Boating Books

As a non-sailor just getting into the world of sailing, I've found this book extremely helpful and easy to digest. The explanations are accompanied by beautiful drawings, which helps explain topics such as wind direction. My boyfriend, who is a competitive sailor, says that the book is very accurate and explains important topics well. We both give this book five stars.

If you are looking for the book which has all info in one and gives you simple and interesting advises and knowledge - this is great buy!!! You will Love this book.

New at sailing? Don't go further without buying this book. Delightful, informative, artistic, succinct. I bought 5 books on sailing after falling inlove with it and this is the best one.
Buy two and give one to a friend.

lots of black and white drawings make the info clear..very basic..great starter, add to your library

For the skilled sailer the book will be a dissapointment.
That said, the book will be an important source of all kinds of maritim knowledge for the beginner.

This is an excellent book. It includes patterns as well and easy instructions.

When I decided to build my own strip canoe I bought several books, including Gilpatrick's. Nearly everything I read was helpful, but "Building A Strip Canoe" was by far the best. He has included a number of different models (I built the 18' White Guide). And, his instructions are easily followed. Another plus was that Gil was available via email to help me get through some of problems, especially the fiberglassing. The result is a canoe that has made a number of trips down the Upper Missouri, and to the amazement of some of my skeptical "friends", has remained afloat. I recommend Gil's book without hesitation. "Canoe Craft" is good, too, for add-ons such as scuppers, and stem pieces.

I have many of the common books on canoe building. This book is by far the easiest to use. There seems to be two major schools of thought when it comes to strip canoe building: 1) floating furniture (The Canoecraft way) and 2) utilitarian (Hazen and Gilpatrick). I've built a solo canoe following Gil's methods and it has served wonderfully for 5 years. I've bounced it down rocky rivers and used it for many trips to the BWCA and Quetico and it has served admirably.

If you wish to build a work of art, then perhaps you should follow Moores's methods. Personally, I don't like external stems on a canoe. They widen the entry line and just look weird to me. Building them is also a fiddly undertaking and I'm not sure that they really add much.

If you want a functional and tough canoe . . . that is beautiful to boot . . . this book will help you reach your goal. If you have questions write the author, he has replied to my emails; usually the next day.

This is a great book to learn how to build a half-way canoe. This is poorly done and offers building instruction that will leave you with an inferior boat. The best option is to buy Canoecraft...Canoecraft has everything you need to build a canoe and even includes plans and lofting directions. However many of the techniques described in this book are easier than those in canoecraft. But when you are out on the water you don't want to be worrying about if your boat is gonna hold together or not because you cut corners.

I bought this book paired with the more advanced Canoecraft book and really couldn't be happier with both of them. Having read the Canoecraft book first I was left with some questions reguarding technical aspects of boatbuilding that this book answered wonderfully. The approach the author takes reflects one of an experienced teacher explaining the task with an eye toward common mistakes and how to avoid them. While the finished product as outlined is a bit heavy and lacking in elegance, as compared to the Canoecraft boat, I plan to utilize both books in the construction of my canoe. (Please note that the heaviness comes from extra fiberglass reinforcement that is a real necessity in the rocky streams of Maine, the author's state, and not so much here in the Midwest.) The real bonus, aside from the caning instructions which are wonderful, is the fact that you are also getting scale plans for eight boats which can be scanned, scaled and printed full size at your local copyshop. The project is easily completed by anyone who is remotely aquainted with woodworking techniques and in many instances the author explains multiple methods of doing the same step with a list of the pros and cons of each method. Excellent book to buy for your first canoebuilding experience.

I've read this book 3 times, and everytime it's great. It's the best book i've ever read, so far.

The sea was so vast, and the ship was so small.
Man and everything made by man is finite.
-Richard Winning, owner of the Winston Churchill, reciting a seafarers' prayer at a Memorial Service

At the outset, let me just say that the Brothers Judd full disclosure policy requires me to acknowledge that Mr. Knecht is a fraternity brother of mine and if the book stunk, I'd not say so. In fact, the first few pages had me a little worried because there's some rather pedestrian prose and one of the yachts in the race was owned and skippered by Larry Ellison, of Oracle, who seems early on like he's going to be the center of attention in the book. This would be unfortunate because he's a difficult man to root for, at least as presented here, often in his own words. Actually, most of the yachtsmen seem fairly unlikable. It sometimes seems like every one of them thinks he's the only competent guy on board. But any initial concerns disappear once the storm hits and as the action at sea picks up so too does Mr. Knecht's writing.

The Sydney to Hobart race is apparently quite a big deal in Australia; from the sound of it, nearly the whole nation stops to watch the start on Boxing Day (December 26th). In 1998, 115 unsuspecting boats set out but only 43 made it to Hobart (Tasmania). Seven boats were abandoned and another five actually sank. 55 men were rescued. Six men died. The race had run into hurricane conditions, a cyclone sporting 80 mile per hour winds, and the sleek, ultra-engineered boats seem to have been particularly unsuited to such weather. In short order men were in the water and it is mostly them that Mr. Knecht follows and it is there that the book becomes genuinely thrilling, and terrifying.

The crew of the Winston Churchill, which was capsized by a 60 foot wall of water that broke over it, ended up in two life rafts. The other crew whose ordeal Mr. Knecht chronicles had been aboard the Sword of Orion. The hours, even days, these men spent in the water make for painful reading. One of the indelible images from the book is that of survivors recalling the sight of the bobbing heads of crewmates just a hundred yards away and knowing there's no way to get to them. The stories of these men and, as in The Perfect Storm, of the rescuers, make for a substantial portion of the book and it's outstanding.

A shorter concluding portion, featuring various courtroom hearings, unfortunately serves to remind us that, with some exceptions, these sailors just aren't a terribly sympathetic lot. Mr. Knecht presumably chose to write about Larry Ellison because he's a well known figure and a major businessman (Mr. Knecht writes for the Wall Street Journal), but he becomes kind of emblematic of the hubris that plagues them all :

I could have bought the New York Yankees, but I couldn't be the team's shortstop. With the boat, I actually get to play on the team.

Note he's characterizing himself not just as any old player but as the shortstop. Likewise, Lachlan Murdoch, son of Rupert, who sailed on Ellison's boat, Sayanora, has this to say :

There are people who in their makeup need to take risks. [...] Every once in a while I just have to do things that require me to make
judgments about how far I can go.

It takes a nearly superhuman effort on the part of the reader not to wish that it had been their boat that foundered. In this regard the book has a significant structural weakness in common with The Perfect Storm in that we spend too much time with people we don't care about and not enough time with some of the most compelling people in the book, the rescue workers who risk their own lives to save such men.

On balance then, Mr. Knecht has written a book that's well worth reading and is truly gripping throughout the bulk of the action. That less might have been better does not diminish the quality of what's best here and at its best the book is very good.

GRADE : B+

Anyone who has ever been on a competitive sailing yacht and been in nasty weather will read this book in an afternoon, unable to put it down. The book is written with tremendous insight and puts you in the danger and makes it feel real. Great book and a quick fun read for any sailor.

I read An Extreme Event (about the 98 Sydney-Hobart race) prior to reading Knecht's book, so that was my benchmark. And a high one at that.

Proving Ground contained a lot more descriptive information in terms of the characters, but ... I found his concentration on particular personalities in the book very disconcerting.

It was baffling that he could practically write what Glyn Charles was thinking ... when Glyn was unable to speak for himself. These assumptions and supposition are quite offensive.

I also found Knecht's intricate descriptions of the powerplays involved with some of the pivotal characters alarming. Bob Koethe, Steve Kulmar, Richard Purcell and Glyn Charles, specifically.

While I do not doubt his authenticity in describing the interplay, I found the inclusion in such detail perplexing. My aim was to read the facts, not to become embroiled in the dramatic tension on board certain yachts in such dire conditions.

At times, I almost felt a compulsion to "take sides" with some people, opposing others, which I roundly resisted. It is, after all, Knecht's presentation and everyone interprets events, thoughts and words slightly differently.

All in all, not bad, but not great.

I read this book immediately after finishing another account of the 1998 Sydney-Hobart race by Rob Mundle (an Australian), titled: Fatal Storm. I thought both versions were worth reading because they focused their attention differently (Knecht spent much more ink on Larry Ellison; Mundle focused on the yachts and people most relevant to this particular race). Knecht was much more blunt in revealing difficult personalities, interpersonal tension and controversy -- particularly with regard to the Sword of Orion. Mundle was more polite -- or perhaps more prudent. It's risky to portray someone negatively who endured such an ordeal (especially when the writer wasn't there), regardless of whether they died or survived. While I found Knecht's take on the people interesting, I suspect it was part of his overly dramatic writing style. He writes like a mass-market action-fiction writer, trying to create drama and intrigue where either: 1) there is none; or 2) the facts speak for themselves. Funny -- this is not unlike American news media today (which is why I watch the BBC). He writes about a "character's" thoughts and actions is such an excruciating level of detail that it's not believable. Too much poetic license ruins credibility. This is a great subject, but read Fatal Storm first.

What a delightful read! The book weaves the happenings of a current boat trip with stories of previous trips and experiences. It is hillarious, laugh-out-loud funny in a lot of spots. The language is superb and the research section is very helpful. All in all a great read!

I liked it, but then I have a dry wit as well. It is two books in one publication and so it is good value. It also came from an age where the average folk could afford to buy books. So it is very colloquial in content. The sort of "you could be out having fun" too sort of tale. And yet most of us could easily replicate a journey like their's either rowing up the Thames or biking in Germany.

So not a laugh a minute slapstick stuff but definitely funny. On the other hand if you are worried, buy a used copy some of them are quite cheap. Or get it from the library.

i have nothing to say about the product, a book i have allready read. i am very satisfied with the delivery. thank you

Imagine Bertie Wooster and two of his idiot friends out on a boat... with no Jeeves.

That about describes the antics in "Three Men in a Boat : To Say Nothing of the Dog" and its drier sequel "Three Men on the Bummel." Jerome K. Jerome paints his little books with gloriously goofy antics, as we watch three upper-class Englishmen try to rough it -- on land and on water.

The three men are George, Harris and the narrator, who are all massive hypochiandriacs -- they find that they have symptoms of every disease in existance (except housemaid's knee). To prop up their failing health, they decide to take a cruise down the Thames in a rented boat, camping and enjoying nature's bounty.

Along with Monty -- an angelic-looking, devilish terrier -- the three friends set off down the river. But they find that not everything is as easy as they expected. They get lost in hedge mazes, end up going downstream without a paddle, encounter monstrous cats and vicious swans, have picnics navigate locks, offend German professors, and generally get into every kind of trouble they possibly can.

But our valiant outdoorsmen aren't done yet. Some years after the first book, the boys are feeling stifled by domesticity. So they decide to take a vacation from home, hearth, and some equally stifled wives -- by taking a bike trip in Germany. Naturally, they have trouble even before they leave -- hard bike seats, a history of leaving wives behind, and a dog that eats ball bearings.

But eventually they get to Germany, and promptly cycle their way through towns, cities, and the Black Forest. Our narrator reflects on German personalities, customs, and geography... and when he isn't, they are rained on, get lost, get into linguistic battles over cushions, encounter more odd dogs, and finally the most important question: what is a Bummel anyway?

As you'd expect, the first book is an absolute riot of comic disasters, written in Wodehousian prose. The second... not so much. But even though they were published more than a century ago, Jerome K. Jerome was uproariously funny -- he was able to wring humour from any subject, be it poetry, bicycles, pets, plaster fish, or the woes of setting up a tent successfully.

Jerome's real talent is in finding humor in everyday things, like trying to erect a tent in the woods, fighting the weather, or trying to fix one's own bicycle. Written in Jerome's dry, goofy prose, these little occurrances become immensely funny. And for stuff that is funny anyway -- like an anatomically correct bike seat -- it becomes hilarious ("it was like riding on an irritable lobster!").

The second book does get a bit dry at times, as Jerome spends a lot of time musing on Germany rather than conjuring wacky hijinks. And the first book's end has its solemn, compassionate moment when the boys find a drowned woman: "She had sinned - some of us do now and then - and her family and friends, naturally shocked and indignant, had closed their doors against her."

But back on the funny stuff. The capstone on all this humor is the "three men." These guys are basically pampered Victorian aristocrats, who have a romantic yearning for the great outdoors and not too many brains. You'll be laughing at them and with them, as they struggle through the basics of boating and camping.

Wacky, self-mocking, and full of odd people, "Three Men in a Boat" and its slightly less funny sequel "Three Men on a Bummel" are still fresh and funny a century after they were written.

Jerome K. Jerome explains in the preface to Three Men on the Bummel: "There will be no descriptions of towns, no historical reminiscences, no architecture, no morals. Lastly, in this book there will be no scenery. This is not laziness on my part; it is self-control."

Ten years after their journey up the Thames described in the witty Three Men in a Boat: (To Say Nothing of the Dog), George, Harris and Jerome take a bicycle tour of Germany. Their goal is the Black Forest. No dog goes along this time, but many animals appear along the route.

Jerome's first book had moments of seriousness and black humor, but was usually light, dead pan and very witty. Here the blackness is more apparent, especially reacting to German people and "their blind obedience to everything in buttons. [If a German] can find a police notice on a tree forbidding him to do something or other, that gives him an extra sense of comfort and security..... From what I have observed of the German character I should not be surprised to hear that when a man in Germany is condemned to death, he is given a piece of rope and told to go home and hang himself."

He is equally harsh on English tourists in Germany. "The Englishman, unable or unwilling to learn a single word of any language but his own, travels purse in hand to every corner of the Continent....The English-speaking man stands amid the strangers and jingles his gold. 'Here,' he cries, 'is payment for all such as can speak English.'"

The word "bummel" is puzzling; the US edition was called Three Men On Wheels. "A 'Bummel'," I explained, "I should describe as a journey, long or short, without an end; the only thing regulating it being the necessity of getting back within a given time to the point from which one started. Sometimes it is through busy streets, and sometimes through the fields and lanes; sometimes we can be spared for a few hours, and sometimes for a few days. But long or short, but here or there, our thoughts are ever on the running of the sand. We nod and smile to many as we pass; with some we stop and talk awhile; and with a few we walk a little way. We have been much interested, and often a little tired. But on the whole we have had a pleasant time, and are sorry when it's over."

Mark Twain described a walking tour of the same area in A Tramp Abroad. Three Men on the Bummel follows the same approach to travel, this time on bicycles, a Victorian craze of the era.

The bicycle talk still resonates: "There may be a better land where bicycle saddles are made out of rainbow, stuffed with cloud; in this world the simplest thing is to get used to something hard. There was that saddle you bought in Birmingham; it was divided in the middle, and looked like a pair of kidneys.... The box you bought it in had a picture on the cover, representing a sitting skeleton--or rather that part of a skeleton which does sit.... We will not go into details; the picture always seemed to me indelicate."

Overall, this book lacks the Thames to create a sense of cohesion. Nevertheless, the clash of cultures has a certain charm, and if you buy a volume containing both books, it will deliver some very enjoyable moments.

I found this book captures the spirit of the adventurers, provides insightful background and provides the reader with whit filled, memorable insights into the adventurer's hearts. I thoroughly enjoyed this read! Highly recommend.

I thought this book was great. These men, sailed at the end of the era just before the space age of satellites and gps and carbon fiber and kevlar changed everything in sailing. A man alone in a wooden boat sailing around the world, non-stop. This is the stuff of legends and heros. This book is worthy of your time, even if you aren't a sailor. It reads like a novel not like non-fiction. If you like O'Brien and Master and Commander, and you can imagine the seas, breaking over the bow, in a gale sailing through the roaring forties (around Cape Horn and the Cape of Good Hope.) You will love this book, as I did.

Loved this book. Stayed up all night reading it. I've given several out as gifts.

Chris

Perhaps the best way to point to this book's readability is to say that I stayed up until dawn to finish it. Nichols combines an authoritative, powerful adventure story with a thoughtful excursion into the minds of those who are most at home when at sea. His treatment of the nine sailors who attempted this trip is sober and clear-eyed, while sympathetic toward their undeniable idiosyncrasies. His explanation of the tragic Donald Crowhurst is the most persuasive I've seen.

A reviewer described this book as a study in abnormal psychology. Having now completed this story I can only agree with him.

In many ways the story told reminds me of "into thin air" by John Krakauer, in that it asks what drives seemingly ordinary human beings to willing pit themselves against the elements in circumstances which can easily lead to their death. In this case the author asks what would possess nine sailors to undertake to sail around the world non-stop in an age before GPS navigation, Ultralight and tough building materials and satellite phones. An era when boats were constructed of steel and teak, where radio communications were unreliable and navigation a matter of charts and sextants.

The nine challengers proved to be a diverse group, from professional sailors, to electrical engineers to soldier adventures with no previous experience at sea, and the final results reflected this starting point with withdrawals, failure and in extreme cases insanity and death. In the end the final winner was the man who was most at home at sea, a simple man whose only weakness appeared to be that he lacked the imagination necessary to fully grasp the horrors that he faced on the journey.

Overall a classic true life adventure tale.

When Peter Jenkins finished college he made a decision that was destined to change him forever. He decided that he was not ready for things like graduate school or a steady job. Instead, he decided to walk across America with his dog, Cooper. As word of what he was doing spread around the country, Jenkins was asked to speak to small groups and eventually found himself writing the magazine articles for major publications that led to his bestsellers describing his adventure.

A Walk Across America covers his walk from New York to New Orleans where he fell in love with both the city and the woman who was to become his wife. The Walk West is about his walk with his new wife from New Orleans to Oregon, completing the long journey that he had envisioned as a fresh college graduate. Jenkins continued to travel and to write books about his trips and the people whom he met along the way, and he was so well rewarded for his efforts that he was able to settle his wife and children on a 190-acre farm to live the good life. But despite the fact that he sensed that something was wrong, that the "good life" was killing him both spiritually and physically, Jenkins could not bring himself to do anything about it.

Reality has a habit of slapping a guy in the face to get his attention if he insists on ignoring it for too long. And that's what happened to Peter Jenkins in 1987 when he returned from a two-week book tour promoting Across China only to be met at the airport by a good friend who was there to hand him his car keys and a letter from his wife telling him that she had filed for divorce. Several years later, having remarried and started a second family, Jenkins still felt that something was missing, that some part of him had died and that he missed it. That's when he decided to see if he could recapture the innocence and optimism that he had when he started that first walk across America.

Along the Edge of America is the result of his decision to see if he could rekindle the sense of adventure that had served him so well as a young man. Although he knew very little about boats or navigation, Jenkins decided that his next adventure would take him from Key West, Florida, all the way along the Gulf Coast of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas until he reached the Mexican border, a trip that totaled over 2500 miles (including his side trips exploring rivers and bays that he encountered).

As usual, a Peter Jenkins book is about much more than just getting from point A to point B. The fun begins with watching Jenkins start from a level of zero ability and confidence when it comes to handling a boat on his own as he slowly progresses to the point that he just might be able make the trip that he planned, "might" being the key word even when his instructor has done all he could for him and has left him alone with the Cooper, his new boat.

Jenkins spread his trip over a period of almost two years and that allowed him to settle into several of the various communities that he found along the Gulf for months at a time. Along the way, we meet the people whose families have taken their living from the Gulf of Mexico for generations, people who do not always trust strangers but who eventually open up to Jenkins and, through him, tell us their stories. Anyone who believes that the tiny coastal communities along the Gulf Coast are just like the rest of America will never think that again after seeing how these adaptive people struggle today for their survival. They survive their encounters with Mother Nature in a way that only people who live near large bodies of water are ever asked to do.

In the end, Peter Jenkins found exactly what he hoped to find: the best of himself and everyone whom he met during his search. He managed to fight off hijackers, out-run Hurricane Andrew and survive a nearly tragic encounter with another storm. But the most important thing that he did was to reclaim the man who had been lost to him for so many years.

Peter, the person who walked across America and just came back from a year and a half in Alaska, takes to the water in his boat The Cooper.

I think he is brilliant at finding distinctly American characters that capture so much.

Here he explores the Gulf Coast region and all I knew of it prior to this book was Spring Break on the Florida Panhandle, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and not much more.

If you want to believe America is a glossy, full color TV comercial stay brain washed and do not read this book or any other of his books. If you wnat to make fun of people or feel superior to them read some of the other travel writers. If you want to get to know a diverse group of people that make up some of your own country read this book and all the rest of his.

I was as moved by the story of the ragged, toughened brothers Billy and Red and their surpriing love story as any human story I have ever read.

Thanks Peter for taking me on another journey outside of my comfort zone.

I found and read Peter's "Walk Across America" several months ago and enjoyed it, so bought "Along the Edge" because I have thought about doing some traveling by boat along the coast. Peter's writing has a certain "basic" style; his books are honest and straightforward. The book details his purchase of a power boat and subsequent journey from Florida along the gulf coast. The chapters chronicle the people he meets along with a bit of insight about the geographic areas he encounters - a slice of life that most of us would never know first-hand. This book is light, upbeat reading. Readers will feel as if they are along for the ride, as in his first book. What an interesting life this writer leads, although I did tend to wonder how his new wife and kids dealt with his long hiatus off to wander and write despite their seemingly minimal visits. I enjoy his books because they are light, entertaining travelogues for those of us who like to wander uninhibited to new places and meet new people. Peter is a bit of a nomad who allows us to vicariously set off on new adventures and peek into our daydreams from a "being-there" perspective.

This review is for ""Along the Edge of America" by Peter Jenkins, which I've recently finished reading. I want this book review to serve also as my tribute to a very good writer.

I still have my paperback copies of "A Walk Across America" published in 1979 and "The Walk West", circa 198l. Somewhat faded and yellowed, but treasured. These books have been unforgettable to me.

The late 70's and the 80's, to the present time, often find me temporarily leaving reality behind. Escaping my own daily struggles and cares, I can mentally journey down roads or waterways with Peter, experiencing the colors and textures of his adventures, his people and the landscapes he paints with sentences.

I well know the feeling of loss of confidence in ones self. Most of us do, and get beyond it, somehow. In "Along the Edge of America" Peter found his own way of conquering past disappointments. His story reflects a happier man who is better able to accept what life has handed him and to more fully enjoy the rest of it.

A gentle sadness falls over me as I come to the end of any book written by Peter Jenkins. I wonder, "Will there be another book?", "What part of the world will I learn about this time?", "What people will I know through his stories?"

I've never personally visited any of the people described in Peter Jenkins books. But he has introduced them to me and made me feel their happiness as well as their sorrows and regrets. We all have plenty of those three things in our lives.

"Along the Edge of America" seems an honest account of a very trying, yet valuable portion of this man's life. It's a good group of stories and very pleasing to read.

Thank you, Peter Jenkins.

In his book describing his walk across many eastern states Jenkins does an excellent job of describing the scenery and people he encounters. You really feel that he bonds with those he meets.

The boat trip described in this book seems much less interesting - mostly because it seems so forced. It seems that Jenkins looks back fondly on his long walk and wants nothing more than to recreate it - this time on a boat. The trouble is, an adventure like his walk is impossible to recreate.

A Walk Across America was written after the fact. His adventuresome spirit led him to many intriguing places and he only thought to write about it after it was over. In this book however, Jenkins seems to be on a hunt for interesting folks to include in a new book.

Sometimes he succeeds in finding interesting people (a Vietnam vet and his brother, a Texas sheriff) but more often than not the people he describes were a bit eccentric but really not worth writing about in a book.

A true triumph over adversity. A very nice book to read to your little ones and not such a scary way to let them know a sad part of our history.

Heartwarming Hero!!!

Imagine your most favorite hero. Is he tall, strong, courageous, and faithful? Well, this hero is all that and more. Fireboat, by Maira Kalman is a heartwarming story of a boat that was built in 1931 with all the newest and greatest gadgets to aide in fighting fires. The fireboat is named the John J. Harvey and for many years it fought fires on ocean liners and along New York's busy piers. After 64 years of protecting the New York area the John J. Harvey is retired. Left unused for five years it was ready to be sold as scrap material when a few people got together and brought the John J. Harvey back to life. After many repairs the old fireboat is up and running again. Not as a fireboat but as a pleasure boat for all. As the story progresses history is in the making. The most horrific thing imaginable happens on September 11, 2001. This is where a hero of the past steps in to help and doesn't stop until his work is done. A tragedy, yes, a hero, yes, forgotten no. The John J. Harvey is an important part of history that will always have friends to care for him. If you are looking for a book about September 11th to share with yourself, your children or your grand-children then this is the book for you. It is a simple and loving example of what people can do to help others during such a tragic time. This is a must read and an unforgettable story of what America lost on the day of September 11, 2001.Fireboat: The Heroic Adventures of the John J. Harvey (Picture Puffin Books)

The author deals with the terrorist attacks on the twin towers in a very dignified way. Nothing in the story would devistate young readers or listeners. The illustrations are wonderful and quite appropriate. Next year when 9-11 arrives I will read this story to my students to help them remember this tragic incident.

There is a traditional story of the retired firehorse that responds to the bell. John J. Harvey is a true example of that. She and her crew answered the bell that day. It troubles me that so many reviewers want to "revise" this book to remove the horror of that day. You can not revise the events and remove the horror from them. It needs to be recalled, remembered and dealt with, both by children and adults. I love this book. As a firefighter and Naval Reservist I can't say enough good things about the story here. More importantly enough good things can not be said about John J. Harvey and the crew that saved her and then brought her back into service that day.

I was amazed at E. Bird "Ramseelbird's" negative review of this book. He feels that Kalman's treatment of September 11 was flippant and cutesy-pie??

My son, who was in nursery school at the time, was severely traumatized by the horrible events of that day and his parents' reactions. He had a pretty good factual understanding, but couldn't quite piece it all together emotionally. I searched for a book about 9/11 that he could relate to. This was it. Far from being flippant, the book sets the tone of 1931, the birthyear of the fireboat John J. Harvey, with other "normal" stuff that was going on that year. In fact, everything *is* normal until THAT DAY. Yes, the tone changes. But doesn't that reflect reality in this case?

The gouache illustrations give a great child's-eye view of what happened.

A newfound interest in celestial navigation and all things nautical prompted me purchase this book. As far as celestial goes, the book concentrates on sight reduction by tables rather than by calculator or computer. In that respect, it's disappointing. The background chapters for navigation astronomy are pertinent to all forms of sight reduction.

I was also interested in navigational mathematics and "The Sailings". Those subjects are well represented and easy to understand.

The book is physically imposing and the depth of information is astounding. It's divided into sections, so you can cover areas of interest a bit at a time. It's easy to read - for a textbook.

If you enjoy this subject matter, this is one of the "go to" books. It's well worth the money.

Bowditch is the "bible" for nautical navigation. It's a must have for every serious mariner's library. My purchase was listed as used but "like new" and it was indeed like new. I'm very pleased with this purchase.

The American Practical Navigator remains the best book in its field. Every sailor man should have it.

The American Practical Navigator has been a classic since the early 1800's. This bicentennial edition not only includes traditional subjects such as tides, celestial, and terrestrial navigation, but also includes electronic navigation.

The book is a must have reference for any serious student of navigation.

There is no doubt that Bowditch is the epitomy of navigational texts and the 2002 edition presents him well with the addition of some of the latest forms of navigation. Well worth the money, an invaluable reference text.

first off for $120.00 there should not even be any vinyl on them but the plastic vinyl covering the piping is coming off after 1 month of use so i will need to use a black marker to hide it dansko was great till they left sanita now they are cheaply made in china,hungry,italy,and they dont even fit these are some of the problems i have found over the last 3 months i have tried aprox 50 pairs of dansko cabrio professional i should be waring a 37 (us size 7) but now i cant,i need a 38 and most of the 38 are too small also 1 shoe bigger than the other in some pairs the left is tight and the right shoe feels great and in some pairs the right is too tight and the left feels great then after of 3 months and 50 pairs of trying on the pair i did keep the VINYL piping is coming off dansko is no longer good i will now only buy sanita COME ON DANSKO YOU ARE TAKING THE CHEEP AND EASY and you soon will loose customers

These shoes are great. The fit was perfect the first time I tried them on. They are comfortable with great arch support. The quality is excellent. I will buy this brand again.

These shoes are great a bit hard on your feet at first. Took a good 2 weeks to break in. Still having to take off about half way through my shift might need to get a shoe tree to strech out the right foot, still a bit tight. But very good shoes

These shoes are the best ! I have high arches and supportive shoes are hard to find. These shoes provide excellent support and are well worth the money. I do a lot of airline travel and these shoes are perfect when going through airport security - just simply slip them off and put them on again. Great for those long trips through airport concourses. I can't recommend then enough - they're simply the best and are extremely difficult to wear out (I found a place online that can repair the soles). Treat your feet to the most comfortable shes available!

I supinate terribly and tend to have terrible ankle problems because of it. After college it got to the point where I was destroying a pair of sneakers every 4-6 months (I would have to replace them because I would have shooting pain from my ankles to my lower back). I'm a microbiologist, so I spend almost all of my workday on my feet on a hard floor (usually concrete + linoleum). I finally sucked it up and shelled out the money for a pair of Danskos. It has been two years, and they're still in good shape. I haven't been good about keeping them polished, so the finish is starting to get ratty, but they're still very comfortable. I've gotten to be pretty dependent on them, as my ankles often complain if I go more than three or four days in any other pair of shoes.
They have dyed my socks on occasion, particularly in wet weather, but I would consider it a very small price to pay for the comfort.

Needless to say, I'm far more likely to invest in a pair of Danskos than any other shoe.

I have no experience with sailing but I do have experience in traveling; this book might be set on sailboats but is in no way a technical book about sailing. I can't express how enjoyable this book was to read and found the author very expresive and full of interesting stories. He seems to be the type of person that anyone would love to have as a good friend. I found it easy to relate to his stories and found the occasional mention of specific sailboat parts, descriptions, etc. interesting and thought that they only added to the stories. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about world travel on land or by water. It's a great read.

I was surprised how much I liked this book! It is nicely told and very entertaining. It even threw in some romantic situations that I usually run from in a book. I say "Good Job" to you Mr. Kretschmer on a very fun book!

Good book. Clever little love story tied in as well. well worth the money.

I bought the book hoping to learn something more about sailing. The book is an entertaining read if you like 10 stories of bad storms at sea. No real wisdom is passed on. (except maybe to stay away from sailboats)
On the bright side, it is written in such a way as I did not mind reading it cover to cover and it would make good 4 hr flight reading material. Don't miss the fact that it is only 200 pages.

Before I wrote my review, I read all the others. Be assured this is a great book for people who love being on the ocean, and can enjoy anything that is written about it. If you're flicking through the channels and stop to watch the Bounty for the 100th time or salt water fishing, this book you will love. Every Captain that has spent anytime at sea can identify with every single circumstance presented is this book. To agree with one fellow, I hated when it ended. And heck, even if it was all made up, I'd look up to him, he's better at telling "sea stories" than me!! Enjoy, it goes fast!!