The Voyager's Handbook by Beth A Leonard (Adlard Coles Nautical, £30)
Subtitled The Essential Guide to Bluewater Cruising, this substantial tome has just been republished in its second edition. (The first appeared in 1998 and has been a great success, but was due for updating)
At first glance it might look expensive, but bear in mind that there are 592 large format pages, absolutely crammed with information and illustrations. For anybody seriously considering an extended voyage, this attractively produced book is not only an essential investment, but also likely to prove an extremely good bargain!
It takes the reader step by step through every aspect, from choosing the right boat (and paying for it!) and maintaining it properly to passage planning, “liveaboard skills” (including some great galley tips) short handed sailing skills - and how to stay healthy and sane.
The publishers say it is “the most comprehensive, best organised and authoritative treatment of how to prepare and execute a major voyage under sail,” and it is very hard to disagree.
I can't pretend I've read it all - that would be a winter's work - but I'm looking forward to doing so. And in the meantime I've been hugely impressed by dipping into it in various different sections, and discovering all sorts of practical wisdom - the kind that only comes from personal experience.
Author Beth Leonard says the book is written for “coastal and limited offshore cruisers who want to make the transition to long term voyaging. I have tried to capture everything I wish I had known on that June day when we first sailed out from under the Newport Bay bridge.”
Read her book and you will avoid making potentially very expensive mistakes! If you're planning to sail off into the wide blue, this is required reading. And armchair sailors will enjoy it just as much.
The author is American, and so a certain amount of translation is required, and some of the technical terms may seem unfamiliar, but you don't have to work very hard to understand exactly what is meant.
But be warned: it will inspire you to want to cast off the shackles of shore bound responsibility, and get out there, seeing the world from your boat.
