Posted by: Zen | November 12, 2009

The Floating Library

books

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.


Responses

  1. I’d add Richard K. Hubbard’s Boater’s Bowditch and Brion Toss’s The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice.

    • Thanks Dan!

  2. 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.

    • 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.

  3. 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!

  4. 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.

  5. Awesome site. Thanks for sharing. I will keep coming back for more information. I want to refer this site to my friends and visitors. Its great to have such a rich resource of information. Ill be back to review more of your articles.


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