Wrecks As Relics

Packed with powerful photographs of shipwrecks from all over the world, Stefano Banazzo’s 144-page Wrecks: The Memory Of The Sea commemorates these ships’ histories and the sailors who ran them. Banazzo describes shipwrecks as “The evidence of men who have been cornerstones of economic, social and maritime history,” and connects their personal stories and tragedies through the relics he photographs. The photos bring the ships to life for Banazzo, who observes “The wrecks seem to be miraculously ready to sail again … ” ($32, Skira)

To Serve, Preserve And Conserve

Ben Emory spent a lifetime exploring Maine’s extraordinary seascapes on a variety of watercraft. A conservationist, preservationist and boater, Emory’s book, Sailor For The Wild: On Maine, Conservation and Boats, shines a light on Maine’s gorgeous ocean environments and seascapes, as well as the author’s work with Maine Coast Heritage Trust, the Land Trust Exchange (now Alliance) and The Conservation Fund. The book is illustrated with vibrant photography and the accompanying text describes Maine’s varied seascapes and, in particular, how land trust organizations worked to save some of them from development. Emory intertwines sailing and sea stories with the conservation history of the places he dearly loves and worked so hard to save. ($20, Seapoint Books)

Essential
Maneuvers

Now in its fifth edition, Shiphandling for the Mariner is the quintessential text for serious maritime students preparing for commercial careers and nautical geeks who just can’t add enough marine wisdom to their libraries. Inside are insights from father-and-son team Daniel H. and Daniel E. MacElrevey, both with long-running careers as pilots on the Panama Canal and Delaware Bay and River, respectively. Inside the book are chapters covering docking, undocking, and essential shiphandling maneuvers, plus uncommon movements such as docking at single-point and multiple-buoy moorings, use of anchors in shiphandling, offshore lightering and transiting locks and canals. Updates in the fifth edition include squat and under-keel clearance, bridge resource management and the use of notebook computers for navigation. ($34, Cornell Maritime Press)

This article originally appeared in the July 2018 issue.