Mariner's Weather [Paperback]

William P. Crawford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1992

The single most important fact of life to the racing yachtsman, cruiser, or merchant seaman is the weather. This book about the weather, written by a master mariner, sets out to fill the gap between "instant knowledge" books which prvide a veneer of jargon, and heavy texts requiring prior knowledge of meteorology. This book presents instead a seamanlike survey of the basics of weather, offering a foundation for practical observation and interpretation as well as a ground-work for advanced study. Basic information on the atmosphere, winds, heat and its consequences, clouds, fogs, fronts, tropical cyclones, ice, instruments and charts is provided here.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

William Crawford is known to thousands of shipmasters and officers as a teacher and as author of nautical texts that have been selections of national book clubs. Now retired from full-time teaching, he is still an active staff member of Crawford Nautical School in Seattle and in 2010 his first novel, The Lake, was published. More detail on Crawford’s World will be found on his website, www.williampcrawford.com. Also in 2010 he was chosen Maritime Person of the Year by The Council of American Master Mariners, Seattle/Pacific Area Chapter and the citation read in part “Captain Crawford is being recognized for his distinguished career in maritime training. In his books and in class he has role-modeled a uniquely enjoyable teaching method that focuses on relevant subject matter along with a touch of whimsy.” Mariner’s Weather reflects that uniquely enjoyable method and has become a classic. Understanding basics is what the book is all about and from this 2011 reissue readers will gain the same understanding of fundamentals received by thousands in the past. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (May 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393308847
• ISBN-13: 978-0393308846
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,160,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Handbook for the Mariner., December 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mariner's Weather (Paperback)

This is truely a gem! For those who are going to sea or those who are weather enthusiasts, this book should be in your library. My wife and I sailed across the Pacific and were helped immensely by Crawford's book. It is well written for both the unfamiliar reader as well as those wanting an in depth understanding of what makes weather happen and what to expect while it's happening. With almost every page having diagrams or photographs, Crawford takes the reader through an explanation of the atmosphere, introducing the reader to the whys and wheres of winds, the role that heat plays in meteorology, discussions of clouds, fogs, ice, and fronts. He discusses weather instruments and weather charts. The book is directed toward the mariner, both professional and cruiser. Though his book is not layed out specifically with generalities first, followed by increased specifics and details, it is not difficult for the reader to get the general gist of what the author is trying to convey, without having to sort through pages of confusing details. At the same time, those who are hungry for the intricacies of meteorlogical phenomina will have a hard time putting the book down: for them it will be like a compelling novel, and their sleep schedule will likely suffer as a result.

I am surprised to find that I am the first to review this fine book, because I regularly give it as a gift, and well received it has been!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Definitive Book on Weather, April 21, 2005

By 

Pablo R. Vitaver (Ft Lauderdale, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mariner's Weather (Paperback)

After reading over a dozen titles dedicated to explain weather to the sailor, I finally found the book that really explains the causes, development and forecasting in a way that can be understood and used by those going to sea. My prior efforts included attending several multi-day seminars, but I was not satisfied with the results of my reading and studying until I got this book. The concept of stable or unstable air is fundamental to understanding weather, and this is the first book (among the ones I read) that explains "adiabatic lapse rate" as it relates to the heating of the atmosphere and the effect on weather formation. It also includes easy reference tables to recognize and forecast change, the evolution of fronts and the visible signs of it: including cloud formation, etc. that makes our life aboard more predictable. These concepts are more complex and sophisticated that most authors dear to explain, but without understanding them the picture is incomplete. This book is not easy read: just going through the pages once, is not enough to grasp the concepts (at least not for me), as I had to re-read again several chapters, but it is worth it if you truly want to understand weather and be able to make predictions. This is not `reading' material, but `study' material. The one concept the book does not cover enough is the Jet Stream and its influence on the creation of pressure systems, as in a curve down would create a low, and a curve up will produce a high pressure system, but this is repeated in all other books. He does mention the 500 mb chart, but does not go over it as much as I would have liked it. This book was first published before the Internet so it does not include any reference to it as a way to obtain weather information. An updated edition would be great, but all things considered, this is still the most complete and the best book on weather I found.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, for Weather One is Not Enough, June 14, 2007

By 

Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mariner's Weather (Paperback)

I buy books in pairs or triples, but in the case of weather, both in preparation for the 35-hour Advanced Meterology Course and as a reference library after the fact, I bought four, the other three hot-linked below.

Weather extremes are getting worse, NOAA is under-funded and has trouble getting one 96 hour forecast out, the bottom line is that we are largely on our own where the boat meets the wave offshore.

This book is packed with more detail, including very specific guidance on what to do in relation to specific situations, and absolutely great multiple choice quesitons at the end of each chapter.

This is "the" textbook, but I don't believe in just one book, so I like all four together.

See also my list of books in my sailing library.

Understanding Weatherfax
The Weather Wizard's Cloud Book: A Unique Way to Predict the Weather Accurately and Easily by Reading the Clouds
International Marine's Weather Predicting Simplified: How to Read Weather Charts and Satellite Images