Publisher: Adlard Coles, 2nd ed., 2000 £ 16.99
"Manual" is really the right description for this book. It starts with full descriptions of the stresses and strains that a boat has to sustain and leads you through the choice of material and hull shape needed to cope with the elements. Seas, wind and weather are next described so that you know what to expect. The second half of the book is devoted to preparations for bad weather and the seamanship required.
The theme of the book is preparation and self reliance and, underlying it all is the burden of responsibility of the skipper for the safety of the ship and his crew. How many of us think, when inviting friends for a sail, that they are trusting us with their lives?
Use this manual to prepare yourself and your boat for any weather that may arrive. It is drawn from the author's knowledge of the southern oceans which are the most remote and unforgiving in the world, but the lessons are just as applicable in a channel gale, especially so since we do not have the comfort of plenty of searoom to leeward. - BH
Page prepared 5 February 2001