The Complete Idiot S Guide To Boating And Sailing

You're no idiot, of course. You can recite dialogue from every episode of Gilligan's Island, cook a delicious gourmet fish dinner, and even bait your own hook without feeling squeamish. But when it comes to boating, you don't know the bow from the stern. Don't abandon ship yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Boating and Sailing teaches you everything you need to know to get your feet wet in this exciting recreational sport. In this Complete Idiot's Guide you'll find:

The idea of learning to sail excites the imagination with fantasies of a carefree, simple way to relax. But in reality, a lot of work goes into mastering the technical aspects of sailing and learning how to get from one place to another without ending up in the water. Other sailing books go into more detail than the casual learner wants or needs. The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Sailing gives readers just what they need to know to get started and enjoy their time on the water. In it, readers get: A primer on the different types of sailboats and tips for buying or renting. Detailed descriptions of the parts and controls of a sailboat. The roles and jobs of sailor and crew. How to get the boat into the water (if it isn't already). The mechanics of sailing. Departing, anchoring, and docking. Handling, navigating, and weather. Sailing safety and emergency preparedness. The rules of the sailing road. Backup plans: engines and oars. Storing, hauling, and maintaining a sailboat.

You’re no idiot, of course. You know that the joy of fishing comes with skill, patience, and the right equipment. You can get yourself to the water and relax, but when it comes to baiting your hook and casting your cares away, you feel like a minnow swimming with the sharks! Don’t throw back your angling ambitions just yet! The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Fishing Basics, Second Edition gives you the essentials for a successful fishing expedition—whether you’re heading for the local creek or the high seas. In this Complete Idiot’s Guide®, you get: • An emergency fishing guide to help get you started immediately • The lowdown on tackle—hooks, lines, sinkers, and more • All the right moves to feel, hook, play, and land your catch • The bottom line on what you’ll need (and need to do) if you want to flyfish, saltwater fish, or fish in still waters

This book carries a 100% GUARANTEED RETURN POLICY. What I mean is, I GUARANTEE if you RETURN this book, we will revise our customer service POLICY. Speaking of our customer service policy, if you are not completely satisfied with this book for any reason, you can mail a picture of you NOT READING this book -- plus a copy of your receipt and maybe a handwritten note explaining why you think this is the worst boating book ever -- to Slip None, Whittaker Creek, Oriental, North Carolina. There is no one at that address, but sometimes it helps to vent. Speaking of venting...if you own a boat, you know what I'm talking about. If you DO NOT own a boat, what are you waiting for, a sign? Okay, here's one sign: Salt water covers over 71% of the earth's surface. That means if you had a boat, you could be, at this very minute, wet. You might also be broke, permanently deformed from living in spaces the size of a Tupperware bread box, have a dent in your skull from banging your forehead into the companionway hatch, and exude from your body such an aromatic stench that even mosquitoes vector away when you walk down the dock. You may also be divorced. Enough about you. Let's talk about this book you are going to return. Here are a few topics we'll cover. Table of Contents PART I - Anchors Away Think Globally, Sail Locally A Stern Response The Haves and the Half-Knots Gaining a Cents of Worth Eternal Shoalmates (Sand)Bar Hopping Anchors Away PART II - Signal Flags Hand-Held Navigational Aids I Don't Know, Bub, Sounds Fishy to Me A Force to be Wreck'ned With Oscar Mired Dinners Signal Flags PART III - Not a Yacht Happening Let's Go to 68 New Boat? I Wooden Have One Cockpit Downsizing Boat Borrowship Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Muddled Masts Naming Rights Not a Yacht Happening Part IV - Bringing the Bow to Port I Got the Turkey Trots Seeds of Greed Santa Pause Recovering from a Sinking Spell Another Year Has Croaked Bringing the Bow to Port Part V - The Cost of Cruising Oh Say Can You Sea Knock on Wood May I Mayreau? Recharging My Batteries Diving for Pennies Happy Daddy's Day The Cost of Cruising There, now. Don't say I didn't warn you.

This book is ground breaking not because of what it has, but what it doesn't have: No complicated drawings; no mathematics problems; no astronomical talk; no big words you've never heard of. Sailor-author Gene Grossman finally breaks this wonderful subject down into plain English and explains it in such a way that you will no longer have any excuse to claim that you know nothing about the valuable boater's subject of Celestial Navigation. This book was inspired by Gene's DVD program of the same title, which has gained worldwide popularity and is being used the the Navy, Coast Guard and sailing schools all over the world.

“It was the best of dreams, it was the worst of dreams, it was an age of consulting the nautical experts, it was the age of landlubber foolishness, it was the epoch of determination, it was the epoch of despair, it was the season of hurricanes, it was a spring of beachcombing...” If you dream about chucking it all away and sailing toward an island life, read this first Renee and Michael didn’t have any boating experience and when their plans to remedy that fell through the two had to learn everything the hard way. Despite themselves they managed to get from Miami to Grenada, eventually dropping the anchor of their cruising catamaran at the island of their dreams. Determined to save future sailors from themselves, A Sail of Two Idiots includes lessons Renee and Michael learned and shares them with you as examples of what and what not to do. This a how-to guide wrapped in a funny story—kind of like getting your serving of vegetables from a slice of pizza. Read this and make your dream of sailing away a reality. Includes: “What Broke?” sections explores the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of a cruising multihull "Island” section provide assessments of the islands of the Caribbean

The art, science, history, and mystery of sails and sailmaking. Written in concise, layperson's language and full of photographs and personal anecdotes, this book goes step-by-step through the process of creating and using sails. Provided is a definitive look at the latest developments in sails, sailcloth, engineering, hardware, and sail trim. Also offered are case studies that illustrate which fibers, fabrics, and sails are suitable for a variety of different sailing applications, from simple dinghies and day sailors to offshore racing and cruising yachts. Sailors of all levels of interest and ability will find information they can apply to their own boats and sail choices.

Interested in learning to sail but feel like you’re navigating in murky waters? Sailing for Dummies, Second Edition introduces the basics of sailing, looks at the different types of sailboats and their basic parts, and teaches you everything you need to know before you leave the dock. In Sailing for Dummies, Second Edition, two U.S. sailing champions show you how to: Find and choose a sailing school Use life jackets correctly Tie ten nautical knots Handle sailing emergencies (such as capsizing and rescuing a man overboard) Launch your boat from a trailer, ramp, or beach Get your boat from point A to point B (and back again) Predict and respond to water and wind conditions Read charts, plot your course, use a compass, and find your position at sea Sailing for Dummies shows you that getting out on the water is easier than you think. The authors keep the sailor-speak to a minimum where possible, but give you a grasp of the terminology you need to safely and effectively communicate with your crew. A textbook, user’s manual, and reference all in one, this book takes the intimidation out of sailing and gives you the skills and confidence you need to get your feet wet and become the sailing pro you’ve always wanted to be. Anchors away!