Seamanship 2.0

The basic knowledge to sort yourself out when encountering problems at sea is largely forgotten. How to find your way when the GPS plotter has a blackout, how to get yourself off when grounded, how to save the life of someone in your crew when the ambulance or SAR helicopter is hours away... Too many rely on technology to navigate and run their boats, and this beautifully illustrated handbook will be a literal backup when the tech fails, as well as a bible of core knowledge - seamanship - that all skippers should know anyway, whether they're in the middle of an emergency or not.
Covering all the basics, with handy fact boxes to highlight especially important information, the authors have lent a modern, real-world approach to the subject matter, and the wonderful illustrations bring it to life. Contents include:
- Introduction
- Navigation: chart symbols, radar fact box, using the sounder, finding your position on the chart, maintaining an estimated position, course to steer
- Seamanship: your crew, passage planning, anchoring, manoeuvering, mooring, towing, catching a buoy, heaving to
- Safety and emergencies: identifying likely emergencies (grounding, loss of rigging/mast, leaks, loss of steering, man overboard, sinking and taking to the liferaft) with self-help solutions, calling for help, equipment, VHF procedures, fire and gas, fixing an engine, knowing when help should be sought without delay
- First aid: CPR, breathing problems, drowning, shock, trauma, treating wounds, burns, broken limbs, hypothermia, seasickness, allergies, abdominal pains/nose bleed
- Weather: sea breeze, low pressure, wind, fog, squalls, forecasting
- Environment: bird/seal protection areas, microplastics, holding tanks, old boats, bottom paint
- Appendix: rules of road,traffic separation zones, day and night signals, light characteristics, life saving signals, flags/morse
Published in Sweden by the Swedish Cruising Association, this fantastic book has sold over 30,000 copies. Read this now to give yourself the knowledge to get out of trouble and (even better) avoid getting into it in the first place.

Mike Westin has been a boating journalist since 1997, and was Editor-in-Chiefof of two Swedish boating magazines between 2003-2015. He's been a lifeboat cox'n for ten years with the Swedish Lifeboat Institution, and a fast craft navigation trainer for other skippers.