Latest Sailing Books

by Cruising Editor on 17 Jun 2006 Read how to sail a boat with no fridge no oven, a guide for those who tinker with diesel engines, stories about dreamy days in the Med, old boat wreckers, pirates, poaching and the perfect fish – there’s reading for holidays and reading for any day in Go Boating’s new offerings


MERMAID TREE – Tiley - 51605

This is the extraordinary story of the little known successors to Cook, Bligh, La Perouse and Flinders, why they did it, what they got out of it and the haphazard global politics they had to endure. King, Freycinet, d'Urville, Wickham, Stokes, Grey , Blackwood, Yule, Kennedy and Stanley are not well known, but all were key to unlocking so much of Australia's development. And it started with Mermaid. 297 pages PB $32.95






HOOKED – Knecht – 38875

A true story of Pirates, poaching and the perfect fish.

On 7 August 2003, the patrol boat Southern supporter came upon the Uruguayan long liner Viarsa in one of the most isolated places on Earth - the Australian fishing zone near Heard island, 2200 nautical miles southwest of Perth. The patrol suspected Viarsa was carrying an illegal catch of the endangered Patagonian toothfish.

Thus began one of the longest and most dangerous pursuits in maritime history. 244 pages PB $29.95








SKIPPER’S ONBOARD DIESEL GUIDE – Donat – 80565

In the same handy splash proof format as the highly successful Skipper’s Cockpit Guide; this book is a convenient lie-flat reference to all types and sizes of marine diesel engine. There is advice on how the engine works, how each part interacts, dos and don’ts, fault finding and troubleshooting tests, and detailed exploded diagrams to show how to fix problems. There is advice on • the oil system • cooling system • gearbox • injectors • the controls • electrics. Spiral $26.95








YACHT RACING RULES THE ESSENTIALS – Plaatje - 9914

For many novice or young racers the full text of the yacht racing rules can be daunting. Here is an attractive, accessible guide to the essential rules all racers need to know in an easy to use spiral binding. Clear colour diagrams explain the meaning of each rule and what you may or may not do on the water. It will be welcomed by anyone thinking of trying their hand at a very exciting sport! 40 pages. Spiral $27.95








RYA DIESEL ENGINE HANDBOOK – Simpson – RP055

Written for leisure boat owners it is essential reading for anyone doing the RYA one day Diesel Engine Course. Includes CD-Rom giving expert instruction and top tips from Nick Ealey of Seastart. 95 pages PB $52.95

















WRECKERS – Bathurst- 9807

A fine shipwreck has always represented sport, pleasure, treasure, and in many cases, the difference between living well and just getting by. From all around Britain Bella Bathurst has uncovered the secret history of wrecking, from beach orgies so wild that few participants survived until morning, to remote cottages fitted with silver candelabra, via cows hung with lanterns to lure unwary ships to ruin and the Cornish reputation for drowning survivors. 325 pages PB $24.95







LETTERS FROM THE MED – Treleaven – 46115

When Ian and Andrea Treleaven set off to make their sailing dreams come true three years ago, even their wildest dreams didn’t show what lay ahead.

Now the superbly designed ‘coffee table’ quality book telling tales of their adventures in the Mediterranean is available. Called ‘Letters from the Med’, it describes in luscious detail the story of three summers of idyllic cruising. 'The book is beyond our wildest dreams,’ says Ian, ‘and the pics that Andrea took have certainly made it.’ It’s true – the photography is of the highest quality and the subject matter should have many making plans to follow in the Treleavens’ footsteps. PB $29.95






BOUND FOR BOTANY BAY – Brooke & Brandon – 10988

'Botany Bay' - a name that evokes the exotic and the lush, but in fact the destination of thousands of convicted men, women and children, transported from Britain across the oceans to Australian exile. Alan Brooke and David Brandon reveal the true story of this vast enterprise, which spanned two centuries, and draw on a host of letters, journals and illustrations to flesh out the diverse experience of these high seas voyages. For some, on both sides of the law, the journey was literally a death sentence; for others, it became an undreamt of opportunity for building a new life. It is a tale of both fascinating and surprising, in equal measure, and it is told here with verve and panache. 272 pages HB $59.95


NO FRIDGE NO OVEN NO PROBLEM – Marion – 5804

At last here is a book with everything you want to know about living and eating well without a refrigerator or an oven. Whether you have a small boat, camper trailer, a tent or a backpack, this book will make life easier for you. 80 pages Spiral $22


TWO IN A BOAT – Lewis – 8989

In her forties and recovering from a struggle with depression and, along the way, alcoholism, Welsh poet Gwyneth Lewis decided to trade in her landlubber life - a house in Cardiff and a responsible job at the BBC - for life aboard a small yacht with her husband Leighton, a former bosun with the Merchant Navy and now in his mid-sixties.

After buying a yacht - Jameeleh - and teaching themselves to sail her (a process not without its fair share of disasters, from psychotic seas off St Govan’s Head to a battle with buoys off Ballycotton), Gwyneth and Leighton set out to cross the Atlantic. But Gwyneth’s seasickness and Leighton’s daily deterioration into Captain Bastard were not the only catastrophes with which they had to contend. This strange, stirring and often hilarious account of their voyage is as much a beginner’s guide to sailing as it is a portrait of a marriage under pressure. 295 pages PB $24.95

To obtain any of these books, see your local marine book retailer, or go to the Boat Books site and order online

Boat Books Head Office:
31 Albany St, Crows Nest
NSW 2065 AUSTRALIA
T: +61 2 9439 1133
F: +61 2 9439 8517

www.boatbooks-aust.com.au