BOOK REVIEWS

SABRA CROSSING - Michael L Frankel. Published by The Center for Marine Conservation, 1725 De Sales Street NW, Washington DC 20036, USA at $14.95. 217 pages with b/w photographs.

Michael L Frankel's Sabra Crossing is a slim book packed with useful and fascinating information. It vividly describes his preparations for a west to east Atlantic crossing in his 32ft junk-rigged schooner, and his landfall in the Spain of Christopher Columbus with whom he feels an affinity.

He left from Washington DC, went down the Potomac River, crossed via the Azores and sailed up the Guadalquivir River to Seville. Unusually, he details his professional planning of safety equipment, selection of balanced and interesting food supplies, choice of reading matter and music tapes to suit the ages of his crew and himself, all of which point to a careful and imaginative skipper.

However, the uniqueness of Sabra Crossing is found in Frankel's delivery of very varied additional information on scientific, wildlife, historical and other subjects by using a collection of `boxes' spread between his text, each of which condense a myriad of facts into individual short precis. `Biosphere Reserves', `Manatees', `Humpback Whales', `Here Today and Here Tomorrow (a breakdown of litter on US beaches)', `The Scourge of Driftnets', `The Gulf Stream', `Oil Spills', `Portuguese Man-of-War', `Shearwaters'. `Threatened not Threatening Sharks', `Island Ecosystems', `Memorable Events' and `Atlantic Crossings' are amongst them.

AMM

MARINE SSB OPERATION: A SMALL BOAT GUIDE TO SINGLE SIDEBAND RADIO - J Michael Gale. Published by Fernhurst Books at £9.95. 96 pages with b/w photographs and line drawings.

Apart from the rare exception it has been quite difficult to gain useful knowledge on the subject of long distance radio communication in a simple and concise book. This book is that exception: a most useful compendium of information, both technical and practical, for those of us who wish or need to retain links with family, friends or even business associates.

As with most electronic equipment, prices are coming down in real terms and thus the deciding factor is now not so much cost but whether we have the desire and, of course, the space and adequate power supplies. Having once established the need, then a book such as this SSB guide is virtually essential. The more `official' publications are generally addressed to the big-ship sailor - Marine SSB Operation is definitely aimed at the smaller end of the market.

The author clearly has both practical and theoretical knowledge (the fact that he is a licenced amateur is well evident - his call sign is G3JMG). Coupled with an original Board of Trade Yachtmaster (Ocean) Certificate he is well qualified on all counts. The presentation, too, is clear and concise.

I cannot, though, see the need for the pages on VHF procedures. Whilst essential to the beginner they are quite out of place when considering SSB operations. By the time one is progressing to SSB one will probably have spent many years using VHF and should be well aware, for example, how to press and release a PTT switch! Another oddity is the table of intership frequencies with no apparent relevant text nearby. It would also have been of help to add the A, B, C, suffix to the figure, eg 8A (8.294 Mhz).

This is being somewhat over-critical as I found the majority of the book excellent, and it would be a great help to anyone contemplating long-distance communications from a cruising yacht. In addition to the more conventional procedures and equipment the author goes on to talk about other useful services such as Weatherfax, Navtex and the transmission of weather information by morse.

No doubt there are many small boat sailors who do not wish to involve themselves in modern electronics, but I suspect there are an increasing number who, for a variety of reasons, do wish to retain links with home. For the latter I would place this volume in the `essential' class - it is a worthy addition to the Fernhurst series of nautical publications.

MPG

THE ATLANTIC CROSSING GUIDE - First and second editions edited by Philip Allen; Revised and updated by Anne Hammick. Published by The RCC Pilotage Foundation and Adlard Coles Nautical at £29.99. 208 pages with 46 b/w photographs and 79 charts and plans.

The previous edition of this recent classic, published under the auspices of the RCC Pilotage Foundation in its series of large-format glossy hardbacks, has been out of print throughout this season. How those planning a first crossing of the Atlantic this year have managed without it I cannot guess. I know that my own copy of the first edition was indispensable from the earliest planning stage of our Atlantic circuit right up to our return to the UK.

Although credited on the title page with having only `revised and updated' this third edition, Anne Hammick has in fact comprehensively reworked the book and it now very much reflects her own experience and philosophy of sailing the Atlantic.

The first section, entitled Preparations, starts very aptly with a brief chapter on The Philosophy of Ocean Cruising and ends with one on Safety, covering all general aspects of ocean sailing in between. The second gives sailing directions in outline form for the cruising grounds and ocean passages on the North Atlantic circuit, and also includes the South Atlantic passage from South Africa to the Caribbean. The third and last section contains extremely useful pilotage details, port information and a chartlet for each of thirty-five harbours most commonly used as landfalls or departure ports on the circuit.

Many of the photographs have obviously lost definition in the conversion from colour to black and white, but with 37 charts and diagrams in addition to the harbour plans, coupled with a clear and well-written text, the Atlantic Crossing Guide is still an attractive book which more than succeeds in its aim of providing a comprehensive base for more detailed planning of a first Atlantic crossing.

TJB

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