Archive for the ‘Books & Media’ Category

If you are thinking of using wind or solar power and want to learn more, you should have this magazine.  Every issue has an article about a real life installation.  Solar power, solar hot water, electric cars, NEC code info.   Fairly technical, but written for the general public.

see www.homepower.com   or call for the latest.  $7  BUY NOW

12 & 24 Volt Refrigeration Manual    $30.00
by Richard Kohlman

Richard Kollmann is the go-to authority when it comes to marine or RV refrigeration. If you’re adding or changing the refrigeration on your boat, you should get this book. This $30 investment can save you hundreds of dollars and hours of aggravation!

Not particurally well written or edited, this independent information is not available antwhere else, and is invaluable to anyone purchasing refrigeration for their boat.  Richard has been around marine refrigeration for a long time, and is not afraid to tell you what he likes or dislikes about the various manufacturers.  He has done a lot of independent testing of the various systems, and the results are in this book.

Yoga Onboard: a guide for cruisers and live-aboards    $22.95
By Kim Hess

buy now 

This is the most beautifully inspiring yoga how-to book I’ve ever seen. Just looking at the pictures and reading the quotes make me feel more relaxed! Her pages are stiff so they don’t easily blow in the wind while you’re working out on deck, and they’re glossy so you can quickly wipe off stray water droplets.

The organization is simple. The positions and stretches are for everyone. And she shows you how to use parts of the boat to assist you, which makes lots of sense!

A fine book to have on board for stress reduction and injury prevention!!!

Marine SSB Radio for “Idi-Yachts”    $29.95
HF Radio E-Mail for “Idi-Yachts”    $29.95
by Capt. Marti Brown

buy now

For readers who are intimidated by all the technical jargon on these subjects, Marti’s books explain in simple layman’s conversation the how/why/when of successful operation of your marine radio for monitoring weather and maintaining contact with friends and family. Excellent resources by a knowledgable technician!

Spanish For Cruisers  (2nd Edition – NEW!!)   $31.95
French For Cruisers    $29.95
by Kathy Parsons

Useful resource books for boaters in countries where Spanish or French are spoken! Each contains not only basic conversational words and phrases but also (more importantly) vocabulary specific to boat parts and jobs, including exploded diagrams of important systems along with the names of the various pieces. Handy to have even if you’re fluent!!

sample page

Guys, if you think you’re covered in this department because your wife is a native Spanish speaker from Panama or the Dominican Republic or wherever, … think again!  Does she know all the technical words for the engine parts or electrical components?  Do your friends’ English-speaking wives or partners know all the technical names in ENGLISH? These books will make their value OBVIOUS to you once you get to French-speaking or Spanish-speaking countries!

An Embarrassment of Mangos
By Ann Vanderhoof
A great read!! Ann is a writer by profession (former editor of Cottage Life magazine and contributor to Port Guides) and put together a great story! We actually met these fun folks in Grenada back in 1996 when we were all exploring the island for the first time! We shared an anchorage with them and rode around together in Cat-Eye’s “maxi-taxi” for an overview of the island. A more positive-thinking couple would be hard to find, and the uplifting attitudes come through in her book. It’s a story of their journey from Toronto through the Caribbean, learning about their boat, meeting people and making friends. It’s a comedy. It’s a tale of island history. It’s a collection of island recipes she learned along the way. It’s also her personal discovery that boundaries and limits are set within our own minds and that we can pick them up and move them around any time we choose. The book defies categorizing and is even enjoyed by the guys!  John says, “If you have a special lady friend, and want her to go cruising with you, this is the book you should buy for her to read.”

$14.95