"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.

	"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.

	"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!

	"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.

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

	"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.

	"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.

	"The Lonely Sea and the Sky"	~  Sir Francis Chichester	Book Category:  Adventure and Inspiration
	Chichester is a master. A great navigator, pilot and writer. He takes on the sea with immense courage and perseverance. His feats are Shackleton-like in their endeavour.  The title says so much about this book. A must read.

	"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.

	"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!