Boating Basics: Books to Read Before You Set Foot in a Boat
by: Aldene Fredenburg
No one is suggesting that a novice boating
enthusiast can learn everything there is to know about boating
by reading a book, but the fact is that picking up a volume from
an expert with years of boating experience can potentially save
newbies a lot of false starts and, potentially, some dangerous
situations.
Boating 101: Essential Lessons for Boaters, by Roger Siminoff
(International Marine / Ragged Mountain Press, 1999) covers
basic knowledge needed for every kind of boating, recreational
and otherwise. From boating etiquette on the water to using
navigational charts, from docking to anchoring, and even
warnings about adverse weather conditions, this handy book
answers a lot of questions that beginners may not even have the
background to know they should ask. A great book for a beginning
boater, it also has wisdom to offer those who’ve been boating
for years.
The book Sailing Fundamentals, by Gary Jobson (Touchstone,
Revised Edition, 1998), is billed by the publisher as the
“fastest, easiest, most systematic way to learn basic sailing
and basic coastal cruising.” Approved by the American Sailing
Association (ASA) and The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, this is
the perfect book for beginning sailors. Author Dobson was part
of the winning 1977 America’s Cup crew and lends an enormous
amount of expertise to all the basics of learning to sail. This
book is a great assist for sailors who want to qualify for ASA
certification.
There’s probably not a sailing enthusiast alive who doesn’t
eventually want to own his or her own boat; the book Your First
Sailboat: How to Find and Sail the Right Boat for You, by Daniel
Spurr (International Marine / Ragged Mountain Press, 2004), will
set you on the right path. The book covers the various types of
sailboats available, discusses the differences between them and
the ways they handle, and gives the reader lots of information
designed to decide what sailboat design meets the needs of the
individual sailing fan.
While the books mentioned above certainly don’t take the place
of actually getting out on the water and gaining hands-on,
practical experience, the information contained in them
certainly takes some of the mystery out of the sailing
experience and saves the beginning boater a lot of time, and
perhaps even steers them away from some deadly errors.
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About The Author
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern
New Hampshire; she has written numerous articles for the
Internet and for local and regional publications. She can be
reached at
amfredenburg@yahoo.com.