FRANCIS B. COOKE
Think Chapman’s combined with L. Francis Herreshoff’s Compleat Cruiser
WoodenBoat, Nov/Dec 2011
. . . an incredible book and an incredible bargain . . .
Ginny Jones’ 2011 Nautical Book Review
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Read Ginny Jones’ Review
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF TRADITIONAL YACHT CRUISING — the world of Francis B. Cooke. Four generations of sailors have been informed, entertained and inspired by his down-to-earth, ‘one of us’ writings, in countless magazine articles and nearly 30 books. His first published writing of any kind was in 1883, and he was still writing, aged 100, in the early 1970s.
The gear and techniques of our pursuit have changed hardly at all in more than a century, making Francis Cooke’s advice as relevant now as in his heyday. Cruising Hints, Seventh Edition, for the first time condenses all of his two dozen practical books into one. To know Cooke’s views on any cruising topic, look no further. There are practical details here which are in print nowhere else, and some of them are alone worth the price of the book.
In the history of 20th Century British yacht design Francis Cooke’s books have been a valuable reference point, but it’s often been a problem to recall in which of his many titles he ‘wrote up’ a certain design. Every single one of his design commentaries is here, with drawings — and we have updated some boat stories to the present day, with owners’ comments and photos.
If this were not enough, Cooke’s writings on boat type and selection, Thames Estuary locations and his charming cruising yarns provide us with a valuable window onto English sailing culture in the early 20th Century. And to cap it all we’re delighted that Charles Stock, a lifelong Cooke fan, has written the Foreword. Charles retired from sailing in 2010 in his eighties, having covered some 75,000 miles in half a century sailing the Thames Estuary in his tiny gaffer Shoal Waters, and has been a model of what Francis Cooke would call ‘Yachting with Economy’.
A comprehensive Glossary and Index make this an invaluable reference work for anyone interested in the history of cruising under sail.
Amazingly, Francis Cooke’s copyright does not expire until 2044. At the request of his family, royalties on this book are being directed to the charity Arthritis Research UK.
688 pages plus 16 pages of plates; about 300 line drawings in the text, plus 77 full-page design drawings, all digitally restored for this edition; comprehensive Glossary and Index.
HARDCOVER Edition (in short supply!) ISBN 978-1-907206-01-6, 248 x 171 mm, Thames Estuary chart endpapers, laminated jacket
Price £35 — POST-FREE in the UK.
