"Sailing to the Reefs"	~  Bernard Moitessier	Book Category:  Adventure and Inspiration
	One of the books that fuelled my passion for single-handed sailing. Moitessier is a legendary sailor and this book is all about his early days of crossing oceans and messing about in anchorages and ports with Henry Wakelam and his yacht Wanda. These were pioneering days and things will never be the same again. I doubt anyone eats cormorant curry these days. But the oceans are still there for anyone with a mind to cross them and this will inspire you if you have.

	"Selkirk's Island"	~  Diana Souhami	Book Category:  Adventure and Inspiration
	This is the story of Alexander Selkirk, a Scotsman who was left alone on the remote island of Juan Fernandez in 1704. His story is the basis for the better known 'Robinson Crusoe' but this book is more of a factual account with great emphasis on the island itself. Selkirk was marooned for four years and survived by scavenging and hunting feral goats. It's a great read, although sometimes spoiled by Souhami's irritating style. For example, in the opening pages she refuses to call the ship by it's name because she does not know the ship and cannot be comfortable with giving it a male or female name. It's clear she does not like the British tradition of calling ships a she. I suggest you ignore this self-righteous pedantry and carry on reading.

	"Sailing Alone around the World"	~  Joshua Slocum	Book Category:  Adventure and Inspiration
	This is one of the most inspiring sea tales of all time. Slocum showed the way in his legendary yacht "Spray". Written in a jolly and purposeful style the indomitable Slocum can be read and re-read for years to come. Just don't pick it up if you have any latent wandering tendencies.

	"Close to the Wind"	~  Pete Goss	Book Category:  Adventure and Inspiration
	This is a great read. It's all about the build up to and the events of the 1996 Vendee Globe yacht race. After a long struggle to find funding, build a boat and take part Pete Goss was awarded the Legion d'Honneur for saving fellow sailor Raphael Dinelli during a severe storm in the Southern Ocean. This is his remarkable story. Brings tears to the eye.

	"A Voyage for Madmen"	~  Peter Nicols	Book Category:  Adventure and Inspiration
	This book is the story of the Golden Globe yacht race of 1968, when nine men, some French, some English, undertook the most challenging adventure of their lives. The goal was to sail around the world non-stop solo, a feat no one had yet achieved. Many of the sailors were complete novices and some even set off in weekend boats. It's an amazing story and very well told.

	"The Storm Tactics Handbook"	~  Lin and Larry Pardey	Book Category:  Seamanship
	This is the best book I've come across on storm tactics for cruising sailors. The Pardeys use a combination of traditional and modern techniques in their approach to weathering storms at sea. Their method involves heaving-to in the traditional sense with a modern para anchor streamed from the bow to create a big slick and protect the boat from breaking waves. It has worked for them in numerous terrifying storms. They use a penant line consisting of a snatch block attached to the para-anchor rode cleated admidships to control the angle of the boat to the wind and seas. I think the Pardeys are onto something here which could become the standard storm tactic for anyone venturing offshore. Studies have shown that boats are much less likely to suffer damage in a hove-to position than when running before a storm.

	"The Rigging Handbook"	~  Brion Toss	Book Category:  Seamanship
	A useful book on rigging. Well worth having a copy on board to dip into when needed.

	"A Sea Vagabond's World"	~  Bernhard Moitessier	Book Category:  Seamanship
	Unfortunately Moitessier passed away before he finished this book but his wife completed it for him. It's perhaps not as relevant in every aspect as it would have been in the 1960's because so much has changed in sailing. However, there is an awful lof of very useful information in this book. If you want to get back to basics and cruise the world in a seamanlike manner and live the dream then this is the book for you.

	"Cruising Under Sail"	~  Eric C. Hiscock	Book Category:  Seamanship
	The classic guide to sailing a cruising yacht. Eric Hiscock and his wife Susan opened the doors to world cruising in a small boat. Their adventures are legendary. Full of practical advice and real life adventures. Ideal book to keep on board a cruising yacht. Good ballast too!

	"Left For Dead"	~  Nick Ward and Sinead O'Brien	Book Category:  Seamanship
	This is the amazing story of a young sailor abandoned unconscious in a storm-crippled yacht during the infamous 1979 Fastnet Race. Nick Ward tells this story extremely well and with the help of the talented documentary maker Sinead O'Brien he has finally laid to rest the ghosts that have haunted him since that terrible night. I couldn't put this book down and read it in two days. Its a great read and raises some interesting questions about seamanship, storm survival and the many issues of crew safety on ocean races. I've put it in my seamanship category because it raises seamanship issues such as teamwork, preparation and storm tactics. If you read it you might be amazed to discover that an experienced racing crew's idea of heaving-to was actually to lie ahull.

	"Boat Owners Mechanical and Electrical Manual"	~  Nigel Calder	Book Category:  Electronics
	This is a very useful book to have on board when you first buy a boat. It covers everything you can imagine from alternators and batteries to furling gear, windlasses and rudder design. I particularly like it because it has a picture of a Flicka rudder in it!

	"Sailboat Electrics Simplified"	~  Don Casey	Book Category:  Electronics
	This is an excellent book if you want to get to grips with the electrics on your boat. Don has a simple and concise style that really helps understand the subject. He uses excellent diagrams and simple analogies and encourages the reader to have a go and not be afraid. After reading this book just about anybody should feel confident in tackling basic marine electrical systems.