Recommended Books available fom Amazon.com

We went to a Windjammers lecture to hear Bill Seifert and I was impressed enough to buy the book on the spot. I've heard a lot of people talk about ways to improve a boat, but I've never heard one person suggest so many good ideas that I hadn't considered. Part of the charm is the specificity of the suggestions. Everyone says you should secure your floorboards, hatchboards and batteries. Bill shows good suggestions on how to do so.

The suggestions are very practical for the do-it-yourselfer, too. Many show how to make or adapt inexpensive solutions. Tip #12 on closing the deck blower vents is one that will pay off for me without ever going offshore. I'll implement that one to stop the wintertime storms from finding their way belowdecks.

Besides modifications, the book also includes advice for operating offshore, cooking, boat selection, dealing with bureaucracy, and more.

Bill Seifert has worked at Tartan, TPI, and Alden Yachts. He's a veteran of many Marion-Bermuda races and now runs his own yacht management company. His tips are born of experience--not of book-learning--and it shows. He obviously knows his stuff.

I spent my childhood playing with electricity, but most people find it pretty mysterious. You generally can't smell it, see it, or hear it (and please don't try tasting or touching it). How do you know what it's doing?

Don Casey has written a good guide for the novice electrician that's especially tuned for the sailboat owner who wants his electrical gear to work reliably. If your boat lights are flickering, maybe you should consult this book.

Subtitled "turn a rundown fiberglass boat into a first-class yacht on a shoestring budget," this book is the best introduction I know boat maintenance for the new or prospective owner of a "modern classic" sailboat. Starting with guidelines for selecting a boat, Casey proceeds to fiberglass repairs, cabin and deckwork, spars and rigging, boat equipment, woodwork, electrical, plumbing, refrigeration, painting, canvas work and sails. All of this is described in clear, simple terms perfect for the inexperienced. This is the book that taught me fiberglass work. But don't let it fool you; this book is appropriate for experienced boatowners, too. I still refer to it.

Other books by Don Casey

An in-depth reference to almost every essential system found on a sailboat. Calder has well-considered strategies for everything. Granted, there are good alternatives to some of his approaches, but he won't lead you astray. This is a book you can trust. Now expanded in its second edition.

Other books by Nigel Calder

My favorite Chesapeake Bay guidebook. While it mentions marinas, it concentrates on anchorages—the kind of places I prefer to spend my time. And in addition to listing shore facilities, it rates each location for Beauty/Interest and Protection. This is the guide you need to really cruise the Chesapeake Bay—a smorgasbord of small creeks and coves.

In 1912, Henry Plummer set out down the U.S. East Coast in an engineless catboat (the launch had an engine), with his son and cat. Such cruising was hardly heard of in those days. After the trip, he wrote this delightful book and self-published it in a small run of 700 copies. Always hard to find, people keep republishing it just to have a chance to read it themselves. This edition is due out in April 2003.

Shackleton's near-fatal journey to the Antarctic has received a lot of press in recent years. This is Shackleton's own account—quiet, understated, and riveting. It also describes the travails of the Aurora expedition, intended to lay the groundwork for Shackleton on the other side of the continent.