Bookshelf

Reference

Sailing and Seamanship – Basics through Cruising

• The Complete Sailing Manual, by Steve Sleight. Basic training for beginners, and excellent reference for more experienced sailors.
• Sailing Essentials, by Steve Sleight.  Concise, compact reference for all sailing levels, a perfect gift.
• American Sailing Association Series:
  • Sailing Made Easy.  ASA 101 Basic Keelboat textbook.
  • Coastal Cruising Made Easy.  ASA 103 Coastal Cruising textbook.
  • Bareboat Cruising Made Easy.  ASA 104 Bareboat Cruising textbook written by Andy and Lisa Batchelor.
  • Cruising Catamarans Made Easy.  ASA 114 Cruising Catamaran textbook written by Andy and Lisa Batchelor.
  • Going Ashore Made Easy – The Essential Dinghy & Outboard Companion, by Lisa & Andy Batchelor, ASA 116 textbook.
  • Advanced Cruising and Seamanship. ASA 106 Advanced Cruising textbook, principal contributors Lisa and Andy Batchelor.
• Sailpower by Peter Nielsen. Trim and Techniques for Cruising Sailors.

Bluewater Passagemaking

• The Complete Ocean Skipper by Tom Cunliffe.   (Deepwater Voyaging, Navigation and Yacht Management)  ** Our top pick reference for Ocean Passagemaking
• The Art of Seamanship by Ralph Naranjo  (Evolving Skills, Exploring Oceans, Handling Wind, Waves and Weather)  Great text for Coastal and Ocean Passagemaking.
• The Voyager’s Handbook by Beth Leonard. The Essential Guide to Bluewater Cruising.
• Sailing a Serious Ocean by John Kretschmer (Sailboats, Stories and Lessons Learned from 30 Years at Sea)
• Offshore Cruising Companion, by John and Amanda Swan Neal
• Heavy Weather Sailing, by Adlard Coles and Peter Bruce.  The ultimate authority on surviving storms at sea in sailing and power vessels.
• World Voyage Planner and World Cruising Routes, by Jimmy Cornell

Maintenance and Boat Systems

• Nigel Calder’s Cruising Handbook:  A Compendium for Coastal and Offshore Sailors, by Nigel Calder
• Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual: How to Maintain, Repair and Improve Your Boat’s Essential Systems, by Nigel Calder.
• Marine Diesel Engines: Maintenance, Troubleshooting and Repair, by Nigel Calder
• How Boat Things Work: An Illustrated Guide  by Charlie Wing

Marine Weather

• Modern Marine Weather and Weather Workbook, by David Burch
• RYA Weather Handbook by Chris Tibbs
• Coastal and Offshore Weather: the Essential Handbook by Chris Parker
• The Gentleman’s Guide to Passages South by Bruce van Sant (The Thornless Path to Windward)
• Instant Weather Forecasting by Alan Watts
• The Cloudspotter’s Guide by Gavin Pretor-Pinney. The Science, History and Culture of Clouds.

Inspiration, Adventure & Humor

• Blue Horizons: Dispatches from Distant Seas,  by Beth Leonard. Collection of articles written for Bluewater Sailing magazine while cruising on Hawk.
• Sailing to the Edge of Time, by John Kretchmer (The Promise, the Challenges, and the Freedom of Ocean Voyaging)
• Flirting with Mermaids: the Unpredictable Life of a Sailboat Delivery Skipper, by John Kretchmer. Memorable humorous and terrifying yacht-delivery adventures.
• Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea, by Steven Callahan. True story of resourcefulness and survival, 76 days in a liferaft.
• Swell: A Surfers Voyage of Awaking, by Liz Clark. Sailing the Pacific in search of surf and self.
• Red Sky in Mourning, by Tami Oldham Ashcraft.  A True Story of Love, Loss and Survival at Sea, adapted to the movie “Adrift”
• Longitude, by Dava Sobel – solving navigation’s greatest scientific problem of the times.
• An Embarrassment of Mangoes: A Caribbean Interlude, by Ann Vanderhoof. Leaving behind a Type-A lifestyle to cruise the Caribbean.
• The Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating and Island Life, by Ann Vanderhoof.  Adventures in Caribbean cooking, eating and island life.
• A Trip to the Beach: Living on Island Time, by Melinda Blanchard. New Englanders move to Anguilla and establish a world-class beach restaurant.
• Just Cruising and Still Cruising – A Family Travels the World, by Liza Copeland. The Copeland family of 5 travel for 2 years on their 40’ Beneteau.
• Why Didn’t I Think of That? 1198 Tips from 222 Sailors,  By John & Susan Roberts. Simple, practical tips on a wide range of cruising aspects.
• 50 Places to Sail before You Die: Sailing Experts Share the World’s Greatest Destinations, by Chris Santella

Useful Links

• Kinetic Sailing’s YouTube Channel
• Noonsite – The Global Site for Cruising Sailors
• Ocean Cruising Club – For Bluewater Sailors
• NauticEd by Kinetic Sailing – 2 free courses
• Sail Solomons and the American Sailing Association
• RYA Knowledge & Advice
• Animated Knots for Boating
• Maryland Nautical Sales – Complete Navigation Resource
• Maggie Lee Designs – Capturing Your Passion with Nautical Jewelry
• Outbound Yachts – Offshore Performance & Liveaboard Comfort
• Saffier Yachts – World Class Daysailers
• OCENS – Weather and Satellite Systems & Service