I really appreciated the merits of this book when I didn’t have it during a recent trip to the Caribbean. The Sequel has nothing to do with gentlemen and/or sailing to weather. It is, however, an indispensable resource for cruisers.

Suppose you are chartering a boat. This is the perfect companion to help you out of indelicate spots. Forgot to charge the battery? No problem, here’s a recipe for restarting the diesel in spite of those missing volts. Knotmeter’s broken? Never mind, construct a Dutch log to measure your speed. Mainsail’s spilling all over the place on takedown? Here are several ways to rig lazy-jacks.

Do you know the difference between an embassy and a consulate? Why fold, rather than roll, charts? Why not to splice an eye in the end of a bucket lanyard?

All these tidbits are not offered free of opinion. With plausible reasons, Denton Moore suggests: replace refrigeration with a pressure cooker; don’t use an automatic bilge pump; the best anchor rode is not all-chain; why you shouldn’t carry a life raft; and more.

There are chapters on picking the right boat, outfitting, vessel management, seamanship, weather, piloting and navigation, and traveling out of the USA.

This book is a gem. Drawn from questions fielded at speaking engagements across the country, it is relevant and to the point. I won’t go cruising without it.

Gentlemen Never Sail to Weather: the Sequel by Denton R. Moore (Prospector Press, 2000; 236 pages)