| Amateur Radio Where and how you do your boating dictates the communications equipment you need. Consider adding amateur radio to your VHF-FM or single side-band (SSB) array. Here's a guide to the pros and cons of "ham" radio, FCC regulations, and steps to getting a license. | Plotting & Labeling Standards Describes nautical plotting and labeling techniques and provides recommended standards for navigational use. |
| Boat Insurance Do you really know what's covered by your marine policy? Don't be blind-sided by "exceptions" you learn about only after a loss: understand what you're buying. | Predicted Log Contest No one knows your boat's handling and performance better than you do. Predicted log contests pit your knowledge and skills against other boaters' and your own past results. Join boating friends in this fun boating competition. |
| Compass Adjusting Trust your compass? Will it guide you home? Maybe-if it's properly adjusted. If not, it can give you a false security and might lead you into danger. Don't take chances; adjust your compass using these step-by-step instructions. | Oceanography Phenomena on, in, and under the world's oceans affect our everyday lives, even if we can't see them. This is a non-technical guide to marine geography, earth crusts and plates, ocean chemistry, effects of weather, tides, currents, and wave formation. |
| GPS (Global Positioning System) If you don't own a GPS now, you may soon. Boaters use GPS to find positions and plan passages everywhere. Here's how to use a GPS receiver: you can do it too! | Radar Whether you're using radar, or are the "target" on someone else's set, know what radar screens do and do not show. If you are considering buying a radar set, read this guide to radar selection, installation, use, and maintenance. |
| How to Fly Flags Do you want to look as nautical as you feel? How you fly flags, whether afloat or ashore, tells everyone around you just how professional you are. Here is everything you need to know to fly your flags correctly and smartly. | Sight Reduction Methods Celestial navigation-using sights taken on stars, planets, sun, and moon to plot your position and course-remains a vital skill for ocean-going yachtsmen, even in this day of electronic navigation. Here are five major sight reduction methods: law of cosines (calculator); NASR Tables; Modified Ageton; HO-229; and HO- 249. |
| Introduction to Sailing How does a sailboat move into the wind? Why are some sailboats faster than others? Basics of sailboat handling and performance answer these and similar questions for every boater in easy-to-understand language. | Skipper-Saver Man Overboard! is a dreaded yell on any boat. Skipper Saver teaches what to do and how to operate the boat in any emergency. A must for everyone who joins friends for boating fun. |
| Introduction to Navigational Astronomy Mariners who put to sea marvel at the millions of tiny lights that adorn the night sky. Share their wonders, dream their dreams, with the help of this non-technical guide to the celestial bodies of the northern hemisphere. | USPS Nautical Glossary What is advection fog? Radiation fog? What is a sentinel; how it is used in anchoring? What is a lift? Definitions of nautical words and phrases used by boaters everywhere. |
| Knots, Bends, and Hitches Proper use of lines and knots is a sure sign of a savvy boater, and different kinds of rope are best suited for different uses aboard a boat. Easy-to-follow diagrams show how to tie the best knots and splices for any job. | Water Sports There's more to water skiing than just shouting "Hit it!" Help your family and friends get started the right way with a grasp of the basics of ski-boat handling, equipment, hazards, corrective actions, and high-performance skiing. Wind surfing and personal watercraft are also discussed to improve your water-sports knowledge and safety. |
