Daria Blackwell

Happy Hooking - The Art of Anchoring is a very readable book on boat anchoring. It is loaded with valuable information on anchoring tackle, anchoring technique, tying up and rafting, anchoring etiquette, as well as the occasional anecdote - simply stated a must have for any boater or sailor The third expanded edition of Happy Hooking - the Art of Anchoring features: More gearMore photosMore illustrationsMore independent reviewsExperience from both sides of the AtlanticPersonal anecdotes based on many thousands of miles of sailing and countless times anchoringUnless you are far offshore, at some point or another you are going to need to 'park' your boat. Just like knowing how to stop your car before you start is perhaps the most important part of driving, we feel that anchoring is perhaps the most important skill you can and should acquire in boating. Anchoring a boat can be a lovely dance in a harbor, or a painful and often embarrassing display of Homo sapiens' inability to plan or communicate. We will endeavor to help you find a combination of tackle and technique best suited for your circumstances when anchoring your vessel. By outlining how different anchors work, the pluses and minuses of different adjunctive pieces of equipment, the current thinking about how to deploy this equipment, and how to select an anchorage, we hope you will be armed with enough information to make some informed decisions about what might work best for you.If you could take only one piece of advice from these pages with you on your travels, perhaps you will remember what Tommy Moran, an old salt in the West of Ireland, advised time and again: "Anchor as though you plan to stay for weeks, even if you intend to leave in an hour."Happy Hooking EDITORIAL REVIEWS: Ocean Cruising ClubThe definitive textbook on the subject.Cruising Club of America"Happy Hooking" is well organized, well-illustrated, and easy to read. It should be mandatory reading for novice sailors and charter operators would do well to place copies throughout their fleet. This would be an excellent gift to up-and-coming boaters.Captain John Jamieson, Author of Skipper Tips and Seamanship SecretsThe single most important guide to anchoring for the modern sailor of the 21st century. Easy to read and filled with super clear illustrations and drawings. Add "Happy Hooking-The Art of Anchoring" to your onboard list of "must have guides" for safe anchoring-wherever in the world you choose to cruise SailWorld.comMight be compulsory reading for the new sailor. Even the most experienced will find much new material here.Latitudes & Attitudes SeafaringThis is the bible for all things anchoring.Irish Cruising ClubIt is hard to imagine a more comprehensive study of the topic. This is a remarkably easy book to read.AMAZON REVIEWS (2nd ed): Happy Hooking is the best book on anchoring techniques and equipment I have found to date - full of practical advice and enjoyable to read as well. Right up to date with all the latest gear. Anchoring bible - A must to all sailors. An Essential Learning & Safety Manual. So easy to read and comprehend, full of common-sense advice and tips. Given that personal, crew and boat safety is a major issue in choosing an anchorage and the subsequent anchor setting, this book is a fantastic safety manual on the subject. Well written and interesting, packed full of good advice. I'll keep it on board for everyday reference. Many thanks to the authors Great Resource. Every boater should have one. Keep it on your boat. Well explained with picture diagrams. We have bought this book for our friends who are novice and experienced boaters. An excellent book. Very detailed and very clear.

My name is Onyx and this is my story. I wrote it for the Little Peo-ple, Big Peo-ple, and even Non-Peo-ple. I hope you all like it.I was born sometime in August, no one knows exactly when. My mother's Peo-ple came back from their holidays to find five kittens, all girls, frolicking under the porch. They got to work calling all their friends and soon found loving homes for all of them... all but one that is. That one was moi...Onyx. No one wanted me because I was all black. All the Peo-ple who came to see me thought I was a magic cat, and they were afraid. I didn't like them either and chose to stay with my mother. Then one day a She-ple who was really different came. She spoke about a dream she had had about a black kitten named Onyx. My name is Onyx, and I am black. Now that was interesting. I looked her over and liked her straight away. She was different. I could feel her. She was meant to be mine, so I adopted her on the spot.And so it was meant to be that I came to live with the Peo-ple Blackwell. I, Onyx Blackwell, was going to be a cruising kitty, and I was going to see the world in a boat.Excuse me if I take a nap while you are reading.