Books for Your Boat

Here We Are: The History, Meaning, and Magic of GPS by Jim Carrier ($3 for the e-book; 2011; New Word City). If you use or have been exposed to GPS—and who hasn’t, these days?—put this short, informative, and entertaining book on your “must read” list. Carrier, a renowned sailor, writer, and filmmaker, uses his storyteller’s skills to relate the history and evolution of GPS, the politics involved in same (including how it nearly didn’t happen), and an explanation of the technology in terms even self-proclaimed technophobes can understand.

“I believe,” he says, “that 50 years from now, historians will place GPS on the short list of inventions, alongside the clock, electricity, and the Internet, that are truly indispensible.” The same could be said for this well-focused and eminently readable
nugget of a book.
-Lynda Morris Childress

Voyages in Desperate Times by Jule Miller ($25; 2011; Good Old Boat magazine). This recording, a work of historical fiction produced by the magazine under its audio imprint, breathes life into the true tale of the American recreational sailboats and powerboats that were conscripted into the military to patrol for German U-boats in World War II.

Situated on the U.S. East Coast, the fleet, known as the Hooligan Navy, reported year-round on the presence of submarines, picked up victims of ships attacked by U-boats, and engaged U-boats in unevenly matched fights.

Narrator Spencer King capably delivers the tale, in which the author employs a style of framed narration by having a grandfather recount his experiences in the fleet to his granddaughter.

It’s a perfect way to contrast the youth of that era with the youth of today, and sailors particularly will appreciate Miller’s accuracy and attention to detail, undoubtedly a byproduct of his decades as an engineer in the aerospace industry.
-Rick Martell

Optimizing the Trailerable Sailboat by Paul Esterle ($28; 2010; available from www.lulu.com). Owners of small, trailerable sailboat for daysailing or camp-cruising will find here a compendium of simple-to-implement, ingenious yet practical ideas for maximizing enjoyment, functionality, and creature comforts on small boats. Virtually every topic from ballast to the trailer stand is covered in this work, and it’s all spiral-bound for quick, frequent reference.
-Lynda Morris Childress

Cooking Aboard A Small Boat—Feeding the Small-Boat Sailor by Paul Esterle ($18; 2011; available from www.lulu.com). Appropriately, this entire volume is devoted to the heart of any vessel, large or small—the galley, including the self-described “meat” of the book, 55 pages of satisfying, one-pot-or-pan (or bowl or cup) recipes targeted at preparation aboard a small boat. There are helpful tips on stoves and fuels, storage, tools and utensils, and shelf-stable food products. It’s a must for any trailerable-boat sailor who doesn’t want to eat like one.
-Lynda Morris Childress

The Sacrament of Sail: Finding Our Way by Matts G. Djos with Jeanine J. Djos ($16; 2011; available from Amazon). If you’re one of those who thinks sailing is a rich man’s sport, this book will change your mind. Don’t let the title fool you. This isn’t a religious tome, but a collection of heartfelt accounts by a lifelong-sailing couple of adventures on the lakes and coasts of the central and western U.S. in a succession of older, small boats. The well-written narratives reflect the authors’ magnificent obsession with sail. To paraphrase them: It all lies before you. All you must do is find a way, search out a sea, and set sail. For starters, pick up this book.
-Lynda Morris Childress

Sequoiah Speeds: Memoir of a Family Afloat by Helen S. Warren ($18; 2010; www.amazon.com). Reluctant first mates, particularly females, will find this account of a cruising sabbatical—in which a South Carolina family takes an Endeavour 32 across the pond and back for a yearlong European adventure—both educational and informative. The author, who set out because it was her husband’s passion but admits that she’s now caught the “sailing disease,” has chronicled the cruise and day-to-day life aboard with a pre-teen and an early teen. This well-written tale is informative reading for any family considering doing the same thing.
-Lynda Morris Childress

Family Aweigh—They Lived the Dream by Michael Holt ($6 for the Kindle e-Book; 2011; www.amazon.com). It’s rare to find a nautical writer who can successfully combine good prose with laugh-out-loud wry humor, and Michael Holt succeeds brilliantly in this tale of an English family, including three teenage kids, who decide to change their lifestyle by chucking their land lives to go cruising. It doesn’t matter that their vessel of choice, Jernica (a name derived from combining the childrens’ names), is a motoryacht—the cruising trials, tribulations, and rewards are the ones that sailors know, and you’ll laugh as you enjoy every word of this family’s adventures seeking and finding a boat and their subsequent romp through the Med.
-Lynda Morris Childress