Dec 23, 2021

There was lots of time for gathering nautical reads, but perhaps you missed a few. The bookworms at Nautical Mind looked through the past year’s publishing bonanza and recommend a baker’s half-dozen of their favorites.

A Sailor, A Chicken, An Incredible Voyage
by Soudee, Guirec
CAD $34.95

When Guirec Soudée was 21 years old, he bought a 30-foot sailboat and set out across the Atlantic. A novice cruiser (previously he’d only sailed a dinghy), he took one companion: his plucky pet hen, Monique. Man and bird successfully reached the Caribbean and had had such a fine time doing it that they made for Greenland–why not? They emerged from the pack ice 100 days later and from there it was on to San Francisco, then Antarctica. And that was not the end of the story. This is an endearing story, illustrated with photographs and maps.

Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual
by Calder, Nigel
CAD $64.95

4th ed. Calder’s indispensable and thorough manual gives you detailed instructions for maintaining, repairing, and improving every essential system on your boat. Topics include hybrid propulsion systems, distributed power systems, and fuel cells, and the rest of the contents have been completely updated. One of our all-time bestselling titles.

The Nautical Puzzle Book
by National Maritime Museum
CAD $26.99

Inspired by England’s National Maritime Museum’s objects and their stories, The Nautical Puzzle Book’s 100-plus puzzles will tickle your fancy and test your knowledge, or both. What’s the difference between a ship and a boat? What do all the different flags at sea mean? Find out here–or simply amuse yourself and your shipmates with word games, code words, trivia, picture puzzles, word scrambles, anagrams, crosswords, and much more.

Sisters of the Ice
by MacDonald, R. Bruce
CAD $19.95

Two British Columbian ships–the St. Roch and North Star of Herschel Islands–have performed legendary service in the Canadian Arctic, defending the nation’s sovereignty. The former is now on permanent display at the Vancouver Maritime Museum and is well known to many of its visitors. The latter is still sailing, adding to her legend with owner R. Bruce MacDonald and his family aboard. In this new book, author and artist MacDonald presents the meticulously researched origins and service logs of both ships. His "biography" of these Arctic sister ships will enthrall old Arctic hands, maritime history buffs, and anyone who appreciates well-written Canadian history.

Stress-Free Sailing: Single and Short-Handed Techniques
by Wells, Duncan
CAD $34.00

2nd ed. We don’t always have all the crew we might desire, which means devising new ways to accomplish many a nautical manoeuvre. Wells provides clever, original techniques and solutions for handling a range of essential operations when crew is scarce–from setting sails and reefing to picking up mooring buoys in different wind and tide situations–as well as anchoring, berthing, and leaving a dock; picking up a person overboard; sailing in fog and heavy weather; even going up the mast. Organized by activity, the book features step-by-step photos that illustrate exactly how to approach and safely complete each task.

A Race for Real Sailors: The Bluenose and the International Fishermen’s Cup
by McLaren, Keith
CAD $32.95

The Fishermen’s Cup series dominated sporting headlines between the two world wars. In this vibrant retelling, Keith McLaren captures the drama of each race and the personalities of the vessels that contested them: the Delawana and the Esperanto, the Columbia and the Gertrude L. Thebaud, and–dominating them all–the Bluenose and her irascible captain, Angus Walters. In addition to 51 historical photographs and five maps, a glossary of sailing terms and an appendix of the ever-changing race rules round out the excellent presentation.

PORTS Cruising Guide: Trent Severn & Lake Simcoe 2021
From Canadian Yachting Media
CAD $57.95

A mile-by-mile guide for cruising the lakes, rivers, and locks of Ontario’s Trent-Severn system from Port Severn to Trenton. Contains full details on marinas and facilities, moorings, repair services, shopping, eating out, and things to do. Also contains information on navigation, powerboat handling, locking through, fishing, marinas, weather, and sight-seeing, as well as dozens of boating tips. Labeled full-colour aerial photographs. The guide features an Android/Apple mobile app free with every print purchase. Upon purchase, the customer will be able to download the PORTS mobile app digital version of PORTS Trent-Severn onto a device of their choice.

 
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