The number of books on boating is incredible. Some good, some bad, some very useful, some of limited application. But many are worth some consideration. I’m going to suggest three.
Chapman, Piloting: Seamanship and Small Boat Handling, 624 pages, extensive index, is available in almost any book store and most chandleries for less than $20 if you get lucky. Covers almost all phases of boating in an encyclopedic fashion — look the term/topic up in the index and find a section or at least a paragraph devoted to that topic. If you have a question about the proper lights for your vessel, or what the signal flags on the Coast Guard cutter mean, or how to read currents from the leaning of navigation aids, this is your book! The publisher’s come out with an updated edition every couple of years, so the information is timely. It’s a great reference book but the plot is a little weak for casual reading.
The Complete Cruiser: The Art, Practice, and Enjoyment of Boating, by L. Francis Herreshoff, 372 pages, limited index, is written along the lines of Izaak Walton’s Complete Angler. That is, the ‘lessons’ and instructions in the book are found imbedded in the narrative of a cruise. This makes it great for evening reading or taking along on a cruise. It discusses many of the topics that Chapman covers, without the pictures and extended discussion. Look for copies in the library or a used book store book, since it was originally published in 1956. My copy is a 1975 reprint. There is much to be learned from Mr. Herreshoff, even 40 years after he wrote the book, and you’ll enjoy doing it!
Big Toot, by Walt Woodward is a little paperback, 180 pages, no index, published by Puffin Press on Bainbridge Island. Like Herreshoff’s book he buries his lessons in stories of his ‘adventures’ on Puget Sound aboard a series of boats named big toot. Delightful reading and very specific to Puget Sound and Columbia River. I found myself saying, “been there, done that, seen that,” all the way through the book. But he reminds you in a gentle fashion that you really do need 50 foot lines for the Ballard locks and how to take a following sea for the greatest safety and most comfort. Look for copies in used bookstore acquisition since it was printed in 1978 and probably isn’t available new any more. If you run across a copy, buy it, read it, and remember what Woodward is telling you!
Any of these books make good reading when you’re curled up by the fire this winter, and make great gifts for Christmas. Although I would only suggest Big Toot for someone who lives/ boats on Puget Sound.
Gary Ray, Magical Island
Well readers, have you read any good books lately? If so, write and tell us. We can always find
space for a short book review or two. I might mention Sail Power by Wallace Ross, or just
about anything by Stuart Walker; maybe, for the tactically minded,
The Techniques of Small Boat Racing for starters; or, in an other vein,
Winning : the Psychology of Competition. What would you recommend?
Ed