John Vigor is the answer guy if you’re having onboard arguments about nautical terminology or the science of sailing in general. His new book, The Practical Encyclopedia of Boating: An A-Z Compendium of Navigation, Seamanship, Boat Maintenance, and Nautical Wisdom, is just what that long title promises.
Problems with your alternator or diesel engine? John’s troubleshooting guides are there to help. Weather forecasting and cloud charts: John’s there for you. A right-of-way decision tree? Page 250. How to figure your boat ‘s capsize screening formula? See John about it. Center of effort, center of buoyancy, center of gravity? Ditto. Sail reduction strategies? Ask John. Buoyage systems (printed in color, of course). Likewise.
Need a smile? John offers that also. Check out the entries for coins under the mast, the black box theory, and sailing on Friday for special insight as only John can offer it.
John does the copyediting for Good Old Boat magazine. That means he’s wearing his technical and editor’s hats when reading each article before it goes into the layout process. We rely on him to keep us straight (nautically speaking). We’re not sure whether or not John keeps his vast storehouse of yachty technical information in his head. But he’s one guy who knows where to find it when he needs it. And with his book, you can too.
