Books on sailing/cruising

[Loc_Dog]

So far I've crawled the internett on cuising and sailing the seaven seas, and all I ever read about is fantastic sailing, beautiful islands and new interesting cultures.
Where are all the accidents and stormy weathers? Or even pirates if they are for real?
I want to think through any worst case scenario.


Wich books would you recommend for planning your cruise around the world?

Any extra useful books for solo sailors? (In case something shows up and the rest of the crew gets stuck, Im leaving anyhow!)

Any books on sailing and mental health?

Any other useful books/skills at sea/no-mans-land?
(from tying my own tie to crafting a canoe out of palm trees, U get the idea)

[BC Mike]

David Gerr " The Nature of Boats "

Michael

[Catamount]

"Heavy Weather Sailing" by K. Adlard Coles (1st edition). There is also: "Adlard Coles' Heavy Westher Sailing" Revised Edition by Peter Bruce.

"Red Sky in Mourning" by Tami Oldham Ashcraft -- a heavy weather sailing disaster and survival story, but really a love story.

"Practical Yacht Handling" by Eric Tabarly has chapters on handling in heavy weather, and jury rigs (and a lot of other very interesting content). Out of print, but worth pursuing.

"Fastnet Force 10" by John Rousmaniere, "Fatal Storm" by Rob Mundle, and "The Proving Ground" by G. Bruce Knecht, all discuss yacht races that encountered deadly storms.

"Singlehanded Sailing" by Richard Henderson. Also of interest might be "Blue Water, Green Skipper" by Stuart Woods, "Close to the Wind" by Pete Goss, and "Lionheart: A Journey of the Human Spirit" by Jesse Martin.

"My old man and the sea: a father and son sail around Cape Horn" by David Hays and Daniel Hays. Not really about heavy weather or other issues, but some interesting back and forth between the father and his adult son.

Enjoy,

[Talbot]

Jimmy Cornell - World Cruising Routes

Jimmy Cornell - World Cruising Handbook

Bill & Laurel Cooper - Sell Up and Sail,

[s/v Breakaway]

Books by Beth Leonard, i.e. "The Voyager's Handbook"

[RandyAbernethy]

Nigel Calder's Cruising Handbook is a great compendium covering a bit of everything. You'll need other books to dig deeper into specific areas but it provides basic coverage of just about everything cruising related (weather and using tools and basic prediction techniques, basic storm tactics, diesel maintenance, clearing customs, communications, etceteras).

There's so much weather info out there these days the trick seems to be learning what to use and how to use it. Each area of the world has one or two good books on weather and the patterns endemic to the region along with the forecasting tools and techniques. For example MexWX for Mexico. This type of book can be invaluable.

[roverhi]

The Long Way by Bernard Moitessier is a great book to give you the lure of long distance solo sailing. It's about his aborted Solo Round the World Race. He abandoned the race, while in the lead, with only about a 1,000 miles to go and continued sailing half way again around to Tahiti. You mentioned phsychological aspects, Moitessier seemed to have gone a bit bonkers being alone all that time.

His early books are better but later one's are also interesting for their snapshots of life in Colonial France. He sailed in a period when solo, actually any, long distance sailing was a novelty and the world a lot less complicated than now.

"Sailing To The Reefs" is about his earliest ventures Sailing a Junk in French Indo China and later sailing From FIC to the Carribean on two home built boats. "Cape Horn" describes his landing in France after losing his second boat on a reef in the Carribean, building Joshua, Getting marriedd and sailing to Tahiti and then back to France via Cape Horn. They experienced a massive storm in the Southern Ocean that gives a lot of insight into how to survive ultimate sea conditions.

"The Alliance" is mostly an autobiography about his early days in French Indo China which is interesting if you have an interest in how things used to be.

Moitessier himself was an odd duck who suffered from too much self evaluation. His early books are mostly about his experiences with little self introspection. Much more to my liking than "Alliance" where he can get a bit preachy. Still enjoyed the book, though.

BTW, if you haven't read Joshua Slocum's "Sailing Around the World", it's a great read.

Aloha
Peter O.

[kimberlite]

Offshore sailing.
a great book by bill seifert.
many boat tips ,pictures, recipes, tables, etc.
fair winds,
eric

[Loc_Dog]

And silly me thought it would be easyer to pick the right books after asking you guys.. guess I'll just have to buy my own library..
Well, gotta look up the books on the net an read some reviews..

tnx!

[mudnut]

Hey loc doc, dont read Lion Heart get the video,If ya want scary shit you will find it there because a few times he really shit his pants and was scared as well.I try hard to stick up for OZZIES especialy ones that young,try Kay Cottie also.I suspect your A little like me"It seems to good to be true". I have not done any sailing but a shit load of working on fishing vessels,west OZ.QLD reef fishing and NW Tasmania,maybe not as scary but just as wet.

[rsn48]

I buy the great majority of my books at used book stores and consignment marine stores. To read an incredible story, try the book "God Forsaken Sea" by Lundy; if you can put it down after the first thirty pages you're a better man than I.

I would second "Fastnet, Force 10" as a good read.

I am currently reading Jack Coote's "Total Loss," a collection of 40 stories of boat losses and abandonment at sea. Stories are grouped under categories, such as Heavy Weather and Collision at Sea, as well as Equipment Failure and others.

I read these stories as my way to improve my reactions if I am in a sticky situation at sea.

I just bought Edward Heath's book "Sailing" which I am looking forward too. Edward Heath was prime minister of England in 1970 and was an accomplished sailor winning the Sidney to Hobart race and others. He almost lost his life in the famous Fastnet disaster in 1979.

Two other books I can recommend - all on the used book market - are Richard Henderson's Sea Sense and a how to book - "Sail Power" by Wallace Ross - a good book for some one like me who did a lot of sailing but am coming back after a 15 year hiatus of not sailing.

Again, hit the used book stores, lots of excellent titles out there.

[Kai Nui]

For a slightly embelished perspective, anything by Tristan Jones. Very entertaining, and well written. Start with "Seagulls in my Soup". This will give you an idea, IMHO, of the best of his writing.
Herb Paysen "Blown Away" and "You can't Blow Home Again" are both a good read, and have some usefull information. Pat Henry's book, "By the Grace Of The Sea" is a great read about a woman who sailed single handed around the world on a small boat. She has some very good information about the mental health angle of solo sailing. A new book out by a single handed circumnavigator, Michael Salvaneschi, called Islands, Oceans and Dreams is another good account of a single handed circumnavigation. "Ice Bird" by David Lewis is a great book about a solo trip on a steel boat from Australia to Antarctica, and has some very detailed info on provisioning, and overcoming equipment failures. THe list goes on, but this should keep you busy for a while. I have an extensive library on board, and I value it as much as anything on the boat.
One side note, I agree with Talbot, Jimmy Cornwalls books are a great source if you want questions answered. Just open them to the subject or area you want to know about, and read that section.