When Chapman Piloting lands on your doorstep--all 656 pages of it--it's easy to feel daunted. Have faith, sailor. Now in its 63rd edition, Charles Frederic Chapman's masterpiece is a boater's bible. Indeed, one Amazon.com customer raves, "if you could take a class called Boating 101, this would be the textbook." It's more than just a basic text, however; it's a complete curriculum of nautical knowledge, from knots to navigation, docking to distress calls, plus etiquette, protocol, and terminology for powerboaters and sailors alike. Accessible to the beginner, Chapman Piloting is an essential reference for even the most experienced sailor. A necessary component of any nautical library. Highly recommended. --M. Stein

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Here is the most comprehensive boating resource available, updated to meet all your boating needs. This edition has all the up-to-date essentials that boaters and boating organizations have depended on for decades. As the standard text relied on by private boating schools throughout the country, Chapman's is also recommended by the United States Power Squadrons and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary for their own public boating-education classes.

Both powerboaters and sailboaters will find within the pages of Chapman's the crucial information they need to participate safely in their sport, whether as weekend sailors or seasoned voyagers. Chapman's includes all the most recent advances in boating, including in-depth information on navigation using satellite technology, recommended procedures in emergency situations, as well as all the current laws and regulations governing the nation's waterways.