In addition to updating our friends and family on our travels, we created this blog as a resource for other potential cruisers. Without others sharing their knowledge, we probably would have never moved forward ourselves. We will keep this as a running list in hopes that it helps in your own research. We have found the following helpful in our preparations.
Books:
Practical Seamanship, Essentials Skills For the Modern Sailor, written by Steve & Linda Dashew – Excellent introduction to offshore cruising with many tips
The Voyagers Handbook, second edition, written by Beth Leonard – The go to source for planning your cruising lifestyle, the detailed financial charts are great conceptually but may need slight adjustment for inflation
Yacht Design According to Perry, written by Robert Perry – Bob explains all to the layperson so you can figure out what aspects of design are important for your cruising plans
My Yacht Designs and the Lessons They Taught Me, written by Chuck Paine – How Renegade’s designer evolved from his early Morris boats to fast offshore cruising machines
Marine Diesel Engines, Third Edition, written by Nigel Calder – Book used in Jim’s diesel training classes. Makes it easy to understand key concepts
World Cruising Routes, written by Jimmy Cornell – The universal standard of routes to take for offshore passages and when it is best to go.
Wilderness and Rescue Medicine, Sixth Edition, written by Jeffery Isaac PA-C and David Johnson MD – This was the text used in our Offshore Emergency Medical class and is a great reference.
Sailing a Serious Ocean, written by John Krestschmer – An expert delivery skipper and offshore instructor gives his insights on boats and storm strategies through first hand experience.
Fiberglass Boat Repair & Maintenance, written by Gougeon Brothers Inc. – Explains how to repair most GRP problems one will encounter on a boat
Longitude, written by Dava Sobel – Short read on how the mystery of determining one’s longitude at sea was solved with the use of chronometers
Cornells’ Ocean Atlas, written by Jimmy and Ivan Cornell – Pilot charts for all oceans of the world
The Cruiser’s Handbook of Fishing, written by Scott & Wendy Bannerot – How to equip, fish, land, and process your catch while offshore on a sailboat
Training Classes:
Annapolis School of Seamanship, Marine Diesel Basics and Marine Diesel Engines Level II – The first class gives theory and the 2nd is more hands on with instructors sabotaging the engines so you have to figure out the fix.
Wilderness Medical Associates, Offshore Emergency Medicine – A three day course with hands on training that prepares you on how to handle medical situations onboard in remote locations.
US Sailing Safety at Sea – For crew members of offshore races, long distance cruisers, any sailor wanting to improve his/her sailing skills
Sea School USCG OUPV – Great course for paper chart navigation, navigation lights, rules of the road, fire fighting, distress signaling, aids to navigation, and more
Websites:
noonsite.com – Up to date site on country check-in/out formalities and crime/theft reports for cruisers
svsoggypaws.com – Most detailed online cruising guide for Pacific island chains
sailingjeannius.blogspot.com – This is a completed circumnavigation blog with daily entries. We ran across this couple while on charter in 2009 and started following their journey in the 2010 World ARC. Reading her entries every day for over a year spawned the genesis of our cruising plan.
svfieldtrip.blogspot.com – This is an active circumnavigating family we have been following since 2011 when we were interested in Antares 44 catamarans. The most helpful content is in the early entries since they have probably lacked connectivity to post as much in recent years.
outchasingstars.com – An active circumnavigating couple with great documentation and tips for the cruising life. Product reviews are very helpful.
Attainable Adventure Cruising – A paid service with reviews, tips, and feedback from a knowledgeable subscriber base. The site probably has the most collected insight on anchor types, drogues, and jackline setups to be found anywhere.
svbebe.blogspot.com – Good documentation on a detailed cruising budget over several years
sailcloudybay.com – Great narratives of current conditions in almost all possible anchorages in the Caribbean and sights to be seen on each island
Podcasts:
On the Wind – Offshore sailing instructor Andy Schell interviews interesting sailors from diverse backgrounds
The Boat Galley – Short topics on all manner of cruising tips
Under The Sheets with the O’Kellys – Active live aboard cruisers give insight to the lifestyle
Videos:
Top Ten List of YouTube Sailing Channels – Some episodes have educational value while others may emphasize entertainment.