
Time moves on with the voyage preparations. Part of that Prep work is preparing my library, not only for afloat but for the final landing. I love books. I will be building a book shelf on s/v zen, or perhaps installing a bookshelf is a better phrase. I guess it does not matter the 5 or so who read this will know what I’m saying. My yachting reference collection is almost done. I think I have gathered a great selection of resource reference books and just reading novels for the passage.
I have one more sailing book I want to complete my technical library: Storm Tactics Handbook: by Sailing’s Royal couple the Pardey’s
My tech books for on-board are:
Chapman’s Piloting
Sensible Cruising – The Thoreau Approach
The Sailing Handbook
This OLD boat
Landfalls of the Paradise
Celestial Navigation
Voyaging on a Small Income
Sailing Directions : Pub 158, 159, 120 ( The Pacific and Asia)
The Pacific Crossing guide
World Cruising Routes
Sailboat Electrics Simplified
100 Fast & Easy Boat Improvements
Desirable and Undesirable Characteristics of Offshore Yachts
The Tao Of Sailing ( not really a tech/ref book, but…)
One hand for yourself , One for the Ship,
Wind and Tide
The 12 volt Doctors’s Practical Handbook
First aid afloat
Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen
Where there is no Doctor
The Floating Harpsichord ( a novel plus medical advise by a doctor)
Sailing the Farm
Self-Steering for the sailing craft
Cost Conscious Cruiser
The Self-Sufficient Sailor
The Care and Feeding of the Offshore Crew
Practical Seamanship
Offshore Cruising Encyclopedia
The Marlinspike Sailor
The Time -Life Library of Boating:
- Cruising Grounds
- Seamanship
- Navigation
- Offshore
Any other suggestions? However, I do not want to overdue it and get weighed down, I need to save space for ohhhhh , let see … water and food.







I’d add Richard K. Hubbard’s Boater’s Bowditch and Brion Toss’s The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice.
By: Adriftatsea on November 12, 2009
at 10:56 pm
Thanks Dan!
By: Zen on November 12, 2009
at 11:10 pm
Sounds like a lot of books! Do you have a way to protect them, besides just being in the shelf, from violent motion, humidity/moisture, etc.? It would be nice if some of the less-mission-critical books could maybe be found in electronic form and accessible on a laptop. Our own home is awash in books, but I’m imagining only a small number would make the cut when we finally get into cruising.
Then I’ll make a hypocrite of myself by thinking about another category of books — destination guides, and then having second thoughts about relying entirely on electronic charts, and instead at least have some paper chartbooks and some of the more critical charts, and maybe carrying something like World Cruising Routes.
By: Pat on November 26, 2009
at 9:39 am
I do not think it is that many, although when adding the just for pleasure reading, that adds up. I am not sure about protection yet, maybe glad wrap them. That is something to think about.
By: Zen on November 29, 2009
at 5:19 am
I don’t want to sound arrogant but I’d say, you’d better pack these nice books and send them over by post. Once out at sea your brain and your interests change completely. You won’t concentrate on any of these intellectual writings. You’re busy ‘sailing’. You’re occupied most of the time doing something. Only on dead calm you might want to read an easy novel… but even then, nothing seems to relate to what you are living.
The other problem raised by Pat is that they’ll get WET. Everything in a yacht gets wet at least once. Don’t forget you stand between sea and sky, water under and water above!
By: frankie on January 26, 2010
at 8:45 pm
Good points from you and Pat, Frankie. I”m thinking putting them in zip locks bags when not in use. Otherwise they are books that could be of use while under sail with only a couple of novels for leisure time.
By: Zen on January 27, 2010
at 3:52 am
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By: thepilatesbiz.com on February 8, 2012
at 9:59 pm