Search results for ""Author Alastair Buchan""

A compact, handy summary of the key things you need to consider when planning a passage by sea and when managing your ship on that passage: the perfect quick reference guide to keep onboard. The book covers the timetable for developing a passage plan and goes through all the elements you should consider: port information, routeing, weather, tides, timings and safety. It then takes you through ship management on the passage: the crew briefing, roles, routines, pre-sail checks, watch keeping and much more. Splash-proof and spiral bound – allowing you to lay it out flat on the chart table – this little book stands up to frequent use and will be a valued companion as you plan and execute your passage.

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While relatively few cruise single-handed, many sail short-handed. It may be a couple sailing together or indeed a skipper with a novice crew - he may have lots of people onboard but, in terms of the sailing, he is probably short-handed. They soon discover that there is so much more to short-handed sailing than a lack of crew. It demands a different approach, a new mindset. The skipper has a much greater workload but there are also fewer people, sometimes no-one at all, to consult during the decision-making process. Under these circumstances fatigue can be as dangerous as heavy weather: it creeps up on you, often unnoticed, destroying your morale and ability to make rational decisions. And when short-handed, the crew's limited physical resources must be watched over and zealously guarded. In this heavily illustrated book Alastair Buchan passes on the lessons of his hard-won experience gained short- and single-handed sailing in coastal, offshore and ocean waters. It will show you everything you need to know about handling a boat alone or short-handed, from choosing a suitable craft to passage planning, manoeuvring, sleep management and watch keeping.

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While traditional navigation has been largely superseded by GPS, traditional navigation remains a valuable skill, an enjoyable pastime and necessary for some navigation and training courses. This handy, splash-proof, on-the-water reference guide is an aide memoire of those calculations frequently needed (but often forgotten) for traditional coastal and offshore navigation and other equations and formulae which can be useful afloat. Each topic has worked examples, and there are frequent diagrams to illustrate the process. You may be surprised by the simplicity and elegance of some of the calculations included. The book finishes by listing the main conventions used in nautical calculations and providing conversion factors which may be useful on board. Even the most dedicated GPS navigator could find this little book handy to keep on board, just in case. They may even find themselves dipping into it when they don’t actually need to.

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