To start off we have  finished the guides for the 150 Ton Master and the [...]]]> We are excited to announce the first phase of our new Professional Licensing study guide! This guide is aimed at anyone who is trying to study for a Transport Canada license or individual exam.

To start off we have  finished the guides for the 150 Ton Master and the Small Vessel Machinery Operator (SVMO), both found on the Licenses page. If you are just writing individual exams you can search them through the Exams page. More exams and licenses will follow with time, we hope to one day be able to list all exams on the site.

Please tell your friends, co-workers and fellow students about this guide, we are hoping this will become the go-to resource in Canada for everyone working towards a Transport Canada license.

Have a happy Easter.

Ship Style: Modernism and Modernity at Sea in the 20th Century by Phil Dawson & Bruce Peter – $47.95

When I Heard the Bell: The Loss of the [...]]]> An interesting and diverse bunch of great new books has arrived at the bookstore in the past month.  A selection is listed below.

Ship Style: Modernism and Modernity at Sea in the 20th Century

Confined Spaces from Seamanship International

Bridge Resource Management for Small Ships

Bucking the Tide

Ship Style: Modernism and Modernity at Sea in the 20th Century by Phil Dawson & Bruce Peter – $47.95

When I Heard the Bell: The Loss of the Iolaire by John MacLeod – $24.95

Confined Spaces (Pocket Safety Guide Series) by Seamanship International – $11.95

Bridge Resource Management for Small Ships by Daniel Parrott - $58.95

Ship Handling: Theory and Practice by David House – $71.95

Torrie & the Pirate Queen by K.V. Johansen – $9.95

The Certified Diver’s Handbook by Clay Coleman – $29.95

Below the Convergence: Voyages Toward Antarctica, 1699-1839 by Alan Gurney – $21.00

The Race to the White Continent: Voyages to the Antarctic by Alan Gurney – $15.95

Bound for Blue Water: Contemporary American Marine Art by J. Russell Jinishian – $105.95

Atlantic France: North Biscay to the Spanish Border by RCC Pilotage Foundation – $76.95

Guidelines for Ships Operating on Polar Waters, 2010 by nternational Maritime Organization – $23.95

Sight Solver HO 249 by – $11.95

Sight Solver Nautical Almanac by – $11.95

The Spice Necklace: A Food-Lover’s Caribbean Adventure by Ann Vanderhoof – $21.00

Ships in Focus Record: Issue 47 by hips In Focus Publications – $19.95

Bucking the Tide by David Buckman – $24.95

Below the Waterline by David Carpenter – $39.95

Build Your Own Sailboat (E-book on CD-ROM) by Bruce Roberts-Goodson – $79.95

Build Your Own Powerboat (E-book on CD-ROM) by Bruce Roberts-Goodson – $79.95

Macneil’s Seamanship Examiner – Mates/Masters Pocket Book by – $39.95

Macneil’s Seamanship Examiner – OOW Pocket Book by – $32.95

Macneil’s Seamanship Examiner – COLREGS Pocket Book by – $43.95

Reg. Primer For 2nd and Chief Engineers Covering Current and New Regulations by Whitherby – $22.95

Regulatory Primer For Mates & Masters: Covering Current and New Regs. by Whitherby – $22.95

Hello from s/v Receta

Steve and I are currently anchored in Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou. Two-and-a-half months into the dry season, the island (which depends entirely on rainwater) is still green, and cisterns are overflowing – a welcome relief for residents [...]]]> Ann Vanderhoof, author of An Embarassment of Mangoes and The Spice Necklace, writes:

Hello from s/v Receta

Steve and I are currently anchored in Tyrrel Bay, Carriacou. Two-and-a-half months into the dry season, the island (which depends entirely on rainwater) is still green, and cisterns are overflowing – a welcome relief for residents after last year’s punishing drought. For visitors, the frequent showers and squalls are…challenging. But the just-picked tomatoes (amazingly sweet), juicy grapefruit, and crisp okra from backyard gardens – not to mention the rainbows – are our rewards.

Carriacou Saline

As usual, I’m cooking up my own storm on Receta, experimenting with new recipes such as spiced West Indian pumpkin bread and pepper-hot pickled okra, as well as making old favourites like lobster pizza and callaloo (or spinach) with coconut milk. These last two recipes (and many more) are in The Spice Necklace, the latest instalment of our Caribbean adventures on Receta, which is just out in paperback and available from the Nautical Mind.

We’ve seen a lot of Canadian boats in the Windward Islands this season – in fact, there seems to be a disproportionate number of Canadian flags hanging from transoms. At Hog Island, Grenada, a couple of weeks ago, one whole corner of the anchorage was Canadian. “Ahhnnn, why so many Canadian boats?” our fisherman friend Dwight asked. I gave him a one-word answer: “Winter.”

The Spice Necklace by Ann Vanderhoof

Rhys (on the right) is one of our staff and is seen here standing with his brother under the bow of the Peking. Peking sailed the world for years, working in the nitrate trade, as [...]]]> Here are some photos of the barque Peking at South Street Seaport in New York City.

Rhys (on the right) is one of our staff and is seen here standing with his brother under the bow of the Peking. Peking sailed the world for years, working in the nitrate trade, as a training ship named Arethusa II and finally, with original name restored,  as the main attraction at South Street Seaport Maritime Museum.

Peking is the ship featured in the incredible film Around Cape Horn, and the accompanying book Peking Battles Cape Horn, both by Irving Johnson. The film contains some of the most incredible footage of large square-riggers ever recorded, particularly as it was captured in 1929! It was on this voyage that Johnson first got his taste of sailing, from this auspicious beginning he went on to spend the rest of his life at sea, and is considered one of the founders of modern Sail Training.

The photo below shows the builder’s plate onboard Peking. She was built in 1911 at Blohm and Voss in Hamburg; This famous German yard is known for such ships as the World War II battleship Bismarck, and more recently Eclipse, considered the world’s largest private yacht.

Here is a great photo of Peking sailing with full press, though she appears to empty judging by the bootstripe.

Lastly, here is a photo looking forward from Peking’s quarterdeck, showing her massive spars and the skyline of Lower Manhattan.

Rules and Regulations For the Classification of Ships by Lloyd’s – $556.95

Marine Navigation: Piloting and Celestial and Electronic Navigation by Richard R. Hobbs – $104.95

Checklists (Masters Pocketbook Series) by Captain Michael Lloyd – $42.95

Oilfield Seamanship Series, Vol. [...]]]> Oil Record Book Part 2 by Transport Canada – $14.95

Rules and Regulations For the Classification of Ships by Lloyd’s – $556.95

Marine Navigation: Piloting and Celestial and Electronic Navigation by Richard R. Hobbs – $104.95

Checklists (Masters Pocketbook Series) by Captain Michael Lloyd – $42.95

Oilfield Seamanship Series, Vol. 2: Jack-up Moving by Michael Hancox – $129.95

Oilfield Seamanship Series, Vol. 7: Stability and Ballast Control by Michael Hancox – $255.95

Maritime Economics by Martin Stopford – $104.95

The Lancashire Nobby by Nick Miller – $34.95

Understanding DC Boat Electrical Equipment by John C. Payne – $16.95

Understanding Boat Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems by John C. Payne – $16.95

Ships’ Electrical Systems by Rene & Hans Ten Katen Borstlap – $79.95

The Crew’s Pocketbook by Timothy Davison – $23.95

Shantyboat Journal by Harlan Hubbard – $37.50

The Legend of Imp: The Story of the Magical Yacht that Rocked the Sailing World by Bill Barton – $85.00

Cruising the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean: St. Martin to Dominica by Bennett – $34.95

MODU Code – $42.95

Parallel Rule 24″ Degree Marked – $50.95

Sail Simulator 5 CD-ROM Deluxe includes Boatset by Stentec Software – $77.95

GPS for Mariners by Robert J. Sweet – $23.95

Oil Record Book Part 2: Cargo Ballast Operations