I cannot recommend too highly this wonderful
book written by my good friends off
- Stylopora -
Robyn and Don.
Both are dentists which made them even more
popular with the cruising fraternity, they are more importantly, very
experienced, knowledgeable sailors and circumnavigators.
Michael E Briant.
HERE BE DRAGONS
Foreword
by Alan Lucas
Don Gilchrist is well known to readers of the magazine
Cruising Helmsman for his many articles during and since his world
circumnavigation of the 1990's with partner Robyn Boase. Like most writers he
felt the frustration of complying to a format that urges brevity and limited
expression. He always had so much more to say.
And herein lies the genesis of Here be Dragons. This book is Don released from a
restrictive format that has one writing in shorthand and often being
misunderstood by readers - to say nothing of having the best bits edited out.
This book, to steal a term from the music world, is Gilchrist unplugged.
Along with new material, Here be Dragons includes Don and Robyn's magazine
articles in their original form, allowing full philosophical expression and
practical cruising ideas to be formally married and properly developed. As they
have both discovered, sailing around the world - or just cruising to anywhere
for that matter - is not just being a tourist under sail, it is being deeply
involved in a whole new wonderful lifestyle: a life of less ambition but with
far greater outcomes.
Don's book will prove a useful tool for anyone about to cruise whilst giving
older salts neck-ache from nodding in agreement with his many ideas and
insights.
Alan Lucas
Anchored in Ballina, NSW, 6th June 03
Note:
Alan Lucas wrote the definitive
cruising guides
To Australian waters. I would
not sail that area
without his cruising guides.
MEB.
CONTENTS
Chapter Title - Page
1. Introduction 1
2. The Reality of Romance 19
3. My boat Stylopora 22
4. The Transformation 27
5. Transformer 30
6. Of Drunks and Scoops 41
7. Hope on the Horizon 48
8. Joint Authorship 53
9. Over the Top 56
10. Thoughts on Partnerships 63
11. Partnerships 65
12. A Scrubbers Tale 70
13. South East Asian destinations 72
14. Ambon to Ujung 75
15. Bali Survival Guide 83
16. A Tale of Two Props 91
17. The Night 100
18. Straits of Malacca 104
20. Legendary Langkawi 112
21. Culture Shock 119
22. Early Technical articles 126
23. In search of a Cold Beer 128
24. Taming the Walder 140
25. Backups and Crossovers 146
26. Phenomenal Phang Nga 154
27. The Visa Game 161
28. Surins, Similans and Sea Gypsies 163
29. Tinker, tailor, soldier… Sailor? 168
30. Pangkor 179
31. Slipups 186
32. The Rat 193
33. Overnighters 197
34. Hurtling through Space 201
35. Thoughts on Performance 205
36. A Rite of Passage 209
37. Recording the Red Sea 219
38. The Red Sea by Degrees 224
39. Pirates 233
40. Guns 'n Moses 237
41. Chainplates are forever. Right…? 248
42. Cabin Fever 254
43. Trips to Oz 260
44. Goats for 4000 years 264
45. Different Latitudes, Different Attitudes 266
46. On Compromise 277
47. Crossing the Pond 283
48. Anchoring 290
49. The Third pair of Hands 297
50. Let the Good Times Roll 304
51. Tradewind Sailing 312
52. Slavery and Islam 320
53. Security Aboard and Abroad 327
54. Pros and Cons, Covet and Love Letters 336
55. Weather Gurus 342
56. Global Weather 347
57. Local Weather 355
58. Getting interested in Weather 364
59. Weatherfax for Dummies 368
60. Tropical Cyclones parts 1 and 2 376
61. Weather or not? 387
62. El Nino and the Cruising Yachtsman 393
63. Panama: more than a Canal 397
64. Going Ready or Not 405
65. South Pacific Cruising Strategies 410
66. New Rules in Galapagos 421
67. Not so peaceful Pacific 427
68. Food for thought 433
69. The pull of Home 444
70. In the Blink of an Eye 448
71. The Bottom Line 454
Here be Dragons is published by:
Hard Cover: Australian$99
Roughly UK £40
Post and Packing A$30
Roughly UK £12
(P&P to Australia $15)
either email your order to:
frickerj@tidbinbilla.com
or go to:-
http://secure.netspeed.com.au/tidbinbilla/dragons.htm
where you will find a secure order form.
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