BOATS & EQUIPMENTBOATS & EQUIPMENT92 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com JANUARY 2016
Reeds Nautical Almanac 2016By Perrin Towler and Mark Fishwick, published by Adlard Coles at £45 (print) or £44.99 (iPad)
When you think that it comes as little surprise to learn that there are over 45,000 changes incorporated in the 2016 edition. More of a surprise is the extensive variety Reeds has over 1,000 pages,
of available formats for the book: print, but also electronic versions for the iPad, both PC and Mac laptops and desktop computers. plus UKHO tidal data and live Met Offi ce weather feeds. There are The digital versions contain everything that’s in the print book,
also seven regional packs priced at £29.99 each. No excuse now for not carrying all this up-to-date information on board; a printed Reedsdoesn’t. It could be the most useful Christmas present you can give. may take up a lot of room at a small chart table, but an iPadRYA Yachtmaster Scheme Syllabus and LogbookPublished by the RYA at £6.49
For anyone taking an RYA course, this is the book to buy fi rst. It details the syllabus for each of the RYA’s qualifi cations (sail and power), so you know both what you will be taught and, later, what you should
have learnt prior to taking either a practical or shorebased exam. activities and, eventually, to record your exam passes. It could not be described as a thrilling read, but it is interesting and also a trifl e There are also carefully laid out pages for you to log your sailing
daunting. What’s more, it’s rather worrying for an old hand to look at and wonder just how well he would fare in a modern exam. Want to learn and move up through the various RYA schemes? You can’t do better than buy this book to keep you on track.
RYA Day Skipper Shorebased NotesPublished by the RYA at £11.99This is a good little note-form primer for anyone
starting an Day Skipper course, or for anyone who has been away from boats for a length of time. The knowledge will either come rushing back or you will realise that you need a refresher course.
good summation of what you need to know to gain skipper status. It uses minimal text with lots of diagrams to help ‘visual’ learning. The knot-tying diagrams are not all as clear as they could be – does For the beginner, perhaps moving up from Competent Crew, it’s a
that part cross over or under the other one? – and there’s the odd typo (dingy for dinghy), but it is a very good, condensed version of what needs to be learned and applied to achieve perhaps the most worthwhile of RYA qualifi cations. A good buy for study or revision.RYA Rigging Handbook for CruisersBy Allan Barwell, published by the RYA at £14.49
This is a surprisingly interesting, informative book, not the rather dull, heavy-going one it could easily have been. Its main aim is to give boat owners theconfi dence to set up and maintain their boats’
rigging properly, renew running rigging, and at least understand the process of replacing standing rigging. There is a good section on marlinespike seamanship, with clear diagrams of everything from a three-strand eyesplice to rope-to-chain and rope-to-wire
splicing as well as a sensible collection of knots, bends and hitches. The author has drawn on a lifetime’s experience of sailing and working as a rigger to produce an excellent book to carry with you on a cruise and to refer to when selecting fi tting new rigging.
Yacht Designer’s Sketch BookBy Ian Nicolson, published by Amberley at £14.99In my early sailing years I loved looking at Nicolson’s
drawings in sailing magazines. They showed all kinds of hints and tips for re-arranging or bettering things on board, whether it was the run of a sink drain or the fi tting of a chain pawl on the bow roller.
advice. It is still valuable; it is still easy to visualise and understand. Some of it may be a tad dated, but the principles still apply and the ideas are just as good. I think the really nice thing is that the This book draws together a large selection of Ian’s drawings and
drawings are so obviously not computer drawings, they’re proper hand drawings. The book has to be a great present for anyone who likes to ‘adjust’ and personalise – some might say improve – their boat, and perfect for anyone building from scratch.Dream Cruising DestinationsBy Vanessa Bird, published by Adlard Coles Nautical at £19.99
Just as the title implies, this is a book for dreamers – 24 cruises described and detailed. Will anyone agree with the author’s choices? Almost certainly not, but there will be some you think ‘Yes, I’d love
to go there’. It’s not the sort of book many people will buy for themselves, but I can see it being a very popular gift. ‘Oh, he/she/they would love that!’ But where are these dream destinations? Well, they are dotted all around the world, from Scandinavia,
to Scotland, England, France, the Med, Caribbean, America, the Pacifi c, Southeast Asia, Australasia and the Indian Ocean. Each destination is briefl y but well described, with information about routes and times to go, and necessary skill levels are assessed.
By Jean Tyrrell, published in paperback at £9.50 (Amazon)To want to sail round Britain in a modest cruiser is quite understandable. There are a thousand places
problem with language (excepting some local dialects, perhaps), and it’s right here on our doorstep, there are no oceans to cross to visit, the weather, wind and tides make it a hugely varied and challenging voyage, there’s no
to get there. But to start sailing at the age of 49, buy a 37-footer, persuade your husband to crew, gain skill and experience, then do it in three months is certainly different. The trip proved testing for the author, but also fulfi lling. Would it suit you as a mid-life
adventure? Read the book and fi nd out. It’s nicely written and enjoyable; it’s just a pity the photographs are poorly reproduced.Throughout All Manner Of Things Reeds Astro Navigation Tables 2016By Andy Du Port, published by Adlard Coles Nautical at £22
Even the US Coast Guard has started teaching astro-nav again, due to fears that ne’er-do-wells could ‘interrupt’ GPS. Electronics and electrics can fail, somaybe it’s not so unfashionable to be seen cleaning
your sextant and buying these invaluable tables to aid calculations. In just 68 pages, it gives all the information needed for astro, and its presentation has been carefully refi ned over 20 years to make it pretty much ideal for the ocean yachtsman. There are worked
examples to guide you through using the book, but nothing to teach you how to take and reduce a sight. You must learn the techniques elsewhere, but this is a complete set of admirably clearly presented tables for astro calculations.Reeds Nautical Almanac 2016By Perrin Towler and Mark Fishwick, published by Adlard Coles at £45 (print) or £44.99 (iPad)
When you think that it comes as little surprise to learn that there are over 45,000 changes incorporated in the 2016 edition. More of a surprise is the extensive variety
of available formats for the book: print, but also electronic versionsRYA Day Skipper Shorebased NotesPublished by the RYA at £11.99This is a good little note-form primer for anyone
starting an Day Skipper course, or for anyone who has been away from boats for a length of time. The knowledge will either come rushing back or you willYacht Designer’s Sketch BookBy Ian Nicolson, published by Amberley at £14.99In my early sailing years I loved looking at Nicolson’s
drawings in sailing magazines. They showed all kinds of hints and tips for re-arranging or bettering things on board, whether it was the run of a sink drain or the fi tting of a chain pawl on the bow roller.By Jean Tyrrell, published in paperback at £9.50 (Amazon)To want to sail round Britain in a modest cruiser is quite understandable. There are a thousand places
problem with language (excepting some local dialects, perhaps), to visit, the weather, wind and tides make it aThroughout All Manner Of ThingsRYA Rigging Handbook for CruisersBy Allan Barwell, published by the RYA at £14.49
This is a surprisingly interesting, informative book, not the rather dull, heavy-going one it could easily have been. Its main aim is to give boat owners theconfi dence to set up and maintain their boats’Dream Cruising DestinationsBy Vanessa Bird, published by Adlard Coles Nautical at £19.99
Just as the title implies, this is a book for dreamers – 24 cruises described and detailed. Will anyone agree with the author’s choices? Almost certainly not, but there will be some you think ‘Yes, I’d loveReeds Astro Navigation Tables 2016By Andy Du Port, published by Adlard Coles Nautical at £22
Even the US Coast Guard has started teaching astro-nav again, due to fears that ne’er-do-wells could ‘interrupt’ GPS. Electronics and electrics can fail, somaybe it’s not so unfashionable to be seen cleaning
your sextant and buying these invaluable tables to aid calculations.More Christmas stocking fillers for sailors
RYA Yachtmaster Scheme Syllabus and LogbookPublished by the RYA at £6.49
For anyone taking an RYA course, this is the book to buy fi rst. It details the syllabus for each of the RYA’s qualifi cations (sail and power), so you know both what you will be taught and, later, what you should
have learnt prior to taking either a practical or shorebased exam.More Christmas stocking fillers for sailors