First launched in 1983, Annapolis remains the sailor's bible, a comprehensive chapter and verse guide to all aspects of seamanship from the simplest ABC's to the most advanced skills and latest electronics. And while much of the original edition has been left in dry dock to make way for the many changes on the water since 1983--like multihull vessels, satellite tracking, and the reality that while all ships remain "she," there is no longer the assumption that it's a "he" at the helm--Rousmaniere still emphasizes what he's stressed from the first tack: the importance of mastering sailing's fundamentals. This means knowing every inch of your boat and how to handle her, understanding the importance of safety on the seas and preparing for all emergencies, reading the weather, learning to navigate, knowing essential boat maintenance, and being aware of the traditions every sailor steps into whenever he or she sticks feet in a pair of topsiders. Clearly organized and presented, cleanly and smoothly written (given how much technical information he presents, Rousmaniere's prose is blessedly jargon-free), and thoroughly illustrated with photos and drawings, Annapolis is as essential as a good wind, perhaps the one volume no sailor should leave port without. --Jeff Silverman

This has continued to be the definitive text for small boat ground tackle since its first edition in 1986. This second edition has been fully updated.

Yes, we have our Chapman and our Bowditch (somewhere), and The Annapolis Book of Seamanship, but it seems to us that the author Frank J. Larkin, in this new edition, makes the subject of piloting and dead reckoning much less daunting and easy to comprehend. Larkin starts at the beginning and takes the reader through the basics of such things as using dividers and a chart, with the kind of useful information sometimes passed over in more sophisticated treatments of the subject. We like that, and we think this 278-page reference is more likely to be read cover-to-cover.

There is a deep mystery and profound satisfaction to finding one's position on earth by reference to the sun and stars. That is why, Loran and GPS notwithstanding, there will always be room on a boater's shelf for a manual of celestial navigation--especially one so unintimidating as this. Since 1967, Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen has been the best-known, best-loved primer on the subject. It successfully teachers sailors who have been demoralized by bigger, more expensive books. Abstaining from theory, it concentrates on the cookbook techniques needed to obtain and work any heavenly sight. Among other changes, this edition substitutes the Nautical Almanac for the Air Almanac, and shows how to construct plotting sheets and advance a line of position for a running fix.

"Why would anyone want to learn celestial navigation?" The answer: "Because it will satisfy your soul."