BOOK REVIEWS

AUSTRALIAN CRUISING GUIDE -- Alan Lucas. Published by Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson Ltd at œ17.50. 150 pages (A4 between soft covers), with four pages of colour photos and numerous b/w. 70 plans and other illustrations. ISBN 0-8528-8246-7

Alan Lucas has written a number of cruising guides relating to the Queensland and New South Wales coasts of mainland Australia, the nearby South Pacific Islands and a Red Sea and Indian Ocean Cruising guide. In his preface to this book he readily admits that it has for a long time been his ambition to write a guide to the entire coastline of Australia. At the same time he makes the point that this could be a monumental task if researched and prepared in the same manner as his previously published east coast guides. The reader therefore has the impression that, particularly as far as the south and west coasts are concerned, not all the material is based on first-hand experience, which when one reads that a circumnavigation of Australia entails a distance in excess of 10,000 miles may reasonably be forgiven.

It should therefore be emphasised that the real value of this book is in the opening chapters which are directed firmly at the visiting yachtsman arriving in Australian waters for the first time. Alan Lucas is a man of strong opinions which are not infrequently severely critical of the bureaucratic overkill with which the Australian authorities greet their visitors. Australia is one country for which forwarning of the arrival procedures is extremely valuable, and so long as it remains current this book will reward careful study well in advance.

There are very comprehensive chapters on the winds and currents, climate, social culture and indigenous wildlife. These serve to give the reader a broad preview of the country and will be a great help in planning one's approach and itinerary while in Australia. The one thing that must be appreciated is that this book is so wide in its scope that none of the port information is any more than superficial and it is not a substitute for a coast pilot. If it were so it would undoubtedly be twice the size and probably three times the price.

MP

IMRAY MEDITERRANEAN ALMANAC 1995-96 -- Rod Heikel. Published by Imray, Laurie, Norie & Wilson Ltd at œ24. 512 pages (A4 paperback) and over 300 harbour charts. ISBN 0-85288-272-6

The first edition of Imray's Mediterranean Almanac, which is to be published every two years with a supplement in the year between, is an impressive handbook for the area and just about as complete as you could wish for. Apart for standard information on lights, radio services, weather, tides and harbours, it contains much other useful material -- relevant, up-to-date first aid advice, notes and diagrams on marine life, trouble-shooting a diesel engine, facts and figures on Mediterranean countries, anchoring and berthing, and over 300 harbour plans showing all the major marinas, concentrating on the areas not covered by the various pilot books available. But be warned, if you plan to se the astro-navigation tables provided in the almanac -- they are for use only with calculators having trig functions. We managed, with considerable difficultly, to use the tables to calculate GHA and declinations, then convert them into minutes and seconds for use with standard sight reduction tables. To discover this when doing astro in anger, perhaps for the first time in years (or at all) in an emergency, would be unhelpful, to put it mildly.

Apart from this, the almanac is easy to use, with an index of subjects along the page edge and the countries taken clockwise around the Mediterranean. This is a big, heavy book, and fairly expensive at œ24, but for any yacht carrying fewer large scale charts and pilot books than is ideal, the Almanac could prove invaluable.

EHS

WE, THE NAVIGATORS: The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific -- David Lewis. 2nd Edition edited by Sir Derek Oulton. Published by the University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. 442 pages with b/w photographs, drawings and diagrams. Paperback. ISBN 0-8248-1582-3

It has been more than twenty years since David Lewis first wrote We, The Navigators and almost thirty years since he sailed from Tahiti to New Zealand without the use of instruments, steering by the sun and star paths only, in an effort to test the little known concepts used by traditional Pacific navigators. The second edition gives the reader the benefit of twenty years of additional research into traditional Pacific navigation, including an examination of navigation systems used in Indonesia, in Alaska by the Eskimos and in Siberia by the Chukchi. Documenting the growing interest in long distance voyages using traditional craft and traditional methods of navigation provides enough material for an entirely new chapter devoted to the subject. However, if you have already read the first edition there is little additional, substantive material relating to the techniques used.

For those who have not read previously read the book, it documents what is known today of the methods used by traditional Pacific navigators. The initial object of Lewis' research was to answer the question of how the Pacific was peopled. His analysis looks at the craft that may have been used and the methods of traditional navigation. The result of his research infers that the craft would have been suitable to sail the distances needed and most importantly that the methods of navigation were accurate enough and the knowledge broad enough to pursue voyages of discovery as well as repeat voyages.

Field research includes inter-island passages on traditional craft, as well as onboard his own craft, navigated by those in possession of the traditional sailing directions. While we orient ourselves being at the centre, traditional navigators oriented themselves in relation to some prominent feature, possibly the location of a star or bearings on several stars, on wave patterns, or the presence of luminescence in the water. To assist in locating low lying land navigators would `expand' their target using birds, clouds or swell patterns. They would process the sum of all their input into an awareness of where they were at any time. I suspect they could `feel' their position from a platform on top of a double canoe or from a thwart on a outrigger craft better then we might from the padded seat of our electronic nav station. Indeed, that there is enough interest to update this classic treatise on traditional Pacific navigation, shows all is not lost.

MWS

COMPUTED STAR AZIMUTH TABLES -- George Blance BSc. Published by Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson Ltd at œ15.00. 239 pages (A4 between soft covers) including worked examples and star-finding diagrams. ISBN 0-85288-270-X

My first thoughts on seeing this book were, in order, `Oh dear!', `Wouldn't it have been more useful twenty years ago?' and `I guess I'd better do this one myself'. However, as so often first appearances were deceptive.

George Blance compiled the Computed Star Azimuth Tables after realising that both star and sun azimuths are predictable for an almost indefinite period into the future, and to a greater accuracy than will ever be required at sea. As editor of Norie's Nautical Tables (or Norie's Magic Numbers as an ex-Merchant Navy friend always referred to them), he well knows the cumbersome nature of the ABC Tables. In the `Explanation' (two pages, which includes three worked examples) he reminds us that, even in this electronic age, the compass -- whether magnetic or gyro -- is still the most important navigational instrument on board and, as such, should be checked regularly. What he might equally point out is that in the old days of traditional nav it took only a matter of moments to record the compass bearing of one's target along with the time and sextant reading, and then compare it with the azimuth as calculated. The GPS, for all its strengths, does not permit this option.

The Computed Star Azimuth Tables will be usable until 2050 (thirty years either side of 2020) but are limited in that, so far, they only cover latitudes 40ø-60øN. Within these parameters the twenty stars chosen should give good coverage from sunset to sunrise, with up to nine visible simultaneously at altitudes of less than 30ø (about the maximum for an accurate compass bearing). The tables are entered by star name and month (thus twelve pages per star), with column and line determined by date and local mean time. Up to three corrections are then applied, depending on the degree of accuracy required. I would agree with the author's claim that `little knowledge of mathematics is needed' -- if you can follow a BR timetable (even before privatisation) you could undoubtedly use these tables.

AH

PS: Read Rob James's account of the after-effects of a lightning strike aboard Great Britain II in the 1977/78 Whitbread Race for a graphic description of a compass sent haywire. (Ocean Sailing, pp 208-210).

A WINTER AWAY FROM HOME -- Rayner Unwin. Published in soft covers by Seafarer Books (10 Maldon Road, London NW5) at œ00.00. Distributed in the USA by Sheridan House Inc. 263 pages with pen and ink drawings and maps. ISBN 0-85036-442-6

Most of us have a batch of books we keep for reading when hove-to in a storm. Here is a soft-back `pocket size' tome to put on the shelf with other `storm' books. It tells the story of the Dutch explorer William Barents who pioneered the tough technique of staying all winter in the arctic. His ship got trapped by the ice and the crew fought their way back to civilisation in the ships boats. Barents died on the way.

This is rugged ocean cruising as practiced in the 16th century. The ships boats were unsuitable for bumping and barging through ice flows so they were rebuilt using drift wood and pieces of timber from the ship. Only someone who has repaired yachts outside in a Scottish blizzard can have an inkling of what this must have been like. To make things worse there was a desperate shortage of food, and polar bears kept attacking. The primitive muskets could not be relied upon to frighten or kill the bears.

This book has been written by an eminent publisher and published by a man who sails a traditional smack on the East Coast. It has a bibliography of eighty-three books which relate to the subject matter, which alone makes this a good buy. It is a scholarly record with the right amount left unsaid, and constant hints of staggering hardships. It is a pity the artist who drew the maps forgot to include the scale.

IN

HANDBOOK OF OFFSHORE CRUISING -- Jim Howard. Published in hardback by Adlard Coles Nautical at œ24.99. 450 pages. 75 line drawings and cartoons but no photographs. ISBN 0-7136-4044-8

This is a heavyweight guide for anyone planning to undertake some serious, long term, distant waters cruising.

Author Jim Howard has cruised extensively -- some 50,000 miles -- both alone and with crew aboard his Ohlson 38 Denali. He has roamed the Pacific from east to west and north to south since cutting his teeth cruising down the eastern seaboard of America and through the Caribbean. This experience backs up and is evident in everything he writes. The occasional anecdote makes the subject under consideration real and puts the stamp of authority on it.

The book is heavy in weight and heavy in the sense of its depth and breadth of coverage of the whole business of cruising long distance and long term. Yet it is in no way heavy to read. Indeed it is surprisingly easy to read. I began by dipping into the book and soon found that I was reading on well past where I had intended to.

For OCC members it is quite possible that most of the discussions will cover familiar territory -- choice of craft, rigs, sizes, materials, design, gear and equipment, boat and equipment systems including electronics, self-steering and plumbing, planning cruises, provisioning, navigation, safety, heavy weather, anchors and anchorages, maintenance of ship and crew, right through to costs and communications. Even though you may have experience of many of the topics, or at least have read about them elsewhere, it is good to be made to think everything through logically. You may have your own ideas, but at least it is all -- or nearly all -- here and in comprehensible form so that you can read, think and make your own decisions.

Is it a better book than any similar one? Tricky to answer that. The author is rightly conscious of the need for good equipment and puts safety first, but he has a slightly more open chequebook approach than many of us and it would be as well to remember that, throughout any extended cruise, things can be improved and added. He is writing from experience and I found little to take exception to beyond the omission or fleeting coverage of some personal interests such as Stugeron anti-seasickness pills and unstayed rigs, particularly junk rig. That aside, and allowing that this is an American book published in England and hence carries mainly American references and addresses, I can only praise it as a useful guide that will make you think about all the necessary subjects before putting to sea on your long-awaited cruise.

CJ

YACHT CLUBS OF THE WORLD -- Sir Peter Johnson. Published in hardback by Waterline Books at œ25.00. 168 pages with 63 colour and 7 b/w photographs plus several line drawings. ISBN 1-85310-333-0

This handsome book will appeal to all who sail far and wide -- or hope to.

If you have ever found yourself wondering which club burgee is fluttering from the masthead (or spreaders) of the next boat, a hand-painted burgee appears above the entry detailing each of the ...... clubs described.

Sir Peter Johnson has resisted the temptation to put yacht clubs in alphabetical or chronological order of seniority, and has instead divided them worldwide into categories such as `The Sailing World', `A Certain Tradition' and `Rather Special'. The OCC falls amongst the latter and is given a lively and informative write-up. He also notes early on that yacht clubs are predominantly male, women usually having equal status but seldom becoming flag officers. The OCC therefore holds the distinction not only of having had several lady flag officers but a lady Commodore, now our Admiral.

The history, customs and occasional anecdotal information about each club is carefully researched and delightfully told, with a passing reference in the introduction to the formalities of dress demanded by the rules and customs of some famous clubs. Woe betide anyone arriving at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club after six weeks at sea without the requisite blue reefer jacket, white shirt, black tie, cream trousers, white belt and cream or white socks mandatory for certain rooms in the club. Amongst other little gems is the history of the Imperial Poona Yacht Club, whose membership is shrouded in as much mystique as the Freemasons. Now, however, all is revealed -- tongue in cheek to the last.

Much of the information is useful, much of historic interest for anyone likely to sign the visitors' book while cruising anywhere from the East Coast to the Far East. It was with pleasure that I found on the opening page a picture of the welcoming notice board from the London Corinthian Sailing Club on the Thames at Hammersmith, where I started my sailing career in International l4 dinghies, and then read the history of this famous dinghy sailing club. As well as descriptions and excellent colour photographs, where relevant, of clubhouse, classes of boats raced and events and regattas, factual information includes addresses and telephone numbers.

Yacht Clubs of the World would make a superb gift -- to give or receive -- and will rightly find its way into many yacht club libraries.

AEF

JUST CRUISING -- Liza Copeland. Published in paperback by Ashord, Buchan and Enright at œ11.99. 305 pages with track charts, colour and b/w photos. ISBN 1-85253-319-6

This book is a `must' for anyone cruising with children. Indeed it might almost be taken as a manual for a family afloat. Liza and Andy Copeland are British by birth but have lived since 1973 in Vancouver, Canada. They met when sailing in the Caribbean and were married aboard that famous old yacht Ticonderoga. Their three boys were all born in Canada and when they set out on their round-the-world voyage they were eight, six and two.

Just Cruising covers the first three years of their circumnavigation and a fourth at work in Australia. The journey home is left for another book. They sold their yacht brokerage business, rented their house and set off in the spring of 1985 meaning to be away for two years. When they were invited to take part in the Tall Ships Race for the Australian Bicentennial this turned into six. After a year in the Mediterranean they crossed with the ARC and so through Panama and by the Pacific islands to Australia. They stuck mostly to the beaten track.

Their boat was a Beneteau First 38, bought new in France. They chose it mainly for its roomy interior with enough cabins for the family to get away from each other and for its good sailing qualities; rarely did they do less than 150 miles a day in the trades.

Liza's enthusiasm is infectious. In spite of the many qualms that all of us Mums have about sailing with our families she seems to enjoy nearly every minute. She does, thank goodness, admit to times when she wondered what they were all doing, and before they went she did wonder how they would get on together in such a small space for so long. Would the children's schooling suffer, what about finances, and could she cope with her seasickness?

The last two chapters are for reference. After four years at sea she feels that the best ages for children are between six and twelve, older than that teenagers feel too confined on a small boat. Never once did her children say, `I'm bored!'.

This is the story of a cruise but the accent is on the family and how they reacted to it all. By the time they got home their sons had turned into teenagers and they all needed to settle down again. The boys have been more successful at this than their parents. Life ashore has many more complications than life at sea.

JKV

OCEAN CRUISING ON A BUDGET -- Anne Hammick. Second edition. Published in paperback by Adlard Coles Nautical at œ13.99. 196 pages, with 12 b/w photos and 12 line drawings. ISBN 0-7136-4069-3

When a book like this goes into a second edition, it means that it is heading for that particular niche in the maritime library headed `Classics'.

Few people know more about the business of keeping a blue water yacht shipshape on a shoestring than Anne Hammick. After eight Atlantic crossings and eleven years living aboard her Rustler 31 Wrestler of Leigh both in Britain and the tropics she is an expert in the art of cruising safely and comfortably on the most modest means.

Now all that experience and advice has been updated to take account of rising prices and new equipment, while some of the more amateurish diagrams which let down the first edition have been replaced by the polished technical drawings of Ian Nicolson.

The book is a positive mine of ingenious ideas which the newcomer to ocean cruising may take at face value but which are also likely to set those who have been out there for years nodding with judicious approval. For instance, did you know that quite the best way to clean fibreglass is with a Buf-Puf, a type of facial cleansing sponge? Or that empty winebox bags are ideal for gradually inflating to fill the empty spaces in a locker as the stores are consumed -- quite apart from making passable cockpit cushions? It is this information as much as how to put together an emergency kit without breaking the bank which makes this book unique.

Both Dr Michael Sandberg's Medical Notes for Ocean Cruisers and the invaluable glossary of British and American yachting terms -- to be found amongst the appendices -- will be familiar to Flying Fish readers having appeared in these pages last year.

All this, delivered in a delightfully readable style and interspersed with aphorisms on related topics, amounts to essential reading for anyone heading for far horizons on whatever budget. Most of all it proves that the dream can be achieved on less than most of us imagine -- the figures are there and indisputable. So as the author says: `Go now'.

JP

BOAT DATA BOOK -- Ian Nicolson. Third edition. Published in hardback by Adlard Coles Nautical at œ14.99. 190 pages and 90 diagrams. ISBN 0-7136-3953-9

This book, which appeared first in 1978, is a mine of useful information. It is packed full of specifications for a wide range of materials and equipment used in boats, together with recommended practices and design details.

The opening chapter covers boat equipment and gives suggested dimensions for such items as anchors and winches together with comprehensive lists of tools and safety equipment for boats of different sizes and uses.

A chapter on materials provides pages of specifications for a wide variety of materials used in boat construction and a useful section on the covering properties of paints. There is similarly comprehensive coverage of fastenings.

The section on Spars and Rigging gives recommended dimensions for spars on different types of boat and extensive size and strength specifications for standing and running rigging, turnbuckles, toggles and shackles.

Speed/power/weight and speed/horsepower graphs are included for many types of vessel and there are detailed recommendations for propeller size and pitch for different craft. The chapter on Engines and Powering also contains recommendations for fuel tank design, exhaust installations, fuel and gas piping and stern gear specifications.

A section on Design includes dimensions of the human figure and recommendations for sizes and space required when planning bunks, chart tables, dining tables, galleys and bookshelves. Typical dimensions are given for a variety of items ranging from wine and spirit bottles to gas cylinders. The final chapter contains tables and formulae for the conversion of different units of measurement.

This book is a meticulously compiled collection of widely varied data of use to anyone involved with boats. It provides excellent guidance for owners, designers and builders. Prospective buyers will find the information on accommodation dimensions invaluable when deciding whether a boat is going to be comfortable to live in.

This third edition contains extra tables and new information on the latest high-tech materials.

PC

VIDEO REVIEW

CRUISING CORAL SEAS -- Lin and Larry Pardey. Running time 47 minutes. Available in PAL format from Roy Blow, A-V Creative Services, First Floor, 15 Pacific Parade, Dee Why NSW 2099, Australia, and in NTSC format from Pardey Video, 400 South Melrose Drive, Suite 101, Vista, Ca 92083. Price in the US $33.45 including shipping and handling.

This is the fourth sailing video that the Pardeys have made (see Flying Fish 1993/1 for a review of its predecessors) and there is no doubt that practice has sharpened their skills. There is still too much talking direct to the camera -- difficult, I understand, even for a professional and doubly so when facing into the sun -- and occasional times when camera shake becomes noticeable, but perhaps that is being over-critical. Certainly the quality and colour are good, and I would have enjoyed more sailing shots aboard their pretty Lyle Hess cutter Taleisin.

Some of the content will be too elementary for most OCC members, but as before there are lots of practical tips interlaced with solid advice on storing up, sail care, watch-keeping, lights (though I take issue with their advocacy of the masthead strobe, certainly not acceptable in UK waters), and safety generally.

The Pardeys might come over as reactionary had they not such logical reasons for their `keep it simple' philosophy, stressing that the further afield you plan to sail, the more self-sufficient you need to be. A random survey of yachts in Cocos Keeling (and you can't get much further afield than that) throws up some interesting statistics, including the fact that they averaged little more than 31 feet in length, only one had roller furling gear, and two (including Taleisin, of course) had no engine. And this was only two years ago.

For years I've collected UK/US sailing terms, and I spotted a couple of places were American terminology might confuse the British viewer. I was also surprised to see Larry tie a rolling hitch without `jamming' the second turn -- again perhaps an American variant? However I must endorse their remarks about the errors to be found in the charted positions of many oceanic islands, and will remember the phrase that carrying a GPS but no sextant equates to having a dinghy with an outboard but no oars. The suggestion of a lateen jury rig is also intriguing -- has anyone tried it?

As I hurry to get this issue of Flying Fish to the printers, and wonder when/if I can fit in a cruise this summer, Larry's remark that `deadlines and schedules don't mix with good seamanship' struck home. This is true wherever one sails, and for whatever length of time. It also made me realise that the all-too-few `mood' shots, of pale coral seas or deep blue ocean, had reawakened the old itchy feet. Next time I happen upon a friend with a video machine I'll watch Cruising Coral Seas again -- for pleasure.

AH