boating book

[Chrishath]

I have been trying to find the name and/or author of a great little seamanship book that I remember owning when I was a kid. It was a blue paper back of about 200 pages. It was chock full of great sketches of everything from classic hulls, to splicing techniques, to heavy weather sailing advice. A very quirky book, It may have even been self published, with poor typeset and amature editing. The text was very funny, and I remember the author trying to explain the hull speed/waterline formula for a battleship on one page, and questioning how sailors may have been accused of smoking hemp rope on another (the salty old author in disbelief that any buzz was as good as a glass of scotch) <br />Ring any bells?

 

[boatneck]

Re: boating book

I have a funky blue paperback book by Richard Henderson entitled "Essential Seamanship" published by Cornell Maritime Press in 1994. So unless you're very much younger than I, this is not your book. But it has a lot of the topics you describe and is a wealth of information, oriented mostly for sailors, but also much of it applicable to all boaters. About 300 pages, measuring 4-1/2" x 7". I recommend it if you can't find your childhood book.

 

[boatneck]

Re: boating book

Chrishath, I think I have your book. It's Royce's Sailing Illustrated by Patrick M Royce first published in 1956. It was recommended to me by the sailmaker who made a new set of sails for me. My edition is a Delta lithograph printed in 1993. I think I got it through Amazon.com. It is , as you say, a really informative and entertaining book. The hull speed discussion you allude to is on p 140-141 and covers the theoretical range all the way to freighters, liners, and battleships.

 

[Chrishath]

Re: boating book

Thanks boatneck -that's it! sort of a poorman's "Chapman's Piloting"<br />Just ordered it from Amazon -still in print, can you beleive it?