Reddit mentions: The best water sports books

Hey welcome back (i was medically retired from the Air Force and ended up here in San Diego)!

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For San Diego charters you are looking at Waterhorse Charters, Marissa Charters, and Nautilus (they are opening up a local dive boat center soon, one a free trip at the LA dive show from them). Waterhorse Charters is under new ownership and now offers an unlimited boat diving membership option ($x/month hop on any many boat dives as you want). Marissa is still a great operation and you get to have the best boat dog in the area, Captain! They also will go some tech diving places. For boat diving spots that your cert qualifies you for, you have Los Coronados (small islands off the coast of Tijuana) currently only waterhorse goes here, Point Loma Kelp fields Waterhorse and Marissa go here, Wreck Alley Ruby E & HMCS Yukon again both Marissa and Yukon, NOCS Tower (think underwater monkey bar set lol) both charters go here, USS Hogan (130 ft) rarely visited by either charter, Scripps Canyon I think only Waterhorse goes here. The Lois Ann just left service as a dive boat. There is a rumor that The Westerly dive boat is moving from LA to San Diego. Horizon is the main liveboard charter from San Diego but they mostly due shark diving and those trips are $$$, they do other smaller trips and I hear rave reviews but haven't personally gone yet.

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There are some more extreme sites like Cortez banks that are served by some of the San Diego liveaboards that are in your cert range but just costly.

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Shore diving....I really prefer Orange County/LA County for this. Happy to give you more details if you want but the general ones would be La Jolla Cove or La Jolla Shores in the county. For a bit more adventurous shore diving, it's really hard to beat Casino Point on Catalina Island. Both San Diego and LA offer 3R (Rocks, Rips, and Reefs) programs during the summer months that will give you orientations to the areas best shore diving spots. While they are great scuba diving spots the events are snorkel only events that focus on reading the site, safe entry/exit etc, very worthwhile for anyone looking to orient themselves to the area! This is an excellent book for the area btw https://www.amazon.com/Divers-Guide-Southern-Californias-Beach/dp/0962860042/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=diver%27s+guide+to+southern+california&qid=1562649226&s=gateway&sr=8-3

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PowerScuba is a meetup.com group that books a ton of charters and offers it to members (joining is free) basically at cost so very discounted rates. Also do group buys on equipment and travel.

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There is a dive club called Dive Animals that have their own boat, its pretty small and we found very hard to get spots on (we didn't renew membership this year due to that fact) but if you can befriend a boat driver you would have very cheap diving off a very small boat lol.

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If you have the time and want to learn a lot about Southern California diving I would highly encourage you to look at LA County's Advanced Diver Program, it's a county run program and is some of the best training you can get. It's only run once every summer and just started so keep an eye for next year's course if you are interested.

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There really aren't many dive boats out of Orange county so i'll skip that.

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The next place for dive boats is Long Beach harbor (SunDiver 1/2/Express, Magician, Explorer, Pacific Star aka Pac Star) they will do a lot of Catalina Island dives, oil rigs (highly recommended after you get back in the swing of diving but not until you're feeling comfortable with it again), and maybe some of the more remote southern channel islands. Next up you have Ventura which hosts Peace, Specter, and Explorer. They will hit up Anacappa Island and Santa Cruz pretty frequently. Then finally in the "region" you have Santa Barbara you have the Truth Aquatic fleet they'll do the more northern channel islands along with some longer liveaboard trips to other islands or destinations like Big Sur. Almost all of the LA and further north boats are proper liveaboards (so fully galleys and bunks below for sleeping). They are a bit more than the San Diego boats and the drive blows but its worth it!

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During the summer and fall you can probably get away with a 7mm semi-dry suit, but in the winter it gets damn cold. I clocked a 42 degree day on the Yukon this last winter. Luckily San Diego is host to DUI Drysuits (unfortunate name I know but not related to drinking I swear lol). Anyways.... they hold parking lot sales every so often and you get drysuits and a whole bunch of other stuff for super cheap (just clearing out inventory) so keep an eye on facebook. Some brave souls can deal with the cold year round in wetsuits, it's just so much more comfy in a warm drysuit.

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Ok now that i wrote a small novel hope it helps, welcome back, and feel free to ask anything else that comes to mind!

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edit: Forgot to mention dive shops. We mainly use San Diego Divers (best tank fills, tank VIPs, tank Hydros (all the other shops charge more and send the tanks here so skip the middle man), excellent NAUI/tech instructors), House of Scuba (front of the shop is small but they have a huge warehouse behind them and their return policy is unbeatable imho) ,and Ocean Enterprises (biggest in shop display, annual tent sales with unlimited air/nitrox fill cards, just pretty convenient for us). However there are a few others such as Beyond Land Adventures, North County Scuba Center, Oceanside Swim and Scuba Center. There are others I'm sure but those are the ones I have at least been into. Obviously in LA/Riverside/Orange County there are even way more (we have dealt with a few and if you want recommendations let me know).

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It's worth venturing up to LA during the dive show every year i think. Great lecture series, good deals on gear, phenomenal travel deals/raffles, and the party on Saturday is usually kind of fun too.

The Complete Sailor, by Seidman & Mulford.

I'm reading the second edition of the Slight / DK manual at present, and IMO it's quite poor. It features an incorrect theory of aerofoils [more], and the layout is a bit cluttered, but most importantly it's badly written. Sentences are poorly phrased, with repeated and redundant words, whole descriptions are a messy clusterfuck, and the author uses nautical words which it doesn't explain or define (and I'm sure at least once wasn't in the index).

I was impressed by The Complete Sailor when I read it, my first sailing book, but having read two more in the intervening weeks, my opinion has only hardened.

It is a beautifully and elegantly constructed work, and I say that not just because of Mulford's illustrations - he does deserve as much credit as Seidman - but also for the layout and the way topics are handled. Each page or pair of facing pages covers a single topic, and there's something particularly impressive in how it's explained in a way that the reader can understand - the book starts by talking about the wind, and thereafter every term or concept that is used to explain the current topic is one that has been explained already, previously in the book.

I really think that the authors deserve a lot of credit for how they lay a foundation of information and then build upon it - they make everything simple and logical, and any time you think "what does that mean?" you know that it's already been covered, and it's easy to flip back to the right section. The authors have taken a lot of information about a complicated subject, and made it really accessible.

The Complete Sailor also focuses more on the core concepts of sailing and seamanship than the other books do - they make more digressions about types of life preserver, wood vs GRP, details of yacht vs dinghy, and key dates in yachting history.

I haven't read Sailing for Dummies, but Herreshoff's Sailor's Handbook is pretty good, and I'd recommend anyone pick up a secondhand or remaindered copy to set alongside Complete Sailor. There's probably some stuff in the former that the latter skips.

The Dorling Kindersley book, though, just feels a bit like marketing-orientated writing - it's a thick book, full of high quality glossy photos and clean modern illustrations; it probably looks commanding in the store, and it'll probably be bought as a present by mothers and grandmas for teenagers who have developed an interest in the sport. Nevertheless, it's cluttered, hard to read and factually wrong.

I know that I could have expressed this comparison with more clarity, but it's late here, so I can only apologise.

Annapolis Book of Seamanship is the modern equivalent of Chapman's. Highly recommended and a great coffee table book.

This is the Chapman's that people are thinking of, and it's still completely legitimate, but I would recommend ABOS over it. You need to go into ANY reading regarding cruising with this anyway:

1. there's more than one right way to sail
   
   
2. there's always a more modern way of sailing
   
   Chapman's is outdated but it's not wrong. There are better ways of doing many things in it but you're going to do well to know the history as well.
   
   John Kretschmer is my favorite (right now) author as far as long distance sailing and storms. There are lots of good ones out there though.
   
   I recommend this podcast as well. Unbelievably good cruising podcast; Andy and Mia are great. And it will turn you on to a wealth of information.
   
   If you want racing resources or tell me specifically what you want to get into as far as sailing goes I can tailor my response to that.

As you have whitewater kayaking experience, your biggest obstacle is learning more about the ocean and getting experience paddling on it in safer areas than the Inside Passage.

As you live in the Rockies, that would probably consist of some more trips to the PNW, for several days at a time. I'd buy a 17" sea kayak. If you can find something on Craigslist, great, but there's a lot of overpriced junk on there too. Then again, if you're in no rush, you can wait for something good to come along.

Here's a great guide on buying a kayak

The best how-to book on paddling the Passage is Alone in the Passage. It tells you everything you need to take, where to camp, where to send food packages ahead of time, etc. It's great.

The best book on ocean kayaking I've found is Sea Kayak. It covers a tremendous amount of material in a concise, clear manner.

One more book I'd recommend is Sea Kayak Navigation.

The three books together will give you a lot of what you need to know. They're worth reading and re-reading during the winter months while you plan your summer trips.

They rent rafts for the lower Youghiogheny. I've never seen so many paddles just floating down the river! safety boaters were sticking extra raft paddles down their pfds. It seemed lots of people had no clue what they were doing and really needed a guide. Idk maybe it's changed. Upper part is pretty sweet though more like a creek than a river.
New River in WV I believe is higher CFS, meaning cubic feet per second. I met many folks there with little experience, but wanting to learn. Many of the larger outfitters will have trainings for prospective guides. We were allowed to camp on company property.
Many of the guides I knew did not have a raft guide certification, just first aid/CPR. I had one better, wilderness first responder. ACA Swift water rescue is a great class to take.
You should also think about taking a rafting trip as a customer on a few rivers. You will get to talk to the guides and will get great local knowledge. Try calling a few outfitters and tell them your story. They will know where you are coming from bro, was that the AT you hiked? Haha, buy this book, it's about kayakers but it's really great to explain whitewater: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0897320506/ref=pd_aw_sims_3?pi=SL500_SY115&simLd=1

I've kind of amassed a library. I'm a rank amateur, but here's what I've found helpful in at least orienting myself so far (I'm still working my way through these on a "total readthrough" basis, but I've flipped through and skimmed all of them) in the order that you should probably read them. Also, I've spent the last six months skulking around every sailing forum on the Internet.

I've found the greatest barrier of sailing for someone trying to get into it for the first time is understanding the language, and the second greatest is understanding the mechanical workings of the rig and how it physically interacts with the wind. These books have been super helpful in that respect. I can't speak to how much in the way of practical skill they may have imparted, but I know infinitely more about the subject than I did a few months ago.

• The Complete Sailor, Second Edition (mentioned already)
  
• The Sailing Handbook
  
• Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual
  
• The Sailmaker's Apprentice
  
• The Complete Rigger's Apprentice
  
• The Gaff Rig Handbook
  
• Hand, Reef, and Steer
  
  Those last two are because I despearately want a Gaff rig. If you're not planning on ever dealing with a Gaffer, you don't need them at all. If you only want to buy one of the books on the list, make it The Complete Sailor.
  
  There's also a bunch of online resources, such as about.com's "how to sail a small sailboat" article and ESPECIALLY the boating section of Animated Knots which can teach you a ton of knots.
  
  Hope that helps!

Thank you! We used the Bonaire Reef Smart Guide and found it to be really helpful. I recommend checking it out. We took a lot of video on the trip where my wife and I talk about what we liked best. We will post it on my channel but I'll try to post it here as well.

We really liked "Something Special" and the dives we did at Lac Bay on the East Side of the island the best I think. The stuff on the east side we did with Bonaire EastCoast Diving and had a really good experience. Definitely check that out.

This is a really good question and something I have long pondered myself. Now that it has been mentioned, I think it is a good question to ask DAN - perhaps something they can address in Alert Diver.

My theory is that it probably can increase risk of DCS, particularly when you are loading your tissues with longer halftimes heavily and when you crack your joints on ascent. My reasoning behind this is as follows (and I will try to make this a short as possible).

There is the assumption now in many decompression models (of note, the VPM and its variants & the RGBM) that there are micro gas nuclei in our tissues at all times, even before we go diving. Bubble decompression models aim to limit the growth of these bubbles by letting them offgas at depth before they reach a critical volume, past which they will only grow causing symptomatic DCI and/or alternatively limiting the number of bubbles in our tissues that reach a certain volume. If you're interested in the exact parameters of these models, I would suggest a book by Mark Powell called Deco for Divers. Anyway, I digress.

My theory is that since something like synovial fluid is likely a very poorly perfused tissue receiving little blood flow to its adjacent tissues, so it is going to take a long time for any decent amount of N2 (or He) to accrue in it. That said, if synovial fluid was relatively saturated with diving gases and then you went and popped that joint, a bubble would mechanically form from the cavitation of the popping and with that bubble being surrounded by relatively saturated fluid, there may be little in the way of a gradient for it to transition back into the dissolved state. Effectively, it would be a bubble beyond the critical volume which would only continue to grow - particularly if it occurs during ascent.

Now keep in mind that this is entirely hypothesis and I have no empirical evidence to back it up. I have cracked knuckles and toes and elbows many times while diving. In fact, I have also observed that my joints tend to have a faster "recycle-rate" while diving than they do on the surface (i.e. the time between when I can crack them again is decreased when diving.) This makes sense - the pressure should help redissolve that CO2 bubble more quickly. Nonetheless, I have never been bent (knock on wood) with or without joint cracking.

I would imagine that cracking your joints, if it does in anyway increase your chances of DCS, probably only does so very slightly, and that chance is probably only increased in the unlikely circumstances that you are diving with mixes containing fast-diffusing gases like He and/or bringing your body to full or near-full saturation (saturation diving).

That said, I have no medical degree and this is purely conjecture. But that is my theory... definitely something I have thought about a few times before. Good question!

I'm sure you already are but if not, start keeping eyes on the local used boat market. Wait and watch then pick your pitch. If it's too good to be true, it probably is BUT there are motivated sellers. People buy 2nd boats before selling their current one all the time, people inherit boats they can't afford upkeep on, people leave them at boat yards. This is especially true for smaller and older boats where the annual storage and upkeep can exceed the value of the boat itself.

Set up a separate bank account and figure out your annual cost of ownership. Start getting used to setting that money aside automatically each month. It'll give you a head start on your sinking fund so any early upgrades or repairs don't sting as much.

I watched and saved for 3 years until I was able to make a late-season steal on a well cared for Cal 2-25. Owner bought it for 6k, was paying 3500 for a slip and 1600 for winter storage. He was asking 5k but I waited until late in the season and offered 3400 pointing out the fact that he's breaking even on asking price by avoiding the looking winter storage. We settled on 3800 and we took ownership with 2+ months of the sailing season left.

While you're preparing, read the following books:

• Buy, Outfit, Sail: How To Inexpensively and Safely Buy, Outfit, and Sail a Small Vessel Around the World https://www.amazon.com/dp/1456310038/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Hi8YzbQ3KFZYY
  
• Don Casey's Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual: Including Inspecting the Aging Sailboat, Sailboat Hull and Deck Repair, Sailboat Refinishing, Sailbo (International Marine-RMP) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071462848/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lj8YzbYPNZDPR

Any of the rivers in N. FL. Suwanne(and feeding creeks)(best site is overlooking the big shoals), Okefenokee(all are good), Cumberland(brickhill Bluff), St. marys(at the horseshoe) can be fun in high water. PM if you want any more details. I realize this is 2 months late.

Edit: I spent 3 years in N.FL paddling every weekend. It has some of the best flat water spots. I STRONGLY recommend this book. It doesn't have everything but its a great jumping off point and will ensure that you get the right spots for what you want. WELL WORTH THE MONEY.

http://www.amazon.com/Canoeing-Kayaking-Florida-Canoe-Kayak/dp/0897329554/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1458152013&sr=1-1&keywords=paddling+florida

This isn't an answer to your specific question, but maybe it's helpful: The Complete Sailor, 2nd Edition has good sections on leaving from and returning to moorings and docks. Understanding the strategy and practicing in a safe place seems like the best way to learn.

Caveat: I've never sailed before. I'm just preparing to learn.

2 months ago. I just lightly tossed the conversation her way. I watch youtube videos all the time.

2 months ago I got "I would never give up my house to live on a boat full time"

Friday i brought it up again and it changed to. "That sounds interesting. I could see us going on like a 3 month long cruise to see if we like it.

From reading the Voyagers Handbook and watching MANY other videos this is how it goes. Women are always more resistant because they like security.. but it all changes when you leave the dock and start living it.

I dont know how many people I have watched that said.

"Yea we put stuff in a storage locker.. I dont think we will ever go back to that stuff"

It is funny reading both books and seeing that this is how this goes. Initial resistance and then.. they get more gung ho about it than you when they start seeing it is possible and you can actually live closer/better.

There is a reason there was like 10 youtubers last year and now there is like 300 and more every week..

all jokes aside.. I bought this last saturday

http://www.amazon.com/Voyagers-Handbook-Essential-Guide-Cruising/dp/0071437657/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452195215&sr=8-1&keywords=voyagers+handbook

and it isnt like a how to cruise book. This is a book that details the WHOLE process of how you go from working 9-5 to how you get you and your wife to sell everything and full time cruise. It is like a damn walkthru..

based on your posting you should get the book and we could compare notes.



that 35 footer is gorgeous.. and.. looks like "move in" ready shape.

That's awesome to hear, and once you get one welcome to the club. If you were anywhere near West Michigan I would invite you to join us but I'm guessing your not.

In response to a few things I have read while skimming this thread:

Hobie 16 are not hard to recover from a turtle. I would not recommend using a bob (giant float at the top of the mast) because I had heard of people suffering from a lost of speed due to wind resistance. Unless you and your crew are both tiny people or you will only be sailing it in lakes less than 20ft deep righting a 16 is fairly easy. All you have to do is release all of the sheets, pull out as much slack as you can on the main sheet, and then get all of your weight on the back of one of the pontoons. This will cause the bow of the opposite pontoon to rise and you can get it back to being on its side where you can do a normal recover. On that note I highly recommend a Hawaiian style righting system.

Yes they are big to trailer, but without going to a mano-slug with a drop keel or a bigger catamaran you won't find any dingy with that much sail area and or power to weigh ratio.

The one down side of any type of multi-hull that that they can almost always be out pointed by a mano-slug. If you are unfamiliar with pointing that is how close to straight into the wind you an go while still producing thrust with the sails. With a Hobie 16 you can get in the ball park of 45* off straight into the wind where with a mano-slug you can get about another 10 to 15 degrees closer. Where multi-hulls make up for that is in the speed. To make it to an upwind mark we may not be able to take a more direct route, but we can cover more distance faster. Plus, on a reach we can blow anything else out of the water.

Tacking (changing direction with the bow passing through directly into the wind) is more difficult than on a mano-slug, especially having to cover more of a change of angle thanks to not being able to point as well. This can be compensated with good technique. The basics of that are to keep the jib on the same side until and then let it back wind for a moment to let the wind push the bows through the dead zone and then bringing the jib over on the new tack. This can also be assisted by crew weight distribution to bring the new leeward bow out of the water so there is less resistance to turn.

You absolutely want to sail with a jib. While there are other designs of cats like the Hobie 14 (non turbo) that don't have a jib, the 16, as someone else mentioned, uses the jib as the forestay when when the jib is up. The jib and the main work in tandem by controlling the air moving over the main that helps generate forward force, and without a jib you are really SOL when it comes to tacking as the main alone is just going to act like a giant weather vain.

The name of the book may make it seem comically outdated but Catamaran Racing for the 90's is still often referred to as the Bible of cat sailing
http://www.amazon.com/Catamaran-Racing-For-Rick-White/dp/1880871009

If you have any other questions you are more than welcome to send me a PM. I have sailed little sail boats, raced big sail boats, and I have owned a Hobie 16 for about 4 years now (my girlfriends name for it is "The Mistress").

I think this is possibly the best: The Complete Sailor. Cleanly written, beautifully illustrated, and I learn something new every time I open it.

Btw, professional lessons are a relatively new invention. People have been learning to sail from their friends and neighbors for thousands of years, and all of the sailors I know are happy to pass that knowledge along. You might be better off, and save a ton of money, by joining a sailing club. Plus that way once you have a boat you'll have a group of peers to crew with you, go on cruises together, etc.

14 miles seems about right. (Edit2: Are you solo canoeing? Kayaking?) It really depends on flow, gradient, obstructions, fuck off time etc. The Choctawhatchee River is a sizable river so you shouldn't have to worry about many obstructions and I don't think there are any rapids or anything like that in that area (only substantial ones I can think of are on the Aucilla and Suwannee). There's a great book called Canoeing and Kayaking Florida that I would recommend you check out. I would also point you to FDEP's paddling guide for the river. You can check out all the paddling guides for other rivers here.

I've never paddled the Choctawhatchee but it looks like on google earth that sand banks are abundant, as a solo I would target these towards the end of your day as camp sites if the water level is right. It is legal to camp on floodplain (which beaches would be in) but don't argue if someone comes up and asks why you're on their land just tell them you will be on your way. (This has never once happened to me in my many years of paddling Florida's rivers.)

I will also say, while I haven't paddled this river, I have been to Morrison Spring. You are not going to want to miss that if that's part of your paddle. Make sure you allocate some time to hang there.

I can talk all day about paddling in Florida so if you have any more questions I'd be happy to help.

Edit to add "See this trail" link from FDEP: http://fdep.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appid=d1b432eb3ecf4c9f81c0e7a3e3f8c307

Wow, I guess it's not your fault. Education about dive computers needs to be much better. That said, the tables aren't to be fully trusted either.

The algorithms designed (from which the tables derive) are based on testing, mostly with young fit divers. That got the values by sedning people down and seeing when they reported symptoms. Oh - he got really sick, guess we shouldn't send them down that long. That's how they original (in a few methods) got the m-value - basically, top end of super-saturation various tissues in your body can take. Even then, in testing they found that 80% of DCS incidents occurred with a super-staturation less than 80% of the M-Value - meaning these were very conservative dives but still exhibited symptoms. Even without symptoms silent bubbles (i.e. compressed gas without symptoms) are always present. That line is said to be "a solid line through a fuzzy grey area"

By design the value you get from your computer is how long most people can dive without signs of DCS - that's not 100% and depending on the day it could be you. It's just probability.

Also, one thing to consider, with technical computers we can tune the algorithm conservativeness with limiting super-saturation of the tissues and requiring more off-gassing. When I take that computer diving in warm water I usually scale back the conservation a little since I'm not working that hard - even on this less conservative setting it's usually about 10-20% shorter NDL for me that what you'll find on a rec computer. I dive enough that I scale back my risk even when doing easier dives. I've seen several times, mostly minor, with by-the-book dives leading to symptoms.

Some sources:
http://dspace.rubicon-foundation.org/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/10152/VDC_2012_10.pdf?sequence=1
http://wrobell.it-zone.org/decotengu/_downloads/mvalues.pdf

Highly recommend:
http://www.amazon.com/Deco-Divers-Decompression-Theory-Physiology/dp/1905492073

Try buying her one or both of these books:

http://www.sailingforwomen.net/SailingInBalance.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Womans-Guide-Doris-Colgate/dp/0070067201

And look: women are, generally, much more hesitant about sailing because they've got the rougher end of the stick most of the time.

Women are more sensitive to smell and cold; they haven't got the upper body strength which is so useful, they get more seasick; hygiene can be a real drag; they're usually crew and galley slaves and cleaners more often than captains, and they almost always get yelled at by their male partners who act as captain.

And, frankly, the comments in this thread, which for the most part seem to consist of: 'Dump her, you pussy, or get a girlfriend.', are characteristics of the whole ass-hole macho mind-set of a lot of sailors that get them their longed-for divorces and, later, see them sailing alone and wondering why no female wants to join them.

If your wife won't even talk about it, but can't come out with why, she's frightened. She's not unjustified - there are a lot of things to be frightened about.

What I would suggest is get good at sailing yourself - really good; good enough that you can sail without having to shout or get into a flap. Join a club or group of friends, enjoy your hobby, take the kids, persuade your wife to come to events, and ease her into the life slowly.

I paddle a good bit. I'd strongly recommend buying the book in the link below. It's $13 but is an excellent jumping off point and well worth the money at twice the price. There's also the state paddling trails but I refer to the book more often than I do that website. You'll exponentially enjoy your time on the water if you set up shuttles for rivers(i.e. a friend).

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gwt/guide/paddle.htm

https://www.amazon.com/Canoeing-Kayaking-Florida-Canoe-Kayak/dp/0897329554/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

I was pretty much you last summer. Land locked state, no sailing club close by, no relatives or friends who sail, and a burning desire to get out on the water.

I was able to learn to sail in four steps:

1. Read a beginners book on how to sail. The book I chose to read was The Complete Sailor by David Seidman. http://www.amazon.com/The-Complete-Sailor-Second-Edition/dp/0071749578 This was a fantastic book that was only $10 bucks for the pdf version. It is well written and contains some fantastic illustrations. Talks about everything from keeping a sailors eye on the wind and weather, to docking and anchoring, and even has a chapter on trailering your sailboat if I recall correctly. Also Inspecting the Aging Sailboat by Don Casey was a fantastic read to help a brand new buyer have some idea of what to watch out for and what questions to ask when buying a used boat. http://www.amazon.com/Inspecting-Sailboat-International-Marine-Library/dp/0071445455/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449298309&sr=1-1&keywords=inspecting+the+aging+sailboat
   
   
2. Buy a small, cheap boat. I decided to start small and limited myself to getting a dinghy sailboat that was under a thousand dollars. I have heard that starting on a dinghy is ideal. Learning sailing theory in small, responsive craft will help you when/if you move up to larger keel boats where it isn't as obvious that you are making small mistakes. A thousand dollars is easy to make at a summer job. The repairs on small boats are really cheap and if things break your not usually out much money. You will learn the fundamentals in an environment where mistakes like bumping into the dock are not overly disastrous.
   
   
3. Watch YouTube videos. I ended up purchasing a Hobie 16 after reading the books. I had the gentleman I purchased it from help me step the mast and raise the main before I finally bought the boat. No test sail, just did it right there in his front yard. Most people will be more than happy to help you rig it up the first time if you just ask. Afterwards I hit Youtube and watched videos on how to rig the boat to make sure I had it right. Searched for more videos about "How to sail a Hobie 16" and watched all the videos I could find.
   
   
4. Practice, practice, practice. After I had watched several videos, read the books, and set the sails up in the yard it was time to get out on the water. I literally just picked a day with 2-3 mph of wind, put the boat in the water and went for it. Once I was actually out and sailing, the details worked themselves out. I watched even more videos and asked Reddit the occasional question.
   
   I was able to go from no sailing experience to flying hulls in 20~ mph wind inside of a summer with this method. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c105II-L8OA Far from perfect, but we are having a blast. I think a teenager would be able to pull of a similar feat with no problems. You will find fumbling around on the water is far better than dreaming from the shore.
   
   
   
   
   

loosely based on this book: A Diver's Guide to Southern California's Best Beach Dives

one our favorites is paradise cove, but its OC, traffic back is pretty bad, but its pretty fantastic. i try to make a point to get my fills at a shop local to the dive and talk them about the planned dive.

some are pretty bad, but some are great, ill go through my log and post a small list, i wont be able to do this until monday.

Nope, there's real science supporting this. Recovery runs don't deplete muscle glycogen stores since they're so low-intensity, but they do increase blood flow throughout the body--which ends up allowing for beneficial contents like vitamins, minerals, and glucose to be more quickly delivered to muscles, which means that muscle tissue can be more easily repaired. This is well documented in Swimming Fastest by Coach Ernest Maglischo.

I'd be more wary of high-intensity cardio since it can take over a day for your glycogen stores to complete replenish.

I'd reccomend reading http://www.amazon.co.uk/Deco-Divers-Decompression-Theory-Physiology/dp/1905492073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345549204&sr=8-1 if you want the basis to make a well reasoned choice about this. As a doctor I'm used to rolling my eyes at "layman" explanations of medical problems, but this book does a very good job of it.

7 hours should be a good enough margin in most cases imo. It all depends on your nitrogen loading. Going by the multi-compartment way of approaching decompression problems the logical reasoning would be that the faster compartments are the ones where you will have the most effect of exercise. Increased bloodflow to muscles will help clear them more rapidly of N2 (thus increasing the nitrogen pressure in your blood) but shouldn't have much effect on the fatty tissues.
On the other hand headaches and itching skin are signs that you have light DCS symptoms..

(disclaimer, not a certified diving doctor)

I highly recommend "Sensible Cruising: the Thoreau Approach" if you're wondering whether you can afford cruising. It doesn't need to be expensive and chances are you're richer than you think once you eliminate car/lodgings/starbucks expenses from your budget nd instead live on a (potentially frugal) boat. How frugal depends on you.

Great great book.

Btw "OP" or dude in pictures posted about his costs. About $15k/year

I'm a couple months in practicing on my own. I had lessons as a kid, but hadn't really swum more than a few meters (other than lounging around) in twenty years.

I've gone from around 90 seconds to go 50m to about 55s, swimming twice a week for half an hour. I feel like I'm making slow but steady progress, but I also am reading quite a bit from the library. The drill structure in Total Immersion sounds goofy, but is very rewarding so far. It does assume some swimming experience. And Swimming Fastest is huge but very detailed on proper form.

I never really felt like Youtube videos could explain what and why things were happening. I need really, really slow-motion that I can watch for multiple swimmers to see what they do differently, and the same. That doesn't seem to exist at high rez.

> o idea what "main the rails" even means? Is there a way to learn this stuff that doesn't cost a fortune?

Totally - there's tons of books and online learning about sailing:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/673.The_Complete_Sailor

https://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Womans-Guide-Doris-Colgate/dp/0070067201

(despite the title it's really well regarded on an intro to sailing)

And of course loads of info on www.USSailing.org

Man the rails, is a polite way of saying you are movable ballast on a boat to help keep it upright : )

But knowing the basics on how to man (and operate) a winch etc is a good place to start, if it is something you want to get into. Also in summer quite a few places offer introduction to sailing if you are interested for not a huge amount. *(And you'll learn if it's for you)

Also (depending on your age) there are quite a few community programs to get young people onto the water. Sailing a yacht, especially in windy conditions is great for fostering highly coordinated team work.

http://www.sailchicago.org/community-outreach/

http://www.carpeventus.com/

http://www.discoverboating.com/boating-courses/youth-boating-programs.aspx?page=48&age-group=0&youth-program-type=0&season-coverage=0&radius=0

http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Track-Sailing-Learn-Three/dp/0071615199/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=1J4DZ3N7YF0RQ&coliid=I2B25B3Z0DNFA9

http://www.amazon.com/Annapolis-Book-Seamanship-Edition-Revised/dp/0684854201/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345094921&sr=8-1&keywords=Annapolis+seamanship

As former instructor and 45+ years of sailing...2 good books for beginners. Colgate's Fast Track gives a very concise, clearly written 3 day program. A better 3 day jump start than any other I've found. Focuses on the core skillset to survive your first few missions. The Annapolis book is your in-depth comprehensive reference for all sailing related subjects. Way to thick to read straight through. Use it like an encyclopedia.

Knot books:
This book is great for the basic, every day kind of knots. I'd suggest this one to get the basics down.
If you have a lot of time/money/desire to learn knots, this is the knot bible. It is awesome. I found a used copy in good condition for cheap, so if you have a used bookstore, I'd suggest poking around in there for a copy. This book is HUGE (600+ pages) and incredible. However, it is somewhat excessive, with a lot of knots you'll probably never use.
As for sailing books, I like this one for explaining the basics. It not only explains how to do certain maneuvers, but why. The example on proas tacking is one of my favorites.

I'd recommend signing up for a basic class at a sailing school. Hands on learning will get you where you want to go much faster.

Additionally I'd recommend High Performance Sailing by Frank Bethwaite which is absolutely great even for beginners that only have a basic understanding of what a boat is made up of. This is probably why I say additionally, because you'll want to combine it with a class. Learning by doing is still a mantra even if you're a very theoretical person.

The book has a lot of information on wind, trim (sail shape and position), handling, and a bunch more things and presents it in a clear way on top of that. It's also a bit more in-depth than other books I've read that just preach old ideas about trim, this actually explains it.

spartanKid at least is too young to remember the Man From Atlantis TV program.... :-)

Ernie Maglischo's Swimming Fastest is the definitive swimming book and based the measurements/studies you've talked about. People such as Doc Counsilman spent their career on the fluid mechanics measurements of swimming. It's only recently (last 10/15 years) for example that the actual propulsive forces have been properly identified.

It is actually a great book, particularly enjoyable to those of us with a geekish aspect, I think you'd enjoy it. Long chapters on drag forces, propulsive forces, biological energy systems, metabolic training effects along with the specific strokes, distance & sprint training etc.

I read dozens of books before starting the voyage (perhaps half sailing stories and the other half practical books), but this one was probably the most helpful in terms of understanding what voyaging was all about. http://www.amazon.com/The-Voyagers-Handbook-Essential-Cruising/dp/0071437657

Good luck and swing by my IAMA at 1pm EST if you have any more questions!

I know you said books are not right because of time, but I still want to highly recommend The Complete Sailor, Second Edition.

Amazing intro book on sailing. Amazon Prime in just a few days if you can wait that long!

Hey, man sorry to hear about your roommate

You should come to Baja, it's very cheap and you'll probably get the most bang for your buck here. Contrary to what you hear in the media, it's very safe for surfers. Check out this book, Surfer's Guide to Baja. It's got some great spots to explore.

I live in SoCal and I'm learning to surf in northern Baja, it's great

I just finished Confessions of a Long Distance Sailor, and it was interesting. When I told my father I wanted to sail around the world, he recommended Once Is Enough. I'm half way through We The Drowned and Two Years Before the Mast at the moment and enjoying both. Master and Commander is next on my list. Chapman Piloting and Seamanship is always good for leafing through and studying up on technical skills.

Books:
Sea Kayaking Illustrated: A Visual Guide to Better Paddling

Sea Kayak: A Manual for Intermediate and Advanced Sea Kayakers

Sea Kayak Rescue: The Definitive Guide To Modern Reentry And Recovery Techniques

Fundamentals of Kayak Navigation

Other tips:

a) Join a club if there is one near you.
or: Join groups with the same interest near you
Generally the quickest way to learn. Ask in forums as well.

b) You already mentioned courses. Def. do them. This is the best way to improve your technique.

c) Practise. Practise. Just paddle around, sometimes test and extend your limits in safe conditions (example: Go out in windy to stormy weather with waves [<7bft, on really big lakes <6bft] with onshore wind on a bigger lake you know well. Keep near the shore, learn how to paddle in waves. Paddle parallel to waves. Just get experience. If you fall in, worst case the wind will blow you onto the shore soon(ish). Know your equipment, always wear a PFD, have apaddlefloat, pump, reserve paddle & paddle leash, comms device and ideally a buddy. Train rescue & reentry first. Tell people where you are and when to expect you back)

d) Read a few blogs from people who did long runs on rivers and oceans. Even if they've used an open canoe, you can still learn a lot (equipment, conditions, duration and so on)

e) Maybe some youtube videos, but thats - in my experience - a bad source for kayaking. Lots of people who don't know what they are doing but think they are professionals.


For the multi-month solo trip: Your space is very limited in a kayak. It will be hard to get enough food for longer trips. For long tours a canoe is way better, although not really seaworthy. Don't go alone.

> Interestingly offshore drilling rigs create an enormous deep water artificial reef and can attract all kinds of large fish. Great book written about it called Helldivers' Rodeo.

https://www.amazon.com/Helldivers-Rodeo-Scuba-Diving-Adventure-Oil-Platforms/dp/0871319365

I would strongly suggest the book Deco for Divers.

Buhlmann (ZHL-16C is the current iteration, I think?) is a standard deco algorithm, all the compartment values for different gasses and M-values are published. Most computers also implement gradient factors on top of Buhlmann. Here is a primer.

VPM is another algorithm, but it's on shaky ground when applied to mixed gas diving. RGBM is an extension of VPM (Suunto computers use RGBM).

This is probably also something you should read.

If you want to support different gas mixes, you need to be able to let the user specify the % of O2, N2, and He in each mix (I don't know if the M-values for H2 are readily available, but almost no one uses H2 outside of deep commercial diving and medicine), and you will have to treat each gas separately in the decompression model.

And please don't set the limit of the number of gas mixes to something stupid, like two (looking at you, Oceanic).

I really, really liked Helldiver's Rodeo. Don't know how much of it is true, but it reads kinda like a cross between Hunter S. Thompson and Anthony Bordain. Very entertaining read.

If you want to race in a straight line in strong wind then yes wider is better. But races for small sailboats are usually conducted on short courses with many turns, and if the boat is too wide it becomes too slow to turn.

This book has a section explaining this: https://www.amazon.com/High-Performance-Sailing-Faster-Techniques/dp/1408124912

Sensible Cruising is both incredibly practical and timelessly wise. Don Casey, one of the authors, has written some of the best manuals on sailboat maintenance and repair in existence. If you want to extend your cruise, this is your book

Swimming has been found through decades of research to have a very high degree of specificity, meaning that swimming is the best way to work on swimming, and cross-training with other activities will be of very limited benefit. If you're interested, the definitive book about training for swimming is Swimming Fastest.

Baja is great. Easy from SocCal. If you stick north of Ensenada, tons of access. If you go farther souther be prepared with maps, food, water, and a spare tire.

https://www.amazon.com/Surfers-Guide-Baja-Mike-Parise/dp/0967910056/ref=nodl_

Oh wow, I have not read that one - I'll have to get a copy.

I've gotten much enjoyment out of reading Royce's Sailing Illustrated, Capable Cruiser by Lin & Larry Pardey [along with everything else by them], and the Annapolis Book of Seamanship, among others.

1. Very, very few houseboats are designed for the open seas. But plenty of cruisers are.
   
   
2. Cruising is a code word for 'fixing your boat in exotic locations' so eventually you will learn how to fix everything. Many people start knowing very little. A lot of people seem to start by buying a fixer-upper and then learning to fix a lot of stuff before they ever set sail.
   
   
3. Are you going to sail solo? or have a small crew? Do you need stable, long term relationships? Or is hanging out with a wide variety of interesting strangers fine? You'll be able to communicate when at port.
   
   
4. Are you doing ocean crossings or coastal cruising? Are you sailing solo or with a crew? How long is your boat? Are you going anywhere near pirate territories? How skilled are you as a sailor? Is your boat really ocean worthy? Sailing is not super dangerous, and people tend to try to plan their crossing to avoid bad weather. But there is always a risk of bad weather, pirates, etc. You can control those risks to a degree but never eliminate them.
   
   You might watch this series:
   
   https://www.youtube.com/user/WhiteSpotPirates
   
   Which features a young, single female solo sailor with limited experience. It is, to some degree, an example of how to do everything wrong and still succeed.
   
   By way of contrast, S/V Delos is an example of a larger, more experienced crew on a much larger boat:
   
   https://www.youtube.com/user/briantrautman
   
   This is a pretty good YouTube channel that will give you an idea of the many, many things you can repair on your boat,
   
   https://www.youtube.com/user/madsdahlke
   
   A well regarded book if you get serious is:
   
   http://www.amazon.com/Voyagers-Handbook-Essential-Guide-Cruising/dp/0071437657/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1458677598&sr=8-8&keywords=cruising
   
   Ultimately, there are many ways to cruise, and you need to design the style that works for you. And then be very realistic about funding, planning, etc.
   
   
   
   
   
   

I think most other people will cover the good points. Some are broad topics like food planning and lodging. Some are small topics like not forgetting to sunblock the underside of your chin and watching for bedsores on your ass.

There are two books I consider definitive for what you want to do in terms of paddling: this and this. The first book is for the neophyte who wants to learn as much as possible before setting out on an adventure. The second book is about kayaking rivers and while many techniques will be beyond what you're planning to do, it pays to be aware of the situations that can arise on rivers before you run into them. Kayaking a river is very different from kayaking flat water, and not many books make this distinction very well. I consider both books to be definitive for what they are, and the vast majority of advice I could give you is contained in them.

Also buy the movie "Paddle to Seattle". It's a small independent film- google it and buy it from the guys who made it. It's cheap and is two guys chronicling a trip they made with a lot of similarities to what you're doing.

The Complete Sailor is an awesome book - use the Look Inside feature to check out the illustrations - they give the book a lot of character so it's great for a coffee table or for casual reading. Might be a little too novice for a 1-year sailor, unless your dad hasn't had much formal instruction.

As mentioned already, Chapman's is good - it's the bible for any waterman. However, it has so much stuff there's very little on sailing (only 40 pages on the topic). It won't tell you much about sail trim, for example. But it covers a lot - I read it cover to cover last year and if I retained anything (I didn't) I'd be a damn genius.

I can't wait for The Annapolis Book of Seamanship to come out with it's much needed 4th edition in January. I hear this is the bible for sailors, but I haven't picked it up since I'm waiting for that new edition. But only because it has more electronics/GPS mentions - I'm sure all the actual sailing stuff is the same between the two.

I'm quite seriously considering a sailing wander about early retirement/escape. I recommend r/sailing. There are some experienced sailors there, and sometimes the discussion addresses cruising. I'd also recommend The Coastal Cruiser: A complete guide to the design, selection, purchase, and outfitting of auxiliary sailboats under 30 feet--with a portfolio of successful designs , . Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere , and Chapman Piloting & Seamanship 66th Edition

Highly highly recommend The Complete Sailor by David Seidman. Not sure why but I find myself reading and re-reading this one more than Chapman (which is another must have). Happy hunting!

I don't have the instructor notes to hand so, from memory this is for two reasons:

1. The brain's initial reaction to the increased PPO2 (I can't remember the exact details of that but can look them up later)
   
   
2. The passage of O2 into the nitrogen bubbles causing a marginal increase in bubble size. This will be temporary and will be offset by the elimination of the nitrogen from the bubbles due to the change in pressure gradient.
   
   If you want a better explanation of the theory behind this, I highly recommend reading Deco for Divers by Mark Powell

The Complete Sailor, Second Edition, by David Seidman is the best beginner book I have found. It covers a lot of ground and is very clear in what it covers.

This varies largely by the size of the boat. Small boats that are still big enough to sleep in covered and dry are way cheaper than vans, larger boats -- well you can spend as much as you have.

The subject has been given considerable thought and an excellent resource about it can be found in the book Sensible Cruising: The Thoreau Approach : A Philosophic and Practical Approach to Cruising

EDIT: a word

I am 6'1" and liveaboard a 45' Gibson houseboat. It's pretty tight but I have about two inches of space above my head. My knowledge of boats is limited but I have been on a few larger vessels that had about 7' ceilings so they do exist.

It's mostly okay but sometimes it can feel a little bit claustrophobic.

Here are some must have books that will help with the mechanical end of things:
http://www.amazon.com/Chapman-Piloting-Seamanship-Edition-Handling/dp/1588169618

http://www.amazon.com/12-Volt-Bible-Boats-Miner-Brotherton/dp/0071392335/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1457992044&sr=1-1&keywords=12+volt+bible+for+boats

Cap'n Fatty has at least one book that addresses this question. He would add a #4 to your list, "You live frugally while at sea." But he also mentions a pretty good list of "jobs you can do at sea" - including skills in demand among other boat folks. He even mentions a dentist who had an exam chair in one of the cabins on his boat, IIRC.

I have a copy of that book - I don't remember it as being very good.

David Seidman's The Complete Sailor - it's so good that it defies words; it's hard to explain how clear and well-structured it is.

In addition to the other great advice, I'd suggest reading The Complete Sailor, and to emphasize, sail as much as you can.

oh..shameless plug for one of my heroes.

​

https://www.amazon.com/Buy-Outfit-Sail-Inexpensively-Safely/dp/1456310038/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537972806&sr=8-1&keywords=goodlander

I taught myself to sail with this book.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0684854201

Read it, bought a boat, and started practicing. Have fun!

> I've designed Tiny Houses.

Boats. Trust me.

It looks like a non-affiliate link according to this.

--

For a cleaner URL: amzn.com/0071437657

Use to sell this at the shop i worked at. Updated fairly often last I remmeber. Has some good info for new travelers.

http://www.amazon.com/Surfers-Guide-Baja-Mike-Parise/dp/0967910056

Bethwaite's High Performance Sailing is the bible of dinghy sailing.

I also found Helming to Win to be helpful

I recommend the Voyager’s Handbook by Beth Leonard... taught me a lot and will stay on my future boat!

The Voyager's Handbook: The Essential Guide to Blue Water Cruising https://www.amazon.com/dp/0071437657/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rmgEDbWHN8RN5

I've got the Sailing Bible. I hear the Annapolis Book of Seamanship is a must have as well.

Yep.

https://www.amazon.com/Helldivers-Rodeo-Scuba-Diving-Adventure-Oil-Platforms/dp/0871319365

Inb4 Deco for Divers is one of the most commonly suggested books to read. Mark breaks it down really well for us non-chemistry students whilst still being a very technical book. It will also leave you with lots of avenues for research.

this is the book you are looking for

Read this book. It has almost everything you need to know about boats. (Sorry about formating, on mobile)


Chapman's boating and seamanship.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1588169618/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_5GT2wb82GNEB5

A visual of how I would imagine spearfishing sharks near the Gulf's oil rigs as read in the book The Helldiver's Rodeo.

Voyagers handbook by Beth Leonard
http://www.amazon.com/Voyagers-Handbook-Essential-Guide-Cruising/dp/0071437657/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459294127&sr=1-1&keywords=voyagers+handbook

Everything you need to know is in this book.

Buy it, read it, and go from there.

The Annapolis Book of Seamanship

http://www.amazon.com/Annapolis-Book-Seamanship-3rd-Revised/dp/0684854201

High Performance Sailing by Frank Bethwaite link

Although targeted at racers (specifically dinghy and high-performance racers) there is so much good info about how wind works, how sails work, how to approach waves in different scenarios, why some boats that look fast aren't...

The voyagers handbook covers A LOT if you're planning to travel.

https://www.amazon.com/Voyagers-Handbook-Essential-Guide-Cruising/dp/0071437657

Go to your local library and check out any books they have on the subject. I found that my library has books for sailing in two different Dewey decimal system locations so check them both out.

The two big ones that I hear people recommending all the time are these two:

http://www.amazon.com/Chapman-Piloting-Seamanship-Edition-Handling/dp/1588169618/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380854381&sr=8-1&keywords=chapmans+piloting+and+seamanship

and

http://www.amazon.com/The-Annapolis-Book-Seamanship-Edition/dp/1451650191/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1380854397&sr=8-2&keywords=anapolis+book+of+seamanship

Although that second one doesn't come out with the revised version until january. (The last update was 1999)

The grand-daddy of them all: Chapman's Piloting and Seamanship

Coast Guard Auxiliary has courses and information, too. Or get yourself a copy of Chapman's Piloting & Seamanship. You should be able to pick up a used copy for under ten bucks, and it has all the info you need. Anybody who's serious about the maritime arts should own a copy.