Vigor J. - The Practical Encyclopedia of Boating: An A-Z Compendium of Navigation, Seamanship, Boat Maintenance, and Nautical Wisdom

The Practical Encyclopedia of Boating

An A Z Compendium of Seamanship, Boat Maintenance, Navigation, and Nautical Wisdom

John Vigor

Copyright 2004 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.

ISBN: 978-0-07-159624-4

MHID: 0-07-159624-0

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Credits for art and graphics are on pages 34344.

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To my sons:
Trent, Terry, and Kevin

I gratefully acknowledge the help of a host of people in the yachting community all over the world. There are so many that I cant possibly thank them all personally here, but I must admit that I could not have written this book without their invaluable insights and contributions to yachting knowledge and literature over the years. The wisdom is theirs. The mistakes are mine.

This is no ordinary encyclopedia. Admittedly, its encyclopedic in form and content because it touches on every important boating subject from A to Z. But its not written in the usual dry scholastic prose of an encyclopedia. This one is different. In refreshingly simple language, it informs, entertains, enlightens, and amuses.

It is nevertheless an authoritative, comprehensive guide that will help you solve many everyday boating problems. These alphabetically arranged entries and illustrations cover all aspects of boating, power and sail. They explain the mystery of how boats can sail against the wind, why the sea sometimes speaks with human voices, and why sailors think it unlucky to start a voyage on a Friday. They tell you how to dename your boat (so you can later rename it without suffering bad luck) and they reveal how good sailors earn the luck that keeps them safe at sea.

The subject matter has been arranged so that you can flip the book open at any page and find yourself following a fascinating trail from entry to entry of your choice. When you have a specific subject in mind, first look it up alphabetically, using the words you would normally use. If you dont find it there, go straight to the comprehensive index at the back of the book, which will guide you to the right place.

Running through the pages of this book is a thread of sensible hints and tips on everything from anchoring to zinc replacement. Youll find the explanations, definitions, and instructions here clear and helpful. This is a practical directory for practical people.

At the end of most entries youll find a cross-reference. If it says, for example, See also Boat Types, youll find additional information on a closely related subject.

Why it may not be such a good idea in extremely bad weather

Youll often hear the old advice never to abandon your boat until you have to step up to the life raft. It sounds deceptively easy, but the only time it works is in reasonably calm water. People who advocate it as a general rule have obviously never seen an inflatable life raft performing its antics alongside a boat in a bad gale, rising and falling like an elevator gone mad, crashing and bashing against the hull, jerking and tugging and doing its best to puncture itself or break the painter and fly away like thistledown in the winter wind. Its up one moment, down the next, and then its disappearing forever over the swells to leeward.

Nevertheless, the principle is sound: Dont abandon your boat until you are absolutely, positively sure its going to sink. Too often, a partially waterlogged boat is found still floating months or years after it was abandoned, whereas those who actually managed to get into the life raft are never seen again. Trying to board a life raft in those conditions may be far more dangerous than staying with the boat.