Full Description
The essential guide to cruising, geared to the charms of inland waterwaysHave you been dreaming about buying a boat and cruising the waterways? Not sure how to start living your dream? Experienced sailor and devoted inland voyager Danny Davis brings you an inside look at what life on the seas is really like. In The Inland Voyager's Handbook, he reveals everything you need to know to safely and smoothly cruise in hundreds of miles of canals, rivers, and locks dotting the earth. You'll find expert advice on choosing the right boat in your price range, preparing for a thunderstorm, dropping anchor, transiting locks, and much more. Inland voyaging means there are no big ocean swells or storms to contend with and boats within modest price tags-making this an attractive and attainable lifestyle no matter what your age or pocketbook. The Inland Voyager's Handbook features: * Descriptions of how and where to travel, including all North American loops from Alaska to Florida, as well as European waterways* Soup-to-nuts explanations of the type of boats used, the lifestyle, and the many places for inland cruising* How-to information pertinent to the inland areas covered, including locks and canal transits* Down to earth instructions on how to choose and prepare a boat for voyaging, and much more
Contents
IntroductionHow this book can help youWhat are the Inland Waterways?Part One: Boats for Inland VoyagingChapter One: The Desire to Own a Cruising BoatSteel, Fiberglass, or Something Else?New Boats or Used?Fuel and Propulsion IssuesPre-Ownership ResourcesChapter Two: AccommodationsOverviewStateroomsSaloonsInboard Engine NoiseTrawler and Sailboat SaloonsThe HeadThe GalleyThe Engine RoomChapter Three: Boat EngineeringFiberglass HistoryA Look at Four Different Boat StylesDesign Ratios and Engineering ConsiderationsHulls and DesignsDeveloping the Basic DesignOut-of-Bounds ExtremesChapter Four: The Business of Buying a BoatWorking with a BrokerContractsSurveyors and Sea TrialsNegotiationsThe Boat that Did Not FinishChapter Five: Upgrading Your BoatThoughts on UpgradesProp PullersDinghiesDeck LightsChapter Six: Cruising on the ICWSchuckers and Thompsons: Two Lesser-Know Boats Worth ConsiderationChapter Seven: Ropes, Lines, and RiggingChapter Eight: Where Will I Store the Boat?Yacht ClubsMarinasBoatyardsSeasonal StoragePeculiarities of Sailboats and Their CareSteering SystemsThrough-Hulls and SeacocksLightning ProtectionBoatyard TimeChapter Nine: Life AboardProvisioning: Buying StrategiesHousekeeping TipsMoney and MailPart Two: Inland BoatingChapter Ten: Boater SafetyBoater Training Safety GearLife JacketsVessel Safety CheckMixing People and WaterChapter Eleven: First LessonsFirst Time at SeaBoat StoresChapter Twelve: Impediments to Life Aboard ShipThe Biggest Cruising ProblemElectrical Power: Generation and StorageRefrigerationChapter Thirteen: Anchoring SystemsHow Anchors WorkSelecting AnchorsProblems with Stock Type AnchorsAnchor SizingScopeAnchor ChainFitting the Chain on the BoatRefining the Ground-Tackle SystemSnubbersThe Art of Weighing AnchorWhere to AnchorAnchoring Choices and Your Cruising StyleCruising GuidesWater DepthBoat Behavior on the HookWindageChapter Fourteen: WeatherWeather BasicsWeather PatternsClouds and Forecasts Weather ReportsChapter Fifteen: CommunicationsVHF RadiosVHF RangeVHF Radio Safety FeaturesSafety IssuesA Case of Search and RescueInformation SourcesRadio TypesRadio EtiquetteChapter Sixteen: NavigationDead ReckoningChartsNavigating When You Can't SeeChapter Seventeen: Rules of the RoadCOLREGSChapter Eighteen: BridgesBridges that OpenRunning the BridgesWet Road RageChapter Nineteen: LocksTransiting a LockThe Industrial Canal LockAvoiding the Industrial Canal LockPart Three: The Inland WaterwaysChapter Twenty: Cruising on the WaterwaysCruising SpeedMeeting and Passing Stopping Along the Way Firearms On BoardChapter Twenty-One: Memorable Trips and LessonsThe Great Loop TripThe Hudson RiverThe Okeechobee WaterwayOffshore DelightsOffshore SeasEuropean Canal Cruising Favorite PlacesSeafaring Lessons Learned PostmortemAppendicesA: Suppliers and ResourcesB: Tools and Maintenance SuppliesC: Reference BooksD: Sample ContractE: Sea Spirit (ex-Digger's Dream) SurveySea Jay SurveyIndexNER(01): WOW
