Book Review

Sue Montana and Bob Bennett share an affinity for sailing that’s surpassed only by their devotion to one another.

Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex will be a very nice addition to have prior to seeing In the Heart of Sea, the movie, a Ron Howard production scheduled for release in December.

After parting ways with her husband, leaving a well-paid job and selling her possessions, she chose the iconoclastic pursuit of long distance solo ocean rowing to find meaning in her life.

As a young schoolboy and avid sailor at Milton Academy in Milton, Massachusetts in the early 1950s, Llewellyn Howland III was drawn to one of his predecessors at the school, W. Starling Burgess, the designer of the grand J-Boat defenders of the America’s Cup: Enterprise, Rainbow, and Ranger; and the glorious staysail schooner Nina.

Whether you’re planning to build your own boat or restore a classic, you’ll want to own a copy of this indispensable reference book. Now in its seventh edition, The Boat Data Book is a compendium of tables and graphs including pertinent lengths, widths, weights and strengths.

An extensively revised eighth edition of a time-tested reference, Tom Cunliffe’s The Complete Yachtmaster is an essential read for anyone contemplating making a coastal or offshore passage. Taking into account new developments in marine electronics and sail handling systems, it has information about using the newest chartplotters and integrated systems and navigating with apps, tablets and smartphones.

Fifteen-year-old Luke Constance, well-read, worldly and wise beyond his years, tells the story. One day in 1858, while he’s asleep aboard his grandfather’s schooner in Marblehead, Massachusetts, a pair of thieves steal the ship and head out to sea.

Author Sam Jefferson, one of the foremost authorities on clipper ships, tells the story of how these magnificent vessels shaped worldwide commerce and culture.

With Long Island Sound literally in their backyards, affluent families including the Astors, Morgans, Sloans, Roosevelts and Vanderbilts commissioned fast, luxurious yachts that they used for everything from commuting to the city to racing and voyaging.

The first of these manuals, Composition Tips, covers the fundaments of successful sailing photography including keeping your horizon level, framing your subject with the rule of thirds, shooting from different angles, and editing your images. There’s also a “Shot Busters” section comprising tips on avoiding things that can ruin a shot, and every page is illustrated with examples of both good and not-so-good photos.