In a modern society dominated by rules and regulations, speed cameras and parking meters, recreational boating is one of the last frontiers of personal freedom and a natural flow of life allowing you a unique perception of our beautiful city, where you are able to move forward without having to stay strictly between the lines.
While boaties always want to spend as much time out on the water as possible, on bad-weather days or when stuck in the office, it is nice to have some inspirational tomes around to get you thinking about your next trips out on the water. We rounded up some top new books to add to your reading list today.
LONELY PLANET’S AMAZING BOAT JOURNEYS
If you are looking for inspiration about where to go around the world for epic boating adventures, this Lonely Planet title has the goods. Published in October 2019, Amazing Boat Journeys features 60 of the best trips on water around the world. This list includes things like sailing the Nile by felucca, exploring Pitcairn Island by cargo ship, riding on a mailboat in the Bahamas, taking a glass-bottomed boat ride through Florida springs, or seeing what a trip on a historic sail- powered ‘windjammer’ is like.
The book provides detailed accounts of each route covered, including practical tips on how to plan this kind of journey yourself, information about life on board the different vessels, similar courses to consider, plus beautiful photography of each eclectic voyage. Trips range in length, too, so there is something to suit everyone.
POWERBOAT DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE: EXPERT INSIGHT INTO DEVELOPMENTS PAST AND FUTURE
Dag Pike’s Powerboat Design and Performance, released in November 2019, is the book that powerboat owners and operators have been wishing for. It analyses and reviews the design and operation of modern powerboats as well as the history of how they have developed over
the years. Pike is a well-known journalist and guru on powerboats who has won races around the world and
who navigated the Virgin Atlantic Challenger, Richard Branson’s boat, on its record-breaking fastest Atlantic crossing in 1986. In his book, he looks into how the design of different vessels impacts their control and performance, and how each design aspect has an impact both individually and as part of a whole.
Readers will learn about different hull designs, engine types, propulsion systems, and driving controls, and learn how to optimise the performance of their powerboats in varying sea conditions. There are also sections about dealing with uncommon scenarios and safety. The book features contributions from many of the best modern powerboat designers from around the world.
THE SYDNEY HOBART YACHT RACE: THE STORY OF A SPORTING ICON
Published in November 2019, The Sydney Hobart Yacht Race by Rob Mundle is a comprehensive (400- plus pages!) tome that depicts the story of the world-famous yacht race, one of the greatest sporting challenges ever created. Racking up 75 years now, the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race is an iconic event in the summer sporting season and attracts interest and media coverage from across the globe.
Bestselling author Rob Mundle (who wrote popular title Fatal Storm), is well qualified to write about this topic, having competed in the yacht race three times himself, and reported on it for over fifty years for both TV and newspaper. In the book, he looks at the history of the race and tells the stories of many of those who have competed in the event. He examines why it is such a drawcard, even though it involves facing such extreme conditions.
The book is a suitable read for anyone who loves watching the race on TV each year or who has ever wished they had the opportunity to be involved.
By Kellie Byrnes
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ENID & HER MAGIC YACHT: THE VOLCANO ERUPTS!
Written by Kiran Jay Haslam
Illustrated by Jaume Vilardell
Most of the time (if not all), the best adventures can be found in a child’s imagination. What they experience in reality is often turned into something more exciting, as their wandering thoughts bring them to places and give them strange and unique adventures that most adults cannot (or do not) even comprehend.
In the book, Enid & Her Magic Yacht: The Volcano Erupts!, we are introduced to the world of an 8-year-old, Enid, whose experience with her magic yacht, Captain Rollo, is always an adventure.
Enid and Captain Rollo’s story explores places that we would not even get close to. A volcanic island with talking totems, emergency news from a bird, and an underwater world with jazz-loving sea life set the theme for the exploration of nature. For children, this is a very valuable element to their growing years. Being in touch with what is around us in nature is an important aspect of our existence. The story is presented in illustrations that are easy for young children to identify with, and provide comical representation of the marine life. This is one tool that encourages the use of imagination, and can help ease some of the fears that children have of the unknown and the unseen.
The book’s author, Kiran Jay Haslam, included a superyacht element, as this book was created for Princess Yachts International. The book made an appearance in a marketing video for the promotion of one of the Princess yachts. The integration of this message into the marketing of the superyacht is a smart move to engage their clientele in a discourse on marine environmental protection and education, albeit very subtly.
The book encourages children to enjoy the ocean and nature, which we have a lot of in this country, and protect them when necessary from destruction. The story is a great way to send the message without preaching. It is also a good story to encourage children to enjoy boating, and explore the world on water. Encouraging them to appreciate marine activities will assist in educating them about marine life and how humans can peacefully co-exist with them.
We can all appreciate the good life – like luxuries and elegance – but we have seen time and time again how the simple things are most important to our children.
Published by Princess Yachts International. Proceeds of the sale of these books are donated to Marine Conservation Society.
By Roselle Tenefrancia
Published in the August – November 2020 print edition.
