Dag Pike's Cruising Under Power

The aim of this book is to enable novices to
cruise safely and enjoyably. It will cover the preparations needed before
undertaking a cruise, operating the boat under different and sometimes
challenging conditions, how to cope when things go wrong, how to conform to the
rules and regulations, and how to navigate. It conveys the advice and
information just as the cruiser will encounter it on passage - from setting off
to arriving at their destination (rather than compartmentalised into
navigation/weather/engine etc).

Topics include: Preparing to cruise (weather forecasts, route planning, checklists); Leaving harbour (harbour entrances, radio contact, setting courses and speeds,
crew briefing, food and drink); Assessing
weather and sea conditions (fine tuning plans); Watch
keeping under way (visual and electronic navigation, coping with alarms); Entering
harbour (planning ahead, radio channels, finding an anchorage, speeds); Cruising
at night and in fog (lights, radar, shipping lanes, stopping distance); Adventurous
cruising (navigating inshore, beach landing, hidden dangers); Fuel
management and economy (economical speeds, boat trim, reserves); Comfort
on board (cooking and sleeping at sea, security); When
things go wrong (potential problems, safety equipment, coping with fire,
leaks, grounding, engine problems, calling for help); Rules
and regulations (collision regulations, traffic lanes, going foreign,
qualifications).

Aimed at owners of powerboats and motor cruisers between 25
and 65ft, the book will be entirely practical, with checklists, sidebars and
box-outs and many diagrams and photos.

Autorentext

Dag Pike began his career as a merchant captain, went on to test RNLI lifeboats, and took up fast boat navigation, winning a string of trophies for powerboat races around the world, including navigating Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Challenger on the record-breaking fastest Atlantic crossing by powerboat. He later became a navigation and powerboat journalist in demand all over the world.

Zusammenfassung
How to Snog a Hagfish! explores the most bizarre, the most disgusting and the most fascinating creatures that inhabit the oceans.When attacked, the hagfish (also known as the slime eel) ties itself in a knot that travels the length of its body, squeezing out mucus by the bucketful and making it impossible for a predator to keep hold. To eat, a starfish regurgitates its stomach, digests its food then swallows its stomach back down again. Pearlfish stick close to sea cucumbers, whose bowels they swim into when danger's near. And with shark attacks and jellyfish encounters, the oceans take on another level of repulsiveness when man dips his toes in the water.We know more about the surface of the moon than we do the underwater world, but some of the species covered in this book are beyond even the imagination of science fiction writers. Entertaining yet informative, the idea of this book is not to wallow in grossness with the intention of putting people off their dinner, but to explore just how fascinating and 'alien' our own planet can be.Highly illustrated, and with stories and anecdotes that help bring a human perspective, this book demystifies the natural world beneath the waves, and shows how it's not quite so shocking when you understand why these creatures have developed the way they have.