This book will be the equivalent on powerboating to our classic, bestselling sailing reference Heavy Weather Sailing and will be the powerboating standard reference for heavy weather operation.

In Heavy Weather Avoidance, Chen and Chesneau merge the seamanship of a master mariner and the forecast expertise of a senior meteorologist, providing readers with double-barrel exposure to what actually goes on in the atmosphere and on the sea's surface. Mariners and recreational sailors are more concerned about the implications of volatile weather rather than its fluid dynamics. From start to finish the authors have cut to the chase, creating a readable text brimming with useful graphics. It's focused on the root cause of how and why bad weather develops and where it's likely to go. There's enough theory provided for a reader to get a feel for how air mass energy transfer works, but just as the theoretical aspect takes on a mission of its own, there's a shift to more practical self-forecasting and storm avoidance wisdom. Captain Ma-Li Chen shares his well-tested routing strategy and describes how it factors in the use of the 500 Mb chart.

Lin and Larry Pardey demonstrate methods to help you bring your boat and crew safely through storms. Join them near South Africa's Cape of Storms to watch a live demonstration of setting and retrieving a para-anchor, then sail on board Taleisin during Lin & Larry's rounding of Cape Horn with storm sails in action in 70-knot winds. They demonstrate techincal details of storm tactics for both modern and classic boats. Learn how to prepare your crew and boat to eliminate fear and face heavy weather with a plan. Learn how and when to use the sailor's safety valve, heaving-to, with or without a para-anchor. They also discuss gear and equipment, plus special sails for heavy weather.

Just as self-steering systems and autopilots have given the offshore seaman another pair of hands to steer the boat, so sea anchors and drogues have provided another means of handling threatening seas. Heavy Weather Tactics: Using Sea Anchors & Drogues is a classic; the last word on a subject of very great concern to leisure boaters and professional seamen alike, providing the reader with in-depth advice and analysis about: How deep water and coastal waves behave; How to deploy a sea anchor or drogue, and how it works; Different designs and their merits; What size of drag device is needed for a yacht, multihull, motorboat, fishing boat or working craft; Sea anchors for life rafts; How to make a makeshift sea anchor from whatever is at hand.This is the most detailed study available of a highly effective strategy for dealing with severe weather. Anyone putting to sea in a yacht or power driven vessel should carry a copy on board.

"I know you'll want to read more after you finish Sailing a Serious Ocean. And be warned, you'll very likely want to sail with John, perhaps across an ocean." -- DALLAS MURPHY, AUTHOR OF ROUNDING THE HORN After sailing 300,000 miles and weathering dozens of storms in all the world's oceans, John Kretschmer has plenty of stories and advice to share. John's offshore training passages sell out a year in advance and his entertaining presentations are popular at boat shows and yacht clubs all over the English speaking world. John's talent for storytelling enchants his audience as it soaks up the lessons he learned during his oftenchallengingvoyages. Now you can take a seat next to John--at a lesser cost--and get the knowledge you need to fulfill your own dream of blue-water adventure. In Sailing a Serious Ocean, John tells you what to expect when sailing the oceans and shows how to sail safely across them. His tales of storm encounters and other examples of extreme seamanship will help you prepare for your journey and give you confidence to handle any situation—even heavy weather. Through his personal stories, John will guide you through the whole process of choosing the right boat, outfitting with the right gear,planning your route, navigating the ocean, and understanding the nuances of life at sea. Our oceans are beautiful yet unpredictable—water that is at one moment a natural mirror for the glowing sun can turn into a foamy, raging wall of fury. John knows our oceans, and he is one of the best teachers of taming and enjoying them. Before you set off across the big blue, turn to John for his inspirational stories and hard-learned advice and discover the serious sailor in you.

"The deadliest storm in the history of modern sailing"--Cover.

The vast majority of sailing yacht scenarios comprise a couple sailing the boat together, and needing to carry out all manoeuvres and activities themselves with no help from a back-up crew. Their boat handling, navigation, sail handling, anchoring and mooring skills all have to be carried out both efficiently and effectively, preferably with the minimum of physical effort (to conserve energy). But most sailing technique books assume a crew of 3 or 4, all willing to lend a hand. This book is therefore a first, addressing the most common sailing scenarios that anyone cruising will have to deal with, and providing clever, original, highly effective (and most importantly successfully tried and tested by the author) techniques and solutions for dealing with the huge variety of essential operations on a boat – from sail setting and reefing, to picking up mooring buoys in a variety of wind and tide situations, anchoring, berthing and leaving a pontoon shorthanded, picking up a man overboard, sailing in fog and heavy weather – and even going up the mast. This book will be a godsend to anyone sailing single or shorthanded – including couples with young children who need to be supervised by one parent whilst the other runs the boat. Organised into techniques for different cruising scenarios, the book features step by step sequential photos showing exactly how to approach each situation and carry out the task in hand.

This guide stresses the importance of survival techniques at sea and is written by experienced round-the-world sailors. They recommend the traditional skill of heaving to, but in addition, employing a drogue, so rigged that it keeps the bow at a quartering angle to the approaching seas.

Quickly and easily master the sailing fundamentals you'll need to get out on the water.