The copy they left with us is the 6th Edition, and there have doubtless been other editions published since. This excellent reference book is crammed full of fascinating facts, drawings, ideas and explanations. x is a compact paperback which is as useful to the experienced sailor as to the complete beginner. Highly recommended.

Ours is the 3rd Edition, a hardcover copy,  published by Adlard Coles Nautical,  in 1992 and purchased as the best book of its' kind we had seen to date for the purpose of helping novice sailors who come aboard as guests to get a handle on the whole subject fast. We have found that it helps them to understand what is happening without having to repeat ourselves endlessly, reassures them that there is a logic to the whole process and, we have noticed, helps develop an interest in the whole subject in those who had only really come along as passengers. 

It really does cover the subject broadly and yet in detail, is lavishly illustrated in colour and written exceedingly well. As we have always said, along with many others, if you can sail a dinghy properly you can sail anything. 

If you know an adult who is considering trying  the sport, or want to encourage a youngster to take up sailing and start off properly, slip a copy of this book under the Christmas tree and, if there is any possibility of kindling a desire to have a go, this ought to do the trick. 

We can think of far worse hobbies a  person could take up at any age... the price printed on the cover is £14.99 net, a small price to pay for so much education, in our opinion. This Is Sailing is highly recommended and selling at Amazon for as little as 2.50!

If you haven't read it already, we highly recommend this book which we found inspirational, funny, exciting and genuinely gripping,  in which Pete Goss tells the story of his incredible struggle to fulfill his dream of competing in the round the world single-handed race, the Vendee Globe.

Pete Goss recounts how he turned his extraordinary craft  'Aqua Quorum' back, during a major storm in the Southern Ocean,  to rescue competitor Raphael Dinelli  from a life raft dropped to him by the Royal Australian Air Force when his yacht Algimouss had capsized and sunk 160 miles behind 'Aqua Quorum' two days earlier. 
The copy we read was published by Carroll & Graf in New York, in 1999 and Close To The Wind is available through Amazon. 

This is the true story of the world's first known circumnavigator by sea, written by the man himself and published unabridged. The volume is a tiny paperback, it is the Shambhala Pocket Classics edition and cost only US$6.95. Small enough to take on your travels, however you are voyaging, it is a wonderful book. 

The captain had already read the tale in a larger, unwieldy and salt-water ruined edition and was delighted to see an old favourite again in a more convenient edition. 

Having both enjoyed this classic again, we put it in a waterproof bag and popped it into our emergency kit - if we are ever overtaken by misfortune, God forbid,  we figure that, with Joshua Slocum on the team, we will at least find ourselves in the best possible company out there. Whilst it may be difficult to find the tiny pocket version of Sailing Alone Around The World other editions are available through Amazon.

Knots and Splices - ISBN  1860193560

We found this a handy little book -  it appears to be the only nautical book in the Brockhampton Reference series. 

In spite of a slight slip-up in the 1996 edition which is the one we have, where a 'Reef' knot shown on pages 19 and 20 actually turns out to be a draw knot, it is otherwise excellent and includes some fascinating fish-hook ties and fancy decorative knots as well as all the practical ones that a sailor should know. There is a good section on splicing too.

Knots and Splices is available through Amazon.