Essential books to carry

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airborne1

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Hi all,
Without trying to ignite the forum wars that I see now and again can I have a consensus on the following:
I am finally picking up the boat that I bought. As its been previously owned by a very experienced sailor I would imagine it has an excellent bookshelf already. But what do you consider are the ESSENTIAL books to have on my bookshelf.
What is the consensus opinion on the Reeds Almanac's now that they publish them in Ring binder format, replacement pages, W, E & S coast, original full editions, various formats etc.
What do you all think of the Reeds Almanacs Vs the IMRAY books. Can they be compared or are they complimentary.
I shall be cruising round the Clyde, West coast, Ireland for at least the first year.
 
Ring binder: bought it this year, lets see how it wears. I am concerned that the looseleaf pages will come apart with the pounding they get on the boat... ask me next year this time!

On the other hand if I can insert updated pages directly, that IS an advantage /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Airborne

Firstly, are you sure that the previous owner will leave the current books on board. Were they in the inventory?

I find it perfectly ok to get by with tidetables and sailing directions for the area we cruise in. I have all the CCC sailing directions and most of the Martin Lawrence/IMRAY directions.

For Ireland - where we hope to cruise next season I will beg/steal or borrow the ICC's Pilot books and get local tidetables.

Apart from that we have reading material on the bookshelves.

Donald
 
My father, (previous owner), left a 2003 loose leaf Reeds on board but it was getting a bit tatty.

My view was that, if I'm at sea and open Reeds to find the page I want is missing, I wouldnt be happy. Dont know how much the updates are, but for the sake of not much money, (in boating terms, I bought a new 2006, and will probably do the same next year, (2007).

having said that, as it only goes to Gibraltar, is there another version for the med.?
 
[ QUOTE ]
But what do you consider are the ESSENTIAL books to have on my bookshelf.


[/ QUOTE ]

Well, maybe not strictly speaking ESSENTIAL but, if you do a lot of single-handed cruising, a complete and unabridged edition of 'WAR AND PEACE' would help to while away long evenings at anchor.

If it's a particularly l-o-n-g cruise then your best bet would be to come to terms with the original version in Russian! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
essential books that I carry:

Ship Log book (with ship's vital statistics inside cover - e.g. mast height)
Engine handbook
Electronics equipment handbooks
Current Almanac (top of my Xmas list)
Pilot book of the area
ring binder with ship's papers
First Aid book
British birds (feathered variety)
 
[ QUOTE ]
Firstly, are you sure that the previous owner will leave the current books on board. Were they in the inventory?


[/ QUOTE ]

I agree. When I sell I will probably still be sailing so would keep all my books & charts.
 
No, there is no Reeds for the Med. There are a couple of annual pilot books and the Imray/CA type as well, of course. Remember, the tides in the Med are insignificant so none of that tidal stuff is needed and the traffic density is far less so you you don't need all the TSS detail, just the borders of the TSS lanes. Best to buy when you arrive in one of the first Spanish harbours. There is a thing called the Straits Handbook (or Pilot, I forget the exact name but there is only one of them). That is quite useful for getting the timing right in the Staits though honestly you can get the same info from Reed but read it very carefully. There is a lot of detail and you really do need to know it as conditions can get bad in the Straits - you don't want to be pouring over books in a F9 over tide. It happens. Dodgy area.
 
I suggest it's best to have those books with which you are familiar. It's little use having a comprehensive manual if you don't know your way around it.

We carry:

Reeds
International Book of Signals
Admiralty chart symbols
Norries Tables
Admiralty Tidal Charts
Annual Ephemeris
Manual of Seamanship Vol 1
Manual of Navigation Vol 1
Mariners Handbook
Wind Pilot 1 & 2, by Alan Watts
Sight Reduction Tables Lat 45 - 60
Ashley's Knots

plus all the technical manuals for the engine, generator, heads, heater, radios, radar, instruments, etc.

I am not suggesting that they are bedtime reading, but feel very comfortable that they are available as definitive reference if needed.

This sounds horribly formal and "big ship", but they're what we grew up with, and help to remedy the boat's natural starboard list from the beer locker. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
Karma sutra! & SAS survival hand book, First aid,pilot books,guide to fish, cookbook and always handy is yellow pages for local cruising area. We also carry OS maps of much of the coast 100 or so miles from port, especially good with sea mist but hills etc are visible & when you get ashore. o and log book.
 
[ QUOTE ]


For Ireland - where we hope to cruise next season I will beg/steal or borrow the ICC's Pilot books and get local tidetables.


[/ QUOTE ]

Just be aware, there's a new and much improved version of the East and North coast sailing directions coming out around christmas 2007. The information in the current one is very old and has not really taken into account all the recent changes around the coast.
 
On the other hand - I could put them on my ever increasing Xmas list. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
Pretty much same as my list

Admiralty Tide Tables Vol 1. (annual)
Nautical Almanac (annual)
Slightly out of date yotties almanac (currently CA one, may buy Reeds next year)*
International Code of Signals
Admiralty chart symbols
Norie's Tables
Admiralty Tidal Atlases - North Sea and round to Bristol Channel
Manual of Seamanship Vol 1
Manual of Navigation Vol 1
Mariner's Handbook
Wind Pilot 1 & 2, by Alan Watts
Sight Reduction Tables Lat 30-45 and 45 - 60
Ship Captain's Medical Guide
Boat Owner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual - Nigel Calder
Channel Pilot
Dover Strait Pilot

plus yottipilots, and manuals for the various gadgets.

Then in the "less essential" space:

A copy of Lloyd's Register of Yachts (if, like me, you like ogling elderly yots)
The yachtsman's Naturalist
Field Guide to Birds of Britain and Europe.

* This is for radio stuff, eg VHF broadcast times. Got fed up buying a new one every year
 
I found that a paperback copy of Spenser's "Faerie Queene" was even better. Less space and weight and reads even more slowly - besides, there's no flim so you don't know the plot(s)!
 
Thanks everyone for a fascinating list of books.
If nothing else it has given me a start to updating the books I will find (the owner emmigrated and left me lots of goodies, including his bookshelves).
I suppose it's also given lots of readers lots of thoughts for the Christmas Stocking(s)
Suggest that we terminate this thread before it gets too long
 
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