Aimed at sailboat owners of all kinds, this reference book contains 200 entries packed with solid practical advice and valuable tips. Each entry is categorized alphabetically and prefaced by an arresting statement, such as "People always lie about how fast their boats are." The reference format offers readers the opportunity to open the book at any page and browse endlessly. Cartoons by SAIL Magazine cartoonist Tom Payne enliven the text. A comprehensive appendix covers some 50 technical topics. Includes a Foreword by Don Casey. "...it is always interesting and very readable." —Sailing "Filled with practical advice, this book is a winner." — The Ensign "Vigor, who's written for several boating magazines, has brought his experience and sense of humor to bear on the less than ideal experiences of sailing—and he's even alphabetized them...It's fun to page through and you just might learn a thing or two." —Soundings: An Interdisciplinary Journal "This book is easy to read. It imparts some very valuable information in a fun package." — Good Old Boat "This is a great reference book for those just entering the world of sailing, and entertaining." — Latitudes & Attitudes "Vigor, who's written for several boating magazines, has brought his experience and sense of humor to bear on the less than ideal experiences of sailing—and he's even alphabetized them...It's fun to page through and you just might learn a thing or two." — Soundings

Don't learn the hard way—get work advice from some of the world's most successful people, all in one place! Work is a tricky business—the politics, the workload, the career ladder. It can take years and years of battling away and learning through mistakes to fully get to grips with the dos and don'ts. What if you could fast track that process? Cut out all those years of learning the hard way and working it out for yourself? Enter Stuff I Wish I'd Known When I Started Working, the unique guide to making work work! Fergus O'Connell has had a wonderfully varied career spanning three decades, and in this book, he will teach you the things it takes others years to figure out. You'll also find nuggets of wisdom and invaluable career advice from some of the world's most successful people—people like Oprah Winfrey, J.K. Rowling, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos. Whether you're new to the workforce, changing roles, or just stuck in a professional rut, this book shows you what you need to know to get ahead. By learning from the common mistakes of others, you can avoid making those mistakes yourself—and possibly skip a few rungs on the corporate ladder. Quickly learn what others have taken years to work out Get nuggets of work wisdom from some of the world's most successful people Learn how to get more done in less time, and stimulate your creativity Aim high, and get where you're going faster You'll spend the majority of your waking hours at work for the majority of your life. Make it time well spent. Learn how to be more effective, more accountable, more visible, and less afraid. If you want a seat on the bullet train to success, Stuff I Wish I'd Known When I Started Working provides the tips and tools you need. Buckle up.

Written for the recreational boater, whether experienced or new to boating, this handy dictionary contains listings of all the acronyms, abbreviations and truncations that recreational sailors encounter in nautical magazine articles, books, instruction manuals and Coast Guard reports.

John Vigor turns the spotlight on twenty seaworthy sailboats that are at home on the ocean in all weather. These are old fiberglass boats, mostly of traditional design and strong construction. All are small, from 20 feet to 32 feet overall, but all have crossed oceans, and all are cheap. Choosing the right boat to take you across an ocean or around the world can be confusing and exasperating, particularly with a tight budget. Vigor sets out to remedy that in this book. He compares the designs and handling characteristics of 20 different boats whose secondhand market prices start at about $3,000. Interviews with experienced owners (featuring valuable tips about handling each boat in heavy weather) are interspersed with line drawings of hulls, sail plans, and accommodations. Vigor has unearthed the known weaknesses of each boat and explains how to deal with them. He rates their comparative seaworthiness, their speed, and the number of people they can carry in comfort. If you have ever dreamed the dream this book can help you turn it into reality.

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a love story about a Craigslist “missed connection” post that gives two people a second chance at love fifteen years after they were separated in New York City. To the Green-eyed Lovebird: We met fifteen years ago, almost to the day, when I moved my stuff into the NYU dorm room next to yours at Senior House. You called us fast friends. I like to think it was more. We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other. Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding… I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello. After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half? M

Is this an entertaining book? The Practical Mariner’s Book of Knowledge is either the most useful boating book ever designed to entertain or the most entertaining book ever designed to be useful. In its alphabetical organization that juxtaposes wildly disparate entries, you can read about the derivation of fi gureheads where you turned to for recommended thicknesses of fiberglass hulls. In between the whimsy, however, is the essence of centuries of seafaring experience distilled into a concise reference for sailors and powerboaters. There may be no substitute for a lifetime of experience, but this book is the next best thing. It should be kept at the navigation station and on every boat. Inside you will find information that is otherwise scattered through dozens of volumes. If you can't find what you want quickly from the table of contents, there's an exhaustive subject index. If you need more precise data than a rule of thumb can provide, you may very well find it among the 16 appendix tables, which are also indexed. You'll find rules of thumb for: Changing a boat's name Towing the safest way Burial at sea Preventing wood rot Hull thickness Anchoring rights Jib size Curing mast vibration Time taken for boat tasks Survival rations And a lot more: open it up and get lost in the sage advice and witty wisdom that will make you long for the sea. "The perfect, practical gift to give or receive." -- The Ensign ". . . reads like a lively conversation with a friendly, seasoned pro." -- Lakeland Boating

The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.

The only sailing manual you will ever need, covering everything from sailing basics to making repairs and mastering navigation. The undisputed market leader in sailing guides, this fully revised and updated sailing manual, with a foreword by quadruple Olympic gold medallist Sir Ben Ainslie, answers questions about any sailing situation, with thorough coverage of all aspects of sailing and boat ownership. In DK's The Complete Sailing Manual, former British national champion Steve Sleight offers a wealth of expert advice and guidance in the form of a complete course on seamanship, which is brought to life with breathtaking action photography and clear instructions. Fully revised, this new edition features all of the latest developments in sailing--including foiling, long-distance cruising, and high-speed apparent-wind sailing--and navigation, with technology such as modern performance systems and electronic navigation. It also highlights the latest rules, regulations, and best practices necessary for every avid sailor, from the novice to the seasoned seaperson. Includes essential information, handy diagrams, and step-by-step illustrations, The Complete Sailing Manual is the ultimate sailing ebook to keep by your side when you're out on the waves.