Looking for some great Holiday Gift Ideas for that boater in your life that has everything?
Here is a collection of “must-have” nautical books selected by the Editor!
The eNotated Two Years before the Mast
According to online book seller Amazon.com, âeNotated Classics are a completely new approach that takes advantage of eBook technology to extend and enrich books in a way thatâs convenient to use and easy for the reader. Most eBooks are simple conversions of paper books; eNotated editions add an extra layer of meaning to bring the book to life in your handsâ.
Heady stuff, but I have to agree. Earlier this year I was asked to review the Kindle version of Richard Henry Danaâs The eNotated Two Years before the Mast by Chris Thomerson. In the eBook version of the famous sailing classic, simply highlight a word or phrase that you donât understand and up pops a thorough explanation. This has opened up the world of square riggers like never before and turned Two Years Before the Mast into a must read for anyone with even a slight interest in maritime history. Thomerson has done an extraordinary job. After reading this eBook you almost know enough to skipper a sailing ship! I canât recommend this book enough.
The eNotated Two Years Before the Mast (Kindle Edition)
Author: Richard Henry Dana / Chris Thomerson
Available from Amazon at The eNotated Two Years before the Mast
Our own Capân Fatty Goodlander keeps us entertained with his humor but there is a serious side to the constant circumnavigator and it shines through in his book: Buy, Outfit, Sail: How To Inexpensively and Safely Buy, Outfit, and Sail a Small Vessel Around the World
Written in his own inimitable style, the Capân shows the reader that it is possible to circumnavigate on a boat that costs little money and finance the voyage âon the pennies a Scotsman throws away.â
But thereâs more. This wouldnât be a Goodlander book with-out some home-grown philosophy and humor and there are plenty of both strewn across the pages. You might not agree with everything he says, but the point of the book is to get you off the couch and turn your cruising dreams into reality.
The author says: âThe primary aim of this book is to assist the frugal, safety-conscious sailor in the purchase and repair of a modest sailboat capable of circumnavigating.â
There is no doubt that the advice offered in this book is affective; Fatty, and his previous boat Wild Card and his new boat Ganesh, are proof of that.
Fatty Goodlander is the only person who could write this book. My only criticism is that he didnât write it sooner.
Buy, Outfit, Sail: How To Inexpensively and Safely Buy, Outfit, and Sail a Small Vessel Around the World
Author: Captain Fatty Goodlander
Paperback or eBook
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN-10: 1456310038Â ISBN-13: 978-1456310035
Available from Amazon.com or through
http://fattygoodlander.com
Â
Cabo Trafalgar in the Moonlight
Many years ago I read a series of historical novels written by naval historian Dudley Pope, about the adventures of naval hero Lord Ramage during the time of Nelson. When I arrived in the Caribbean, I was thrilled to learn that Pope was living aboard his boatâ named after his fictional hero Ramageâin St. Martin and it was a great thrill when I was invited onboard. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Dudley Pope or his wife, Kay, I did get to know their daughter, Victoria. And it was through Victoria that I received a review copy of Kay Popeâs book: Cabo Trafalgar in the Moonlight
In her book, Kay describes her life with the author and takes us into a world of creativity rarely seen. This is much more than a sailing adventure, itâs a heart-warming love story about two people sharing a life inspired, and supported, by wonderful stories about the sea. This is Kayâs very personal account of her life with Dudley Pope. Her descriptions of people they met and places they lived during their long marriage are a joy to read. Through her book, she shows us how the world of publishing has changed, how strange life in the â60s and â70s now seems, and how together two people can beat the odds and fulfill a dream.
This inspirational book, with its roots in sailing past and present, will make you laugh and cry.
Cabo Trafalgar in the Moonlight
Author: Kay Pope Â
Paperback or eBook
Publisher: House of Stratus
ISBN-10: 075512278X Â
ISBN-13: 978-0755122783
Available from Amazon.com
Street’s Guide to the Cape Verde Islands
My bookshelf is full of cruising guides and pilot books. Some are so out of date they should have been buried at sea long ago. Now, thereâs a shiny new cruising guide on my shelf and this one is by the master himself, Don Street, Jn.
Streetâs latest guide covers a group of islands that many now use as a stopping off point before crossing the Atlantic to the Caribbean. Street’s Guide to the Cape Verde Islands is rich in detail and as you would expect from Street, mentions every rock, reef and rest-stop in the archipelago. Don writes in the folksy style of which I never tire. This is hands on stuff; a bit like having the old sea dog on board looking over your shoulder.
Richly illustrated with charts and color photographs, the guide contains all the information you need to change the Cape Verde Islands from a quick port of call, to cruising grounds in their own right.
Street’s Guide to the Cape Verde Islands
Author: Donald Street, Jn.
Published by: Seaworthy Publications
ISBN-13: 978-1892399-34-2 Â
ISBN-10: 1Ââ34-2892399-34-2
Streetâs guides are available from:
www.seaworthy.com & www.imray.com
Shhh!!! Â Don’t tell the Editor BUT we snuck in another MUST HAVE book.
Don’t forget the Editor’s own Caribbean High
If you are looking for a high octane, energy filled romp through this book will keep you on the edge of your seat! Â “Couldn’t put it down”
The Caribbean just got a whole lot hotter …
Rescued from a sadistic torturer, Turpin and his hell-raising friends race to save the woman that two of them love. When kidnapping turns to murder they are forced into a perilous seagoing chase ahead of an approaching tropical storm. The storm isnât the only problem. With the fate of an island at stake and revenge at hand, the only thing capable of putting to sea is the infamous Lucky Lady ⦠an ancient schooner that is little more than a floating bar.
Packed with offbeat characters, this novel will appeal to anyone who dreams of life in the Caribbean and adventures on the high seas.
Caribbean High
Author: Gary Brown
Available on Amazon