Small Boat to Freedom is the moving and inspiring story of one man's decision to leave the country he loved because of a political situation he abhorred. John Vigor had it all, a loving family, a secure and well-deserved reputation as a syndicated South African newspaper columnist, and a lovely home in one of South Africa's most beautiful cities, Durban. But an apartheid-regime clampdown on freedom of expression forced Vigor to the wrenching decision to leave his idyllic life-and financial security-and leave South Africa on a 31-foot sloop with his wife and seventeen-year-old son for a precarious voyage to a new but uncertain life in America.At age fifty, Vigor had been a journalist for eighteen years, working for anti-apartheid newspapers, raising a family of three sons with his wife, June, also a journalist. But in 1987 the South African government and its once-untouchable apartheid policy was crumbling. In an attempt to clamp down on dissident opinion, the government began restricting writers. The Vigors knew it was time to leave, but to do so meant losing most of their savings, the scant remainder of which they used to purchase a boat for the dangerous voyage from Durban around the Cape of Good Hope and across the South Atlantic to Florida.Small Boat to Freedom is an emotional and colorful account of two journeys, one of conscience, the other of courage, each inspired by the author's strength and that of his family.

Product Description: In Twenty Affordable Sailboats to Take You Anywhere you will find in-depth reviews of twenty affordable, comfortable, and seaworthy sailboats. These boats range in size from 30-38 feet,an ideal size for the cruising couple, yet big enough to accommodate an occasional cruising hitchhiker or two...read more

Product Description: One glance will convince you that this is not at all your usual boating book. It's quirky-funny in some chapters, serious in some, and quite over the top in others. And yet, as experienced boaters will realize, it's really a book about safety at sea, supplemented with plentiful advice about how you can improve your odds of survival in various circumstances...read more

"Vigor is one of the finest boating writers of our time."­­Cruising World Boating encompasses an impressive array of disciplines, and every sailor or powerboater worth his or her salt is, by turns, a seaman, navigator, mechanic, electrician, painter, carpenter, meteorologist, medic, cook, and even, on occasion, a diplomat. Which is why it is so surprising that, until now, there has been no single-source reference to which a mariner could turn for practical, up-to-date information in all these areas. The Practical Encyclopedia of Boating is the first guide to all practical­­and many theoretical­­aspects of recreational boating under sail and power. From seamanship to maintenance, navigation to boat design and construction, nautical lore and esoterica to the science of how things work, this handy reference gives sailors and powerboaters quick access to just the right amount of information needed to answer most questions and solve most problems.

Product Description: This quick-reference guide is an on-board data bank, compiling in one place all the facts, figures, tables, and graphs boat operators need. In 17 chapters ranging from deck gear to electronics to rigging and fuel calculations, it groups information logically for both power- and sailboat owners...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

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Offers advice and recommendations on equipment, including books, backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, and accessories, and provides tips on first-aid, food, and supplies

Product Description: This quick-reference guide is an on-board data bank, compiling in one place all the facts, figures, tables, and graphs to which a cruising sailor must occasionally refer. In 17 chapters ranging from deck gear and electronics to spars, rigging, and navigation, it groups information logically; an extensively cross-referenced index acts as a search engine when needed...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

Product Description: Between these covers is the essence of centuries of seafaring experience, distilled into a concise, alphabetically organized reference for sailors and powerboaters. You'll find rules of thumb for hull thickness, bottom paint coverage, estimating distances, when to hoist and lower flags, predicting weather, which colors are unlucky, rope size and strength, anchoring rights, making a rum punch, and a lot more...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)

While their father is away at a medical conference, Sally, Peter, and Andy Grant set up camp at the edge of a lagoon on Crab Island and become involved in an adventure involving a wounded dolphin and drug smugglers.