What Now Skipper?

Price: £8.99 

Having often read the topical series of articles ‘A Question of Seamanship’ in Yachting Monthly over the last 20 odd years I found this slim handy volume ‘What Now Skipper?’ which is based on that series, to be both a challenging and informative training aid.  

Bill Anderson, ex- Royal Navy and a former RYA Training  Manager and Chris Beeson an experienced offshore yachtsman, working for Yachting Monthly, describe in some detail 37 sailing situations. They are designed to test seamanship, navigation and captaincy skills.  Collision avoidance with fast ferries, survival techniques in storms and dealing with a decision to abandon ship are some of the more difficult situations described. Others concern weather, passage making and even mooring problems.  Challenged to give your own solution you are then supplied with a reasoned alternative or suggestions that might suit your particular craft.  

A variety of diagrams and photographs are included which make the circumstances described more realistic but are in some cases a little too small to be fully appreciated.  Decreasing the size of some of the large general sailing pictures which do not convey a particular message would perhaps free up the necessary space for enlarging essential diagrams or even inserting a relevant chart. Readers should also remember to insert ‘Jersey’ for ‘Guernsey’ in one very compelling ` account about safe water and GPS failure!  

This book would be useful to most yachtsmen in that it offers guidance and reminders while giving forthright direction to the inexperienced or the foolhardy.

Vic Stephens