Select delivery location
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

How to Avoid Huge Ships Paperback – January 1, 1993

3.8 out of 5 stars 1,420

You are the owner-captain of a luxury fifty-foot trawler motoring across the bay with your family and a few friends one balmy summer evening. Off in the distance, beyond the bridge spanning the waterway, you can make out the lights and shape of a containership moving down the channel. Have you ever wondered what action you must take to keep clear of that fast-approaching ship? This book will tell you how to do so quickly.Conscientious skippers are wise to read this book and discover if a ship's radar will pick up a small boat at night. It is fascinating to learn what is taking place on the bridge or down in the engine room of one of these leviathans as it heads your way. Can it be stopped before it hits you? Learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones by reading this book written for the private boat owner/captain.

The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cornell Maritime Pr/Tidewater Pub; 2nd edition (January 1, 1993)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 112 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0870334336
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0870334337
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.25 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 out of 5 stars 1,420

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
John W. Trimmer
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
1,420 global ratings
The absolutely necessary and comprehensive guide to avoiding huge ships
5 Stars
The absolutely necessary and comprehensive guide to avoiding huge ships
Many other great reviews covered common topics, but I personally found that Chapter 17: Avoiding two Dimensional Thinking helped me escape a huge ship.
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2015
I bought the book, How to Avoid Huge Ships, for my brother and his Bride based on other reader's comments on the advice in this 99 page book as the most insightful on avoiding a lifetime of Huge Ships which are apt to show themselves in even the strongest of marriages. For my brother, the self-proclaimed “Little Ship” of the family, these pages are full of wisdom that raises Captain Trimmer’s words well above any advice that could be gleaned from watching Dr. Phil or Oprah, or even writing for bits of encouragement from Dear Abby or her sister, Ann Landers, on avoiding Huge Ships that can be encountered in a marriage. The Captain goes step by step identifying in chapter one the characteristics of Huge Ships and in later chapters goes into detail of the forces and environmental impacts of Huge Ships – which is vital for the bride to know when entering into a lifetime commitment with a Ship. If these items are not recognized early on, Little Ships can run into Big Ships, or worse, Huge Ships. Anyone can buy sets of China, soup bowls, etc., but they can be smashed.. or otherwise ruined in events where Huge Ships are not avoided. What would be the point of these gifts without knowing how to avoid Ships of Magnitude! So read away my Little Ship brother and Soon to be Bride of our family's Little Ship. May you both have Fair Winds and Following Seas in your marriage, Vonny and Philip, and (of course) may you be blessed with a fleet of Little Ships!
68 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2011
My wife and I are both avid boaters. We've often pondered the appropriate protocol while at the helm, for huge ship avoidance. Captain Trimmer has both educated and enlightened us on the subject. In fact, on a recent trip to Jamaica, we encountered what could only be described as a HUGE SHIP, and summarily avoided it with a deft hand at the controls. I credit this work of nautical genius with our cool response, eventual safety, and ability to live to tell the tale.

Should you doubt the need for this book in your library of nautical tomes, look no further than this review for affirmation that this is a must have for any seafarer. So much so that when I was looking for a gift for my bride on the one year anniversary of our nuptials, I chose this book to fulfill the gift of paper.

Happy Anniversary, Baby!!
61 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2023
I bought this book for my cousin last Christmas. His boat was crushed by a large ship two months later. To be fair, my cousin is blind.
17 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2024
Last July, I had plans to take my family on a summer voyage through the Gulf of Mexico. I had rented out a small fishing boat from my Uncle Tom. I thought that I had everything set and ready for the trip: life preservers, sunscreen, and drinks. About two weeks before the trip, I came across this book at my local library. Of course, I had heard about the danger of enormous vessels previously, so I naturally bought 5 copies of the book for each member of my family.
About halfway through the book, I was shaking with the terror of anticipating an interaction with a ship larger than my own. My wife and oldest son felt the same way, even though they had only read the introduction. It was time to take action. I canceled our vacation plans and sabotaged Uncle Tom's fishing boat so that he wouldn't have to test the fate of his own life either. At this point, I thought I was safe so I discontinued my study of the book. I couldn't have been more wrong.
The very next week, there was a severe flood caused by an Atlantic Hurricane. I was out in the office, when suddenly out the window in the distance I saw it. A behemoth of a maritime watercraft in the distance, making its way to our humble Mississippi town. The barge was headed straight for my home! I tried to call my wife to warn her, but it was too late.
Needless to say, I should have taken this book more seriously. If so, I could've avoided the catastrophe that took place. Let all hear my tragic tale and learn from my mistakes.
One person found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2024
Many other great reviews covered common topics, but I personally found that Chapter 17: Avoiding two Dimensional Thinking helped me escape a huge ship.
Customer image
5.0 out of 5 stars The absolutely necessary and comprehensive guide to avoiding huge ships
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2024
Many other great reviews covered common topics, but I personally found that Chapter 17: Avoiding two Dimensional Thinking helped me escape a huge ship.
Images in this review
Customer image
Customer image
Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2015
I don't want to be negative but none of the reviews I have read have addressed the fact that there are two editions. You want to make sure you buy the latest edition so that you have the most up-to-date information. Do you want to get run over by a huge ship just because you neglected to buy the latest edition? No, I didn't think so.
476 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2013
Hello there. I am hoping someone here can help me. I am a large supertanker plying the Indian Ocean, mostly between the Persian Gulf and India and China. I am 24 years old, a quarter mile long, and can carry many hundred thousand tons of oil cargo. I have never had a serious relationship, and am fearful of plying the seas alone for the rest of my days.

It is hard to find love when you are very large. There are not many other compatible ships. Everyone says that the Mediterranean or the West Indies are the best places for finding that special ship. The problem is that I am too large for the Panama and Suez canals, so I am mostly limited to the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific. (Although I did go to Oregon USA once).

My ideal partner would be either an aircraft carrier or the very largest of container ships. I am not choosy about nationality, but I do like good hygiene; I have the best environmentally friendly anti-fouling paint, and appreciate that in others. I have a good sense of humour, my foghorn is very deep and can be heard at over 20 miles and has an ironic note to it.

I am so hoping that someone here can help me find that special ship. I have tried dating smaller ships, but they never appreciate the qualities of steady progress and keeping a straight line in even the largest seas. I have tried tug boats, they are wonderful and look after my physical needs in port, but I am really looking for a ship I can connect with on an emotional level on the open seas.
69 people found this helpful
Report
Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2013
I'm very much scared of ships. I live over a hundred miles inland and at 6,000 feet elevation but one can never be too careful!
333 people found this helpful
Report

Top reviews from other countries

susan
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on August 17, 2017
Very happy with the book and the service.
Ray Gutnick
3.0 out of 5 stars Incorrect cover
Reviewed in Canada on September 19, 2015
Just a comment that the cover is not the same as the photo, so points deducted