VHF Channel Changes
Channel numbering for VHF is changing. Those US channels with A appended are now renumbered as 1022 instead of 22A. Chuck Hawley explains
The Annapolis Book of Seamanship
Completely revised and updated to address changes in technology and safety standards, this new edition is the definitive guide to the art and science of sailing.
John Rousmaniere
John Rousmaniere has spoken at many safety and seamanship seminars and conducted inquiries into serious boating accidents, including his well known book about the 1979 Fastnet Race storm (in which he sailed) Fastnet Force 10.
A Berth to Bermuda: One Hundred Years of the World's Classic Ocean Race
When it was first sailed in 1906, the Bermuda Race made the sea a playground by creating a new sport-ocean racing by amateur sailors in normal boats. Sponsored by the Cruising Club of America and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, the race is now so glamorous that sailors' ears perk up when it is mentioned, so difficult that participants ask themselves "Why am I out here again?" and so addictive that they keep coming back for this every-other-year event.
The Art of Seamanship: Evolving Skills, Exploring Oceans, and Handling Wind, Waves, and Weather
Wind, waves, weather, and water demand the practiced art of seamanship
"Planning and reacting to the unanticipated are the flip sides of seamanship. This blending of pre-voyage preparedness with effective on-the-water response is learned rather than inherent--together they define the art of seamanship." -- Author RALPH NARANJO
Modern Weather for Sailors - A Marine Meteorology Primer
To a sailor, understanding weather is as important as boat preparation and knowing how to tack. Knowing what the weather is going to do can make the difference between a having a safe and comfortable voyage or a perilous, bad experience. Marine weather is a very complex body of information that professional meteorologists spend their lives learning.
Blind Reliance on Instruments
One of the requirements for the 1982 Singlehanded Transpac was to have sailed 300 NM, singlehanded, in the boat that you were going to take to Hawaii. For my second Singlehanded Transpac, I had selected an Olson 30, Collage, which I saw has having dramatically better creature comforts than my 1980 boat, a Moore 24. Due to my work schedule at West Marine, I didn’t have time to sail my Olson down the coast to LA and then trailer it back: my solo voyage was to head out of the Golden Gate, continue southwesterly for 150 NM, turn around, and come back to the relative security of the bay.
Retiring Safety Gear from the list
The 2015 meeting of the International Sailing Federation, now known as World Sailing, was held in Sanya, China. One of the committees that met was the Offshore Special Regulations committee, which is responsible for creating equipment rules for six categories of sailboat racing, based on the proximity to rescue and the duration of the event. The Offshore Special Regulations have grown over the years: in fact, the 1982 version published by the then-United States Yacht Racing Union fit on a single sheet of paper. By 2014, the OSRs, as they are known, had grown to over 200 pages.