Adlard Coles Nautical Tel: 020 7758 0200 Fax: 020 7758 0222 E-mail: sales@acblack.com Web: www.adlardcoles.com German Frers - A Passion for Design Barry Pickthall, 302 x 234mm, 208 pages inc 2 pull out gatefolds, 194 colour pictures + 83 drawings, hardback. £65.00 Many say German Frers Snr designs the world's most beautiful boats. This book takes that thought and puts it into a limited edition, 4-colour deluxe coffee table book that offers an insight into the lives, designs and passions of the most prolific and successful line of yacht designers - all named German Frers.

Barry Pickthall is the former yachting correspondent for The Times who spent much of his writing career from the early 70s tracing the Frers success story from Admiral's Cup to America's Cup.

The design of the book, from the sample spreads we've seen, is excellent. The limited edition book also offers purchasers the option to have the cover personalised to include a photo of an owner's yacht.

German Frers has designed more than 10,000 yachts, including numerous superyachts plus the Nautor Swans, the Hallberg-Rassy range, Wally custom designs and the early Beneteau and Dufour cruisers.

A coffee table book that stands the chance of ruining an evening's conversation as the guests get totally absorbed by the book, the boats and the story.

Reluctant Cook Jane Gibb, 176pp, 208 x 128, soft cover, £8.99 Described as a Helping Hand Across the Hob, Reluctant Cook is, it says, written for boaters, caravanners, students and others who may be restricted by either a short budget or the size of their kitchen (or galley).

The excellent illustrations - the author's own - plus the thanks for buying the book because she has a boat to support shows boating is the book's main focus.

The recipes are simple, with measurements in cupfuls.

Everything is no-frills and very down to earth - Ms Gibb confesses she has never prepared an artichoke for anything and has no desire to start now.

The are some excellentsounding desserts for those with a sweet tooth.

Adlard Coles Nautical Tel: 020 7758 0200. Fax: 020 7758 0222 E-mail: sales@acblack.com Web: www.adlardcoles.com VHF Companion Sara Hopkinson, 24pp, 223 x 80mm, spiral-bound flip cards, £7.95 Another in Fernhurst's handy flip-card reference titles, VHF Companion is tailormade to be kept in the chart table and offers easy-to-read text - liberally sprinkled with diagrams - that takes the reader through the major points of VHF radiotelephony.

The 24pp title starts with how to begin using a VHF and runs through DSC, using the right channel, emergency calls, range of the set, what to say (including telling the reader NOT to say "over and out"), routine calls to a marina (including a port, another boat or the coastguard), distress calls using DSC, voice calls, relays, Pan Pans and securite calls.

The author is a Yachtmaster instructor and examiner and an auxiliary coastguard. She knows her business and puts it all together in a way that a panic-stricken sailor should find easy to follow.

Fernhurst Books Tel: 01903 882277. Fax: 01903 882715 Email: sales@fernhurstbooks.co.uk Web: www.fernhurstbooks.co.uk Team Racing Steve Tylecote, 128pp, 240 x 170mm, soft cover, £14.95 Team racing is one of the most challenging forms of racing. It demands quick clear thought, superb boat handling skills from helm and crew and an excellent knowledge of the racing rules.

Steve Tylecote is one of the UK's top team racing men. He has won many trophies, from gravel pit level to world championships. So he knows what he's talking about.

The text is well written and the photographs - many from the inimitable Wilson Trophy, raced in the marine lake at West Kirby (where a Firefly had to be sailed with half plate)[often reefed in a Force 6] - show the situations clearly.

Required reading for anyone wishing to try their skill at team racing.

Fernhurst Books Tel: 01903 882277. Fax: 01903 882715 Email: sales@fernhurstbooks.co.uk Web: www.fernhurstbooks.co.uk

The Laser Campaign Manual Ben Ainslie, 96pp 240 x 170mm, soft cover, includes CD, £19.95 The secrets that won Ainslie Olympic Gold, presented in the written word, good pictures and on the CD that comes with the book - hence its high price.

That Ainslie is one of the best sailors the UK has produced cannot be doubted.

Here he puts down clearly how he does it, covering just about everything, even down to toestrap tensions and the insand-outs of hiking techniques.

Unfortunately, he doesn't tell you where to get the sheer talent and ability.

Fernhurst Books Tel: 01903 882277. Fax: 01903 882715 Email: sales@fernhurstbooks.co.uk Web: www.fernhurstbooks.co.uk Using PCs on Board Rob Butress and Tim Thornton, 160pp, 235 x 155mm, soft cover, £15.99 This is the second edition of this book and the publishers say much has happened in the marine computing world since the first in 2000.

Speeds and capacities have increased and computers have become more robust and less expensive. At the same time, new software programs with better features have appeared and are much easier to use.

The book leads the reader through the basic principles behind PCs and how they can make boating more enjoyable.

It also covers power supplies, interfacing and upgrading.

Adlard Coles Nautical Tel: 020 7758 0200 Fax: 020 7758 0222 E-mail: sales@acblack.com Web: www.adlardcoles.com Ice Bird David Lewis, 224pp, 223 x 153, soft cover, £14.99 First published in 1975, Ice Bird is the story of David Lewis' 1972 trip from Sydney to Antarctica - the first solo sail to the icy continent and a trip completed in a 32ft boat.

What started as an adventure turned into a fight for life as Lewis spent 14 weeks struggling against the elements, survived two capsizes and a dismasting 3,500 miles from help.

It's a tremendous story that leaves you wondering why people do these things?

Adlard Coles Nautical Tel: 020 7758 0200 Fax: 020 7758 0222 E-mail: sales@acblack.com Web: www.adlardcoles.com The Grab Bag Book Francis & Michael Howorth, 120pp. 210mm x 148mm 120pp, soft cover, £9.99 One of those books that provides information the reader hopes never to have to use. Offering food for thought, the book runs through what should be considered before getting under way, regardless of whether it's for a trip across the Solent or something a little more blue water.

Follow its advice and the sailor should have everything to hand if ever that unfortunate incident should occur.

The book is not only about what should be taken from the boat in an emergency. It offers medical advice; how to right a liferaft; how to combat seasickness and sunburn.

A handy survival guide for the sailor.

Adlard Coles Nautical E-mail: sales@acblack.com Web: www.adlardcoles.co.uk Tel: 020 7758 0200 Fax: 020 7758 0222 The RYA Book of Caribbean Cruising Jane Gibb, 172pp, 244 x 170mm, soft cover, £15.99 Jane Gibb spent 10 years cruising and writes with an air of having "been there and done that". The book offers practical advice on all aspects of cruising Caribbean waters, from the type of boat you need, through how to equip it, what clothes you'll need, how to sort out finances and communications, how to stay healthy, how to make sure you stay on the right side of the law and much, much more.

Text in black and white with pictures and line drawings. A comprehensive guide that potential cruisers of the region will find invaluable.

Adlard Coles Nautical Tel: 020 7758 0200 Fax: 020 7758 0222 E-mail: sales@acblack.com Web: www.adlardcoles.co.uk Pass Your Yachtmaster David Fairhall and Mike Peyton, 92pp, 210 x 148, perfect bound, £10.99 The co-authors have the right experience for this kind of book. Fairhall has sailed everything from Dragons to Thames barges and looks after the theory side well, while Peyton - also a highly experienced hand - has brought a smile to the face of every sailor with his ability to sum up the kind of situations every sailor has narrowly avoided at some time.

The text follows the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) syllabus and is liberally illustrated with diagrams. The Peyton cartoons match the text extremely well and help get the points across.

Adlard Coles Nautical Tel: 020 7758 0200 Fax: 020 7758 0222 E-mail: sales@acblack.com Web: www.adlardcoles.co.uk