JACK LEMMON STARRING IN THE PERFECT STORM? And then water-skiing above the Arctic Circle? Not exactly, but close. Randall Grayson's adventures (and misadventures) as a "Shallow Water Sailor" will surely evoke Technicolor comic memories. From strippers in Miami, Florida to the Las Vegas of the 50's with exotica impresrio Esquivel and dancer Sally Rand: from bedroom hijinks in raucous Manhattan to rapturous Hollywood with Mamie van Dooren and starlets/models galore. The Coast Guard provides the assignments to effect it all, ending with frozen dramas in Alaska within peeing range of Russia Siberia. From a rich and teeming memory, here is the fabulous world of a storied era in all it's True Magazine and Playboy glory. In Shallow Water Sailor, Ray Garra brings us back to a Man's World of an era long past, but preserved here forever with its wild escapades and an icy destination on a leaky weather-wracked ship that makes a real man out of a ' ladies' lad in uniform. It's a world you won't want to leave. *** "Ray Garra's memoir/novel takes the reader on an unforgettable trip through the most colorful time in history. A bon-bon voyage for armchair sailors." David Bischoff, New York Times bestselling author, WarGames *** Ray Garra served three and a half years active duty with the US Coast Guard, followed by six and half years in the USCG Reserve. The true events of those years half a century ago inspired this fictionalized version of those years. . Ray's civilian career has largely been spent in the printing and publications field. His shorts tories have appeared over the past few years in Mensa and Intertel publications, and he is currently at work on a series of novels covering the "good life" of the Southern California Coast. Ray presently resides in Indio, California.

In May 1946 John Caldwell set out to sail from Panama to Sydney to reunite with his wife who he hadn't seen for more than a year. Eager to reach his destination and unable to secure any other form of transport, he had to resort to singlehanded seamanship. After an ignominious scene in the harbor, where a tangled anchor led him to take an early dip, he spent ten days learning the rudiments of navigation and sailing from a book, before embarking on the 9,000 mile journey aboard the 20-foot Pagan. Ahead lay a mission that was to reveal in him elements not only of astounding courage and determination, but also of incredible foolhardiness. Within 500 miles of Panama John Caldwell had already been shipwrecked once and had his boat's engine and cockpit destroyed by an angry shark. Indefatigable, he decided to press on towards his goal.He endured the terrors and discomforts of life on the high seas and enjoyed the triumphs of fighting and winning against the elements. This is more than an exciting tale of sea-adventure. It is as compelling and unpredictable as a thriller. It is the story, witty and moving, of a man, motivated initially by love, and ultimately by his own fierce determination to survive.

The official learn-to-sail manual of the American Sailing Association and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, with over 150 line drawings and photographs. Written by America’s foremost instructional authority, the new edition of Sailing Fundamentals combines the training programs of the American Sailing Association and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. The official learn-to-sail manual of the American Sailing Association, it is also used in the programs of many yacht clubs, colleges, and sailing groups. Unlike most introductory sailing books, which reflect the biases and idiosyncrasies of their authors, Sailing Fundamentals has been extensively pretested by ASA professional instructors to ensure that it offers the fastest, easiest, most systematic way to learn basic sailing and basic coastal cruising. This book covers every aspect of beginning sailing—from hoisting sail to docking and anchoring—and specifically prepares the learner to qualify for sailing certification according to international standards. Widely acclaimed author Gary Jobson has won several major races, including the 1977 America’s Cup victory as tactician aboard Courageous. He was head sailing coach at the US Naval Academy, and has conducted sailing clinics across the country.

This is a "how-to" book, packed with information to help you go beachcruising and/or coastal camping, no matter what your level of expertise may be. This book includes everything you need to know about selecting a beachcruising boat, where to beachcruise, how to make camp, what gear to buy, and more, including how to go cruising and camping at low cost. Ida Little has beachcruised and coastal camped full time for 20 years (in a variety of boats) and has observed what other cruisers and campers were doing. She shares her knowledge and adventures with you. In this book, "beachcruising" means cruising a small boat along a coast with the intention of camping ashore. Though it is possible to use 50-foot schooners to go beachcruising, this book focuses on small sailboats that are light enough to be lifted or rolled ashore, and sailboats under 30 feet which are designed to dry out flat on an ebb tide. This book elaborates upon the unique aspects of camping that apply to boating.

This book is a distillation of over 50 years of sailing experience, describing small-boat voyaging from a unique and deeply considered perspective.

Now with a brand new foreword from New York Times bestselling author Jeffrey Zaslow. FIRST YOU HAVE TO ROW A LITTLE BOAT first hit shelves in the mid 1990s and has been inspiring readers ever since. Written by a grown man looking back on his childhood, it reflects on what learning to sail taught him about life: making choices, adapting to change, and becoming his own person. The book is filled with the spiritual wisdom and thought-provoking discoveries that marked such books as Walden, The Prophet, and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. For nearly twenty years, it has enchanted and endeared sailors and non-sailors alike, but foremost, anyone who seeks large truths in small things. This refurbished edition will find a place in the hearts of a whole new generation of readers.

For the first time ever, a comparative survey of 95 percent of the fiberglass pocketcruising sailboats ever built Author Steve Henkel has researched hundreds of cruising sailboats less than 26 feet long--pocket cruisers--to create this definitive gallery and handbook of the small cruising sailboats built in the last 45 years. With detailed plans, specifications, performance indexes, and commentary for every model the author could find (360 in all!), The Sailor’s Book of Small Cruising Sailboats is your ideal core reference for the used and new boats you see on the water.

This ebook is designed as preparation for a practical sailing course or as an accompaniment to it. It is also excellent for people who are returning to sailing and want to freshen up their knowledge. For those who have just started it helps to understand how sailing works and is also suitable to introduce family members, partners and friends in this wonderful sport. All the important sailing manoeuvres are explained comprehensively and easy to understand. After reading this ebook you will visit your practical sailing course well prepared. There you can concentrate on the actually important matter, already knowing some of the theory: Sailing The ebook contains 144 coloured images showing the important sailing manoeuvres step by step. On additional 75 black and white images the nautical knots are explained. So before you buy the ebook please download a free sample and have a look if your ebook-reader shows all details on the images correctly.

If wisdom can be defined as common sense that has withstood the test of time, then Sensible Cruising is a wise book. It explains: Why a sensible cruise is affordable to almost anyone. Why the boat of choice for most cruisers is under 35 feet. Why lowering the cost doesn't devalue the cruise. How simplicity minimizes insulation from the experience. How to think in terms of how little, not how much, is really required. Drawing heavily on the philosophy of the sage of Walden Pond, this book is a gentle guide to the art of commonsense cruising which, in hardcover, was one of the 10 best-selling sailing books of all time. Now available for the first time in paperback, Sensible Cruising, a former main selection of the Dolphin Book Club, is more pertinent than ever during this time of economic retrenchment. No truer American existed than Thoreau . . . there was an excellent wisdom in him, proper to a rare class of men . . . [with] power of description and literary excellence . . . he chose to be rich by making his wants few, and supplying them himself . . . --Ralph Waldo Emerson I never would have imagined that Thoreau's philosophy could be so aptly applied to anything as disparate as cruising.--Dr. Walter Harding, author and Secretary of the Thoreau Society At sea, I learned how little a person needs, not how much.--Robin Lee Graham, Circumnavigator and author of DoveOne of the wonderful things about the cruising life is that it teaches you how little you can get along on, that to lead a fulfilling life it is not necessary to have a big pile of bucks. This may have been self-evident to Thoreau before the day of mass media, but in our modern environment it isa philosophy that is difficult to come by. Your readers should be aware that being judicious in their purchases can be financially rewarding at the end. We have always treated our boats as investments, and made money, on all of them.--Steve Dashew, Circumnavigator, and author of Bluewater Handbook and The Circumnavigator's HandbookIt does look sometimes as if the world were on its last legs. How many there are whose principal employment is is nowadays to eat their meals and go to the post-office.--Henry David Thoreau What others say about this book: This is one of the most intriguing and original books on cruising to appear in a long time . . . an admirably practical guide . . . with a delightful sense of humor . . . --John Rousmaniere, author of The Annapolis Book of Seamanship, The Sailing Lifestyle, Fastnet Force 10, and The Golden Pastime: A New History of YachtingFor anyone contemplating a prolonged sail . . . this book makes an excellent companion, full of sensible advice on the fine art of making-do when things don't go quite as expected.--SoundingsSensible Cruising is a refreshing change, written for those of us who dream of modest goals. Every cruising sailor, ambitious or unambitious, should read and treasure this memorable volume.--SailingCasey and Hackler suck the very marrow of life from Henry David Thoreau's writings to build a case for the small cruiser. The perfect instigation to get procrastinators and naysayers off the pot and over the horizon.--Dan Spurr, Senior Editor, Cruising World, and author of Spurr's Boatbook: Upgrading the Cruising Sailboat

The men of the U.S. Navy's brown-water force played a vital but often overlooked role in the Vietnam War. Known for their black berets and limitless courage, they maneuvered their aging, makeshift craft along shallow coastal waters and twisting inland waterways to search out the enemy. In this moving tribute to their contributions and sacrifices, Tom Cutler records their dramatic story as only a participant could. His own Vietnam experience enables him to add a striking human dimension to the account. The terror of firefights along the jungle-lined rivers, the rigors of camp life, and the sudden perils of guerrilla warfare are conveyed with authenticity. At the same time, the author's training as a historian allows him to objectively describe the scope of the navy's operations and evaluate their effectiveness. Winner of the Navy League's Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement in 1988 when the book was first published, Cutler is credited with having written the definitive history of the brown-water sailors, an effort that has helped readers better understand the nature of U.S. involvement in the war.