Tropical Cruising Handbook [Paperback]

Mark Smaalders (Author), Kim des Rochers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 9, 2004

"A rare gem--an instructional book that is as inspiring as it is sensible and comprehensive."

--Cruising World

The only guide devoted exclusively to low-latitude cruising, Tropical Cruising Handbook arms cruising sailors with the knowledge and skills needed to sail the tropics. It includes:

• Equipping a boat for tropical sailing
• Maintaining gear in tropical environments
• Passage making and coral-reef navigation
• And more

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A rare gem - an instructional book that is as inspiring as it is sensible and comprehensive." - Cruising World "Will have a permanent home on our boat." - Cruising Helmsman "What strikes me most about Tropical Cruising Handbook is not so much the wide knowledge and hard-earned experience that inform every page, but the smart, straightforward writing. This book clearly demonstrates that sensible, safe voyaging in the tropics is an achievable goal." - Tim Queeney, editor, Ocean Navigator"

From the Back Cover

The Only Comprehensive Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Low-Latitude Cruising.

Tropical Cruising Handbook provides everything you need to know about sailing the world's tropical oceans, including:

• Weather patterns and sea conditions, generally and region by region
• Reef navigation, anchoring, and other key tropical seamanship skills
• Tropical passage planning and passagemaking
• Equipping a boat for tropical sailing
• Maintaining gear in tropical environments
• And much more

"What strikes me most is the wide knowledge and hard-earned experience that inform every page, and the smart, straightforward writing."—Tim Queeney, Ocean Navigator

"An indispensable addition to the cruising yacht's technical library."—Boat Books (New Zealand)

"Will have a permanent home on our boat. . . . Thoroughly recommended."—Cruising Helmsman

"Don't go cruising in the tropics without Tropical Cruising Handbook."—The Islands' Weekly

"Condenses much of the information you'll need into one compact source."—Good Old Boat

Yacht designer and geographer Mark Smaalders has been sailing for more than twenty-five years. Kim des Rochers is a geographer and editor. They live in New Caledonia, where they sail their 35-foot wooden sloop Nomad. Visit them online at www.tropicalcruisinghandbook.com.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition (August 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071440305
• ISBN-13: 978-0071440301
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,419,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Practical Guide In One Book, February 22, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tropical Cruising Handbook (Hardcover)

There are lots of books that do their best to guide you toward successful sailing but they never tell the whole picture. They all leave something out so you have to buy several books to get all that you need. This is the best and most complete single book on what it takes to do practical sailing, specializing in the tropics. Everything to think about... food and it's preservation,repairs to the boat, weather(cyclones) and forcasting, tropical diseases and how to stay healthy, and my favorite- pirates..how to stay away from them and be safe...of course much more. It's highly readable,too. If there was a fault I guess would have to say I wish there was more story telling of the author's experiences in his 25 year cruising time.But this book can't be beat for practical teaching and price. So I guess I read stories another time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nearly great, September 12, 2005

By 

---- Neil H. "A Trailer Sailor's Library" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tropical Cruising Handbook (Hardcover)

Too much time spent discussing the environmental damage to corals, and then the state of coral for each destination. If your goal is to dive at every stop, this is the book for you, if not, you can skip many parts of it. The other sections are excellent.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tropical Cruising Handbook, July 20, 2002

By 

Christopher Morton (Cabarita Beach, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tropical Cruising Handbook (Hardcover)

I have been a "wannabe" tropical cruiser for several years. I have read several 'cruising guides' and many magazine articles, but when I do go this is the one that will be on board. It is all there, well presented and in language we all understand. A gold-mine of solid, practical information, excellent value.