Reeds Skipper's Handbook for Sail and Power by Malcolm Pearson, Adlard Coles Nautical, £7.99.
This is the fifth edition of an old favourite, a best-seller since first publication in 1993. It's easy to see why. This pocket sized volume gathers together all the essentials - everything the beginner needs to know, and also a concise and easily navigated aide-memoire for the more experienced.
Now the book - frequently recommended as a quick reference guide and revision aide for those taking Day Skipper and Yachtmaster certificates - has been updated and reorganised to make it even easier for the reader to find the information they want.
In keeping with the latest changes in the RYA syllabus and also everyday reality on the water, there are new and expanded sections on navigating with electronics, including electronic chart plotters, radar and AIS.
But it's not all about gadgets: the section on basic boat-handling and seamanship has been expanded, too. And there's an extremely useful chapter on the CEVNI regulations: handy for anyone using European inland waterways.
Small enough to fit into even a crammed chart table, this handy little book will earn its keep on any boat, and will be especially useful to the novice skipper.
From useful knots to helicopter rescue procedures, sextant use to passage planning, it's all to be found in the well-illustrated and cleverly designed “quart in a pint pot.”
