What we’re Watching

Chisels, Plywood and Frames There’s something highly satisfying about watching sheets of plywood, planks, frames and other odd bits and pieces of wood slowly transform over time into a boat that sails or powers its way across the water. Along the way, there are many things to learn: scarfing, painting, planing, sanding, chiseling, lofting and more. Those are some of the boatbuilding and repair skills you can learn by watching master shipwright Louis Sauzedde, who posts his boatbuilding videos to YouTube in Tips from a Shipwright. On the channel, you can find complete, keel-up boatbuilding projects including a sport dory and a small work skiff, as well as tips for making your own repairs to fiberglass and wood boats of all types. You’ll be handy at boat repairs and boatbuilding in no time.  

Deep Into the Blue Imagine you’re diving in crystal-clear water. A pod of dolphins swims by. Schools of fish shimmer in the sunlight. Before long, you’ve found a drop-off in the seafloor, and then, suddenly, a humpback whale rises from the depths.

The stunning seascape is part of Beyond Blue, an interactive video game from Apple Arcade. These scenes are part of the life and work of Mirai, a deep-sea diver and explorer.

As sea creatures swim by, players can zoom in, swim closer, and then discover its scientific name, its unique behaviors and its role in the ocean environment. The graphics are stunning and navigating the diver through her environment makes the game highly immersive. (Apple Arcade, $5/month)

More salty reads

Learning the Wind

For someone who’s never done it before, sailing can be both thrilling and terrifying. While there’s nothing like gliding along silently with the wind behind your back, steering, sail trimming, raising and lowering sails and docking can induce anxiety in even the most even-keeled people. In his new book, Go Sailing: The Ultimate Guide to Getting Afloat, author Simon Jollands says that when it comes to sailing, it’s way easier than most people think. Jollands reviews basic principles: how to steer; how sails work; how to trim them; how to tie essential sailing knots; basic nautical terminology and much more. More advanced subjects include ground tackle and anchoring, handling a man overboard situation, and even the curious particulars of how a marine head works. ($18, Adlard Coles)

Pushing to the Edge

During his lifetime, author John Kretschmer has put hundreds of thousands of miles under his keel, sailing several times around the world while deeply exploring far-off lands—some friendly, some not so much. During his lifetime he’s made challenging Atlantic and Pacific crossings, narrowly escaped a coup in the Middle East, had an unpleasant encounter with a reef in Belize, and a whole lot more. Kretschmer describes these adventures in his book, Sailing to the Edge of Time, which is now available as a paperback. Along for the ride with Kretschmer are leaders of companies, actors, writers, teachers and children. The book’s narrative weaves in practical sailing tips and advice about seamanship, but also has insightful commentary about how we each can live life more fully and adventurously if we simply push the envelope a bit. ($18, Adlard Coles)