The Cruising Life: A Commonsense Guide for the Would-Be Voyager Review

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(More customer reviews)My wife and I recently began seriously considering cruising as a way to depart from the 9-5 working world, before we were too old to enjoy it. In addition to doing a lot of sailing since these societally mutinous thoughts have entered our heads, we've read a lot of books on cruising.
If you want a comprehensive reference book on all things sailing, get The Annapolis Book of Seamanship. If you want drama and a lesson in the harshest of realities, read The Perfect Storm and pray you can avoid that kind of experience at all costs.
The Cruising Life is a practical, tasteful overview of how to start cruising, and my opinion is that this appears to be a reasonable approach to the pursuit of happiness in warmer (or colder) climes on a sailboat. Sometimes I wanted a lot more information than I got here, but that wasn't the point...
The author offers frank, balanced treatment of all topics - and admits his opinions are his. For example, he offers a great account of what passes for a bluewater capable cruising boat (smaller may be better than larger, and older, well-used boats are best).
My thanks to Mr. Trefethan for fanning the flames of our cruising ambitions.

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The Cruising Life: A Commonsense Guide for the Would-Be Voyager, Jim Trefethen. The funniest, drollest, wisest book on the shelf for the would-be cruiser. Trefethen pulls no punchesÑhe tells you just what will be involved if you and your family decide to "let slip the surly bonds of earth" and set sail. How to get ready, how to finance the voyage, how to live on your boat with maximum peace of mind and minimum hassle, and what equipment you do and don't need. (What you don't need may surprise you.)

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All in the Same Boat : Living Aboard and Cruising Review

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(More customer reviews)Being homeschoolers we have a number of friends who live full time on their boats and many sail around the world which is a great hands on learning experience.
The thing I like about this book that other books lacked, is information on things like what to do about mail, TV via satellite, computer use, and information that helps you realize even if you live on land, just how much stuff you DON'T need. It's a book that will inform the 2007 reader well.
Banking, paying bills and everyday information that is a must to know. And buying food locally, fishing etc. Visiting other places and knowning the stuff you need to know there.
As well as how to have the right boat for your needs so that you have the comforts you need and even some you want. Now that I am a widow I am seriously considering getting back to living on a boat full time.

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"An excellent and practical step-by-step manual to help prepare you for the cruising lifestyle and to entertain you as you learn." --Cruising World

More than two decades ago, Tom and Mel Neale moved onto a boat full-time with their two daughters. Now their neighborhood is anywhere they choose to anchor. Here's all the information needed to follow in their footsteps, including choosing a boat, earning a living, raising and educating kids, and much more.

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All in the Same Boat: Family Living Aboard and Cruising Review

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(More customer reviews)The reason I rate this a "first read" if you are seriously considering cruising is because so many people with limited or no experience living on a boat undoubtably have many misconceptions about life aboard. This kind of lifestyle is harder and more demanding than the sit-at-the-dockside- weekender could imagine. Tom Neale's description of the sober realities of cruising life are enough to talk the faint of heart or the misdirected out of it before they make a big mistake. As the book progresses, Tom's contagious enthusiasm becomes more and more apparent. He writes in an easy style with wry humor. His advice is well thought out, accurate and should be considered "Cruising 101." Don't forget to take notes as you read.

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Ever daydream about what it's like to quit your job, sell your house and most of your possessions, say good-bye to your neighbors, and set sail with your family--permanently? Tom and Mel Neale left their 9 to 5 world nearly two decades ago and never looked back. In 1979 the Neales left their law and education careers and traded their suburban home for a three-room boat. Now their neighborhood is a Chesapeake Bay cove, or a secluded Bahamian beach, or anywhere else they choose to anchor. And along the way they raised two daughters. For the Neales, living aboard and cruising is about taking control of their world and their environment, a sometimes difficult but always rewarding existence. All in the Same Boat is one family's testament to the belief that you can lead your own life, whatever that might be. For the Neales, it hasn't been a vacation. Instead of living to work, they work to live, but they make time for adventure and play, too. Here's everything you need to know to follow them: choosing the right boat; provisioning for long-term cruising; getting along in close quarters; learning what you can leave behind; earning a living--and how to hold on to the money; what to expect in the cruising life, and how to handle it; preparing the crew and boat; raising--and educating--kids; keeping in touch; making the ocean your backyard.

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Lonely Planet Baja California & Los Cabos (Regional Guide) Review

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(More customer reviews)My wife and me chose this LP guide for our recent trip to Baja Norte. I actually enjoyed Palmerlee's writing style and his side commentaries on the Baja music scene and other topics of interest. However, there were just too many cases of inaccurate information. For example, Palmerlee says a taxi from Ensenada to La Bufadora is about $12 when actually the round trip cost given to us by numerous taxi drivers was $40. He then says (correctly) that you can save money by taking a $1 bus to the town of Maneadora. But from there, he says, you must hitchhike to La Bufadora. The truth is, as we discovered by talking to the locals, you can easily catch another $1 bus from Maneadero to La Bufadora. Thus avoiding the hitchhiking which many people, including my wife, would not want to try.
Another problem was that the hotel recommendations were too often off the the mark. For example, at the highly recommended Hotel Los Pelicanos in Rosarito we were taken to a dark, dreary room by a very unfriendly hotel receptionist. Of course, we chose not to stay there.
I know that prices change and good places go bad. But still this book just had too many inaccuracies for me to recommend it. In fact, my wife started saying we should read what the Lonely Planet guide said and then do the opposite. I think this was probably a bit of an overstatement on her part. But still I'm sure this is the last thing LP wants to hear from it's readers. By the way, Lonely Planet is still my favorite publisher of travel guides. But hopefully the book we purchase for our next trip will provide better information.

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Discover Baja California & Los CabosCommune with whale calves as their mothers nudge them to the surface for their very first breath.Get dusty on the badder-than-bad backroad to Bahia San Luis Gonzaga.Suck down a caguama (that's Baja for beer) as you watch the sun set in Punta Abreojos.Discover the delectable truth behind Baja's world-renowned invention, the Caesar salad.In This Guide:4872 miles, one black-widow spider bite, one superstar author still kicking, and 30 pages fo the best damn maps anywhere.Special surfing chapter written by none other than Surfer magazine editor Jake Howard - charge on!Mi Querida Baja California feature revealing the lives of a painter, a doctor and a few more local experts.And, since you asked for it - we've incorporated more off-track coverage than any other guidebook.

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Voyaging On A Small Income Review

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(More customer reviews)For anyone thinking of setting off for an extended period of small boat cruising (or voyaging, as Annie more accurately calls it), and not starting with a 6, or even 5 figure bank balance, this book is essential reading. It describes a philosophy of living very different from that maybe experienced before on a cruising holiday, weekend sailing, or even daily life. It starts from the point of view that long term, live-aboard life is both possible and sustainable, providing certain perspectives are adopted. These include rejecting any item of equipment not capable of extended, reliable, cost-effective performance on board a boat (this for example rules out most modern electronics, for entirely sensible and logical, rather than `back to mother nature' reasons), selecting, buying, storing and preparing food from the point of view of where you are, what's available, and how long you may be at sea, and most importantly, managing your limited finances using the most rigorous criteria possible.
Here, Annie applies the basic principles of sound commercial management to all financial decisions (is this a better buy than that over time? can I buy now and save later?) and demonstrates a complete and intuitive grasp of what in the parlance of modern management theory would be called `Total Cost of Ownership Investment Appraisal' - a valuable object lesson for many senior management in some of the largest corporations. She writes about it in her own unique and forthright style, clearly based on many years of real experience, that demands attention and respect.
This is not a `go there, do that, buy the t-shirt' kind of sailing book, but for anyone seriously contemplating long term voyaging on a small budget, or simply wanting a unique insight into an alternative lifestyle from the comfort and security of their armchair, and brave enough to venture past the warning on the cover that this might cause you to challenge some of your most basic beliefs in what passes for `normal' existence, Voyaging on a Small Income, as a useful reference source or a good read, is a must.

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Maintaining that there is little preventing one from cruising the world by boat, this book provides practical ideas for turning one's dreams of life at sea into reality, with suggestions for preplanning and simplifying one's life.

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The Essentials of Living Aboard a Boat Review

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(More customer reviews)A seasoned and experienced sailor, Mark Nicholas has written an ideal introduction for anyone aspiring to enjoy life aboard any kind of boat in The Essentials Of Living Aboard: The Definitive Guide For New Liveaboards. The reader will learn how to choose and buy a boat that is appropriate for one's needs, including the finesse of the buying process, negotiations, insurance, and financing, amenities aboard a boat, navigation and safety matters, sanitation issues, legal issues, tips, tricks, and techniques, and more. Of special interest is the warnings about search, seizure, and forfeiture - even though a boat may be one's home, it does not have the same protections against search and seizure as a landbound home. Furthermore, forfeiturelaws mean that the government can seize property (including the boat one lives upon!) and never return it, even if the owner is never accused or convicted of any crime. An absolute "must-have" for anyone considering making a boat one's permanent dwelling.


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The Essentials of Living Aboard educates both dreamers and explorers with information about this wonderful and rewarding lifestyle. Mark Nicholas has combined his experience of life aboard with the advice of other liveaboards, marina owners, technicians, boat manufacturers and advocates in order to detail the challenges and offer real advice for success. This lifestyle, typically thought to be out of reach or "for other people," is now available to all who dream.Read this book if you've ever been gripped by the romantic idea of living on water. Mark Nicholas presents a rich mine of information for potential liveaboards, information he gleaned the hard way. As a self-confessed "expert at what can go wrong," who better than Mark to pass on the solid advice you need?-John Vigor, Author

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All About Cruising: Prepare Yourself - Equip Your Boat - Plan Your Escape - Live Your Dream Review

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(More customer reviews)Very practical and written in an easy-to-read style. We've done local cruising, but I wasn't sure what I should be concerned about for our upcoming cruise to the Caribbean in '01 or '02. I now know what classes I personally need to attend, that my time at the gym is a good investment in my safety, I don't need to know how to tie every blasted knot known to mankind, windvanes are worth looking at, what goodies to put on my Christmas and birthday list(!),what to bring for sail repair, medicine, etc. Since I'm usually in charge of food for short cruises, Anna Gleckler's notes on preserving cheese, bread, juice and eggs without refrigeration AND making jerky and corning beef were, well, things my mother didn't teach me and I probably wouldn't have thought to ever ask her! I just feel more at ease and I anticipate that in the next year or so that I will be better prepared if I act on the advice in this book. I plan to re-read it every six months or so to make sure I'm working on those things (health, reading, education) to make our trip the best it can be.

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This book is for all the people who yearn to escape society'sweb and follow their cruising dreams. It is written by a veteranvoyager with generous contributions from his first mate, Anna. Theauthor shows how to break free from shore and set your course fordistant landfalls. He describes the adjustments necessary to live acruising lifestyle.Anna discusses personal relationships and lifeaboard a small cruising boat. It runs the gamut-from finding theproper boat, to tying the proper knot, to cooking and provisioning, tocheck-in procedures and finances, to medicine and communications, todinghies and heavy weather, to pirates and guns. Few texts are as userfriendly or as well grounded in practical and essential cruisingadvice. A definitive guide for offshore and coastal cruising. Good forcruising powerboats too. 150 photos and graphics.

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Pacific Lady: The First Woman to Sail Solo across the World's Largest Ocean (Outdoor Lives) Review

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(More customer reviews)A well written, inspirational tale about a unique lady who ventured away from the norm and completed what she set out to do. Her amazing accomplishments were unheard of in those times. A very enjoyable read about a very special lady.

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It was an age without GPS and the Internet, without high-tech monitoring and instantaneous reporting. And it was a time when women simply didn't do such things. None of this deterred Sharon Sites Adams. In June 1965 Adams made history as the first woman to sail solo from the mainland United States to Hawaii. Four years later, just as Neil Armstrong very publicly stepped onto the moon, the diminutive Adams, alone and unobserved, finally sighted Point Arguello, California, after seventy-four days sailing a thirty-one-foot ketch from Japan, across the violent and unpredictable Pacific. She was the first woman to do so, setting another world record.

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