressive. Not your average reading list outside an academic environment!

[Gruz]

Originally Posted by Copacabana

Your "also" book list is quite impressive. Not your average reading list outside an academic environment!

Maybe in Brazil or US, where I am from some of those books you will have to read even in high school and write essays about it otherwise you will not get grade.

[Gruz]

Originally Posted by Copacabana

Your "also" book list is quite impressive. Not your average reading list outside an academic environment!

"Not your average reading list outside an academic environment!"………..Definitely not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yiCyjRgXw0

[nightowle]

Originally Posted by Gruz

"Not your average reading list outside an academic environment!"………..Definitely not.

Gruz,

Why am I not surprised at this?!

[SV Sailfish]

A complete collection of Playboy magazines from the Marilyn issue onward.

(Just for the monthly marine how-to articles of course)

[AndyEss]

Care to explain what Freud and Friedan (amongst others) have to fo with nautical reference books?
Pretentious? Moi?

[thunderhoof]

A copy of Euclid's "Elements". You should be able to derive everything from close reading this book.

[Trailer Sailor]

Nigel Calder's encyclopedia on Mechanical and Electrical Repair for Boatowners. I wouldn't leave the dock without it.