| "Basic Coastal Navigation" is a comprehensive and thoroughly-accessible guide to piloting small sail and power boats. Written in a self-instruction format with exercises, questions, and answers included in each chapter, the book offers step-by-step coverage of what sometimes can be a daunting subject. Frank J. Larkin takes care to write in a simple (but never dry) prose style, using easy-to-understand terms. Also, the book's layout is superb: There's lots of white space, large graphics, and varying font sizes and shadings. Larkin also includes helpful memory aids, such as "Lat is Flat" for Latitude and--for a Black-Topped/White Buoy, which indicates an obstruction--"Think of the black top as a storm such as a Nor'easter." The author covers everything from nautical charts and plotting true courses to dead reckoning and electronic navigation systems (including GPS). All sea-persons with small boats--whether power or sail--should purchase this book. | 
