John Vigor - The Practical Mariners Book of Knowledge

Copyright 2013 by John Vigor. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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Topics in boldface have multiple entries.

Thinking back, it was probably about seven years ago now that I made the acquaintance of John Vigor. I had been working late one evening in the editorial offices of Cruising World; the phone rang and I picked it up to hear the static of a long-distance connection.

John was calling from his home in South Africa, out of the blue, he said, to introduce himself and to inquire if by chance Cruising World would be interested in seeing any of his writing.

He was an experienced newspaperman, he explained, and an avid sailor. His manner was warm and familiar, the vibes felt right, and shortly thereafter we began receiving the stories of John and June Vigors entree into the world of cruising.

Johns five-part series on the nuts and bolts, preparations, fears, and concerns of how to leave the workaday world and actually go offshore cruising was one of the most inspirational and popular we have ever run in Cruising World.

In 1987, the Vigors sailed their 31-footer, Freelance, 7,000 miles from Durban, South Africa, transatlantic to the Caribbean, and then up to Florida. But it wasnt until 1991, when we all met finally for lunch here at our offices in Newport, Rhode Island, that John told us the real story of his familys emotional and exciting exodus from their South African homeland.

After some convincing by our editors, John finally agreed to share the story with our readers in what turned out to be a major two-part feature in Cruising World.

Johns beautifully written and intimate story told of the Vigors escape with their youngest son from the country they loved, but whose politics they could no longer abide.

We received more reader mail on this emotional and exciting series than on almost anything we have ever run in the magazine.

In this new book, The Practical Mariners Book of Knowledge, John is in his element. The 400-plus entries are all amusing and useful, and are woven together in Johns rich and witty style.

One in particularVigors Black Box Theorysticks in my memory as summing up the author himself. The basis of the theory, John says, is that there is no such thing as fortuitous luck at sea. The reason why some boaters survive storms or have fewer accidents than others is that they earn their luck by diligent and constant acts of seamanship.

Aboard every boat theres an invisible black box, he writes. Every time a skipper takes the trouble to consult the chart, inspect the filters, go forward on a rainy night to check the running lights, or take any proper seamanlike precaution, he or she earns a point that goes into the black box.

In times of stress, in heavy weather or other threatening circumstances where human skill and effort can accomplish no more, the points are cashed in as protection. Those skippers with no points in the box are the ones later described as unlucky.

John knows well about earning points at sea to put in a black box of experiences, for he has had more than most. His gift as a writer is in being able to translate those experiences for the reader with intelligence, humor, and a warmth of spirit. This engaging collection is a testament to that gift, and to one of the finest boating writers at work today.

Bernadette Bernon
Former Editor, Cruising World

I was a schoolboy when I met Bernard Moitessier and Jean Gau. I nearly met Marcel Bardiaux, too, but I was shy and so was he. Twice I stood next to Eric and Susan Hiscock but didnt say a word. These pioneers of ocean voyaging in small boats were my special heroes and still are they, and Harry Pegram, who trusted me to pilot his sportfisher Makoti off Cape Point when I was just 14. They all sparked in me an interestvery well, an obsessionin boats and the sea that has enriched my life and brought me enduring delight and satisfaction.

I also owe a debt of gratitude to many mariners, amateur and professional, who sailed those same deep waters before my heroes and after them. They are, of course, too numerous to mention by name, and in any case I dont know all their names. I know only that the nautical rules of thumb they discovered have helped generations of seafarers and will probably help generations more.