Customer Reviews

The Perfect First Mate: A Woman's Guide to Recreational Boating

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Congratulations to the author. Thanks to Joy Smith, I can relax more while packing for our cruising vacations. By sharing her experience in boating it has made preparation decisions more efficient and economical for me. I saw myself in some of her situations and I had a good laugh. I was also surprised to know that there is more than one "Captain Myway"!!!!

I have been boating for many years and after reading The Perfect First Mate by Joy Smith, it has made life much easier. Now my husband and I can enjoy cruising as well as boating with Joy's tips, especially on keeping and storing food items. It takes many years to learn what she has to offer and I thank her for it!

The Perfect First Mate provides very helpful information to any new or experienced boater. It includes tips on provisioning, bedding and a lot of other helpful hits that are not necessarily common sense to any new boater. It think it reads well and the author has a great sense of humor!!!

The " The Perfect First Mate" is an exceptional written guide that benefits new and existing boaters. It is practical, up-to-date, and has great ideas for making boating life enjoyable and easy! I also appreciate the subdued humor throughout the book. I recommened this book to any boater who wants to spend more time enjoying boating, and less time with worrying about the "grunt work".

When I read the title of this book, I had to purchase it for my girlfriend. She loves boating, and wants to be more "hands on", but sometimes my teaching style is not the best! After reading the book, I was embarrassed to give it to her.


I was hoping for a book that would offer a woman's perspective on navigation, docking, assisting in tricky situations, the use and tying of the correct knot, throwing a line...you know, all of the important stuff that a first mate should know. What I found in this book was a cutely written manual on how to pack for a trip, clean the kitchen and head, stow gear, prepare meals and entertain guests. If your "first mate" prefers these mundane tasks over the enjoyment of actually participating in the thrill of boating, this book is for her (Although, I can't imagine anyone who has lived to adulthood without a maid not already knowing these things). The cover photo shows a woman studying a navigational chart on deck. Don't believe it! This book is straight out of the 1950's.

I enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to both new and experienced boaters. Joy Smith takes a practical approach to the day-to-day operations of living aboard no matter what the length of time is, a day sail, a weekend outing or the extended cruise. Join her for a good laugh along the way!

I brought this book to help me understand how a woman feels about cruising, but found the orientation more towards weekend and holiday sailing.
That said the author offers some real insight into what is important to a woman on a boat.

An intertaining, but informational book, written by a woman with a great sense of humor; someone I'd love to meet.

As a new boater I found the Perfect First Mate full of valuable information and enjoyable to read. The author uses years of experience to help take the guessing game out of boating and the vast amount of preparation you need to make it enjoyable. Read this book!

Although I loved the title, this book is full of inconsistencies, bad information, and a bunch of poor writing. Save your money and put it into your boat.