Motorboating Start to Finish

Barry Pickthall is a respected sports writer and photographer and has been covering all aspects of sailing and boating for the past 35 years, 20 of them as a yachting correspondent to The Times newspaper. He has been covering the international stage for the past 4 decades from the Olympics to America's Cup and Round the World Races. Barry is also a qualified sailing instructor – having graduated from one of the first courses held at the UKSA.

GETTING STARTED; BASIC PRINCIPLES: Powerboat types, Parts of the boat, Propulsion systems, Buying a powerboat, Transporting and launching trailable powerboats, Knots and ropes; PREPARING TO GO TO SEA: What to wear, Essential equipment and safety checks, Getting onboard from dinghy and dock, Rules of the road; FIRST VOYAGE: Boat handling and trim - mooring and anchoring, Tides and weather, Basics of navigation, Radio etiquette; SAFETY AT SEA: Passage planning, Navigating in restricted visibility, Boat handling in heavy weather, Towing, Fire prevention and control, Man overboard; Glossary of terms; Acknowledgements