Help in your pocket when your mind goes blank

This glossy paperback is subtitled 'everything you need to know to get yourself out of trouble at sea'. Living up to their promise, the authors deliver vital information on the core skills of seamanship in an easy-to-read manner, making this book a good corrective to digital dependency.

Divided into four sections – seamanship, problem fixing, emergencies and first aid – it covers a range of practical skills; anchoring, taking a bearing, repairing an LPG leak, dealing with a man overboard, putting out a fire in the engine room and much, much more. The authors also discuss 'soft skills' that can be just as vital, like building a cohesive crew.

Novices will find it invaluable, but even skilled veterans will pick up helpful (and potentially lifesaving) hints.