Weather at Sea, by David Houghton (TPB, 1988, $1.50)
If you are going to be a top meteorologist at the British Met Office, it helps to have a doctorate from MIT. And if you are going to be a sailor, it helps to know something about weather. Houghton claims "...weather is not as fickle as it sometimes appears. There is an ordered sequence in the unfolding of a thunderstorm or the development and oscillations of a sea breeze. A fundamental understanding of the mechanisms will make you a better local forecaster..."
The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea, by Sebastian Junger (TPB, 1997, $1.50)
(I assume this story has a happy ending. After all who would kill off George Clooney?)
The wildest part here is this storm wasn't even considered a hurricane, "just" a northeaster. Having grown up in a suburb of Atlantic City, I know about northeasters, and have heard about hurricanes. Atlantic City is actually an island joined by causeways to the mainland. Causeways, for you landlubbers, are roads built over marshes, and they flood during storms. Translation, once the storm hits, you ain't going no where no how. Margate, where I lived, was 5 blocks wide, and when a hurricane came to town, the ocean level would rise, the bay would rise, and then the sewers would back up. So even if your house wasn't under water, you still had problems. The Perfect Storm's northeaster spawned waves 10 stories high, and winds 120 mph. Sure sounds like a hurricane to me. (I am not sure the Weather at Sea book would have helped these fishermen.)
Do-It-Yourself Improvement Projects: Upgrading for Increased Enjoyment and Enhanced Resale Value, edited by Keith Lawrence (HC, 1988, $2)
I was going to shelve this under home improvements, till I realized it went along with the other sailing books.
