After years of writing award-winning articles for major boating magazines, David S. Yetman had compiled over one thousand nautical terms and phrases every boater should know. The next logical step: writing an excellent reference book containing these terms and phrases. This book contains the phonic pronunciation for the appropriate entries and many illustrations to further explain the text. During the past several hundred years, the boating community has developed a language all its own. This book is not intended to list every obscure term, but it will give the reader a broad cross-section of those which arise in the course of boating. Most people use at least a few of these terms or phrases in everyday conversation without realizing their nautical nature. The first entry in the book is a prime example -- we are taken aback by an unmanageable condition. Sometimes, we take a sounding to see how much leeway we have and grant a wide berth to those who may be off-course. Reading a boating-related magazine or having a conversation on the dock will be much less puzzling after reviewing the entries in this book. Regardless of your familiarity with boats, you will find this to be an excellent reference tool to add to your boating library. Enjoy the knowledge! Illustrated.