"An excellent and practical step-by-step manual to help prepare you for the cruising lifestyle and to entertain you as you learn." -Cruising World; "Not only must reading for anyone planning to live aboard, but also a valuable reference for weekend and vacation cruisers. Even armchair skippers who are wondering just what it's really like will find this an entirely engaging and insightful volume." -Rhode Island Boating

Tom Neale and his wife Mel gave up their suburban home and careers to move aboard their Gulfstar Sailmaster 47 Chez Nous in 1979. Since then, they've raised two daughters aboard while cruising nearly 5,000 miles a year. Tom is a former Cruising World magazine columnist and editor-at-large, and is now editor-at-large for PassageMaker magazine. He and Mel founded and edit Cruising Coast and Islands. They now cruise in a Gulfstar 53 motorsailor.

PrefaceAcknowledgmentsA Simple Life, by MelanieIntroductionA Cruising Frame of Mind1 Attitude AdjustmentLiving in the Real World of CruisingThe Myth of the Cure-All Cruise2 Living on the HookAttitude and Living at Anchor3 Cruising Isn't Pink and BlueOnly Mother Ocean Is MachoWho Is Captain?Are You Ready to Be Different?What They Think of UsA Little Help from Your FriendsTaking Care of Business5 Dollars and SenseThe Bottom LineInsuranceOpting Not to Spend MoneyIncome and OutgoHandling Cash6 CommunicationsMailE-MailThem7 What Do You Keep?The HouseThe CarYour AddressYour New Home8 Comfort: A Cruising Boat Isn't A Niagara Falls BarrelCruising ComfortDesign for Comfort9 Choosing A BoatA Boat to Suit Your Plans and DreamsMultihullsTrawlersSea Trials10 Safety and SeaworthinessLearn to Be SafeDesign and ConstructionDinghy StoragePropaneLightningChafe Safe11 AnchoringAnchoring GearCaring for Your Chain and AnchorsGood BottomsAnchoring Techniques12 The EngineThe Diesel AuxiliaryMaintenance13 Power to the PeopleThe 12-Volt SystemAC PowerInverters14 Water and Water SystemsCollecting WaterTankageWatermakersThe Head15 RefrigerationCompressorsThe BoxOther Systems16 DinghiesThe Everyday DinghyInflatablesHard DinghiesMotorsDinghy Seamanship17 Catalog CatastropheWhen to WaitWhere to BuyWhat to BuyUnderway18 Taking Off and Getting Into the GrooveGet AboardYour Boat Isn't a Bus19 What on Earth Do You Do All Day?WorkPlayTake Advantage of NatureWhen Nature Doesn't CooperateTake Advantage of What's Around YouBoats and Booze20 Self-Reliance: Your Greatest AssetFix It YourselfPrepare for Your New JobFood and Provisioning, by Tom and MelLaundry, by MelHealthEquip to Save Money21 Kids AboardStart EarlyPracticeShare the LoadHelp Your Kid AdjustBabies Aboard, by MelPerils of Paradise22 Teach Your Children WellCan You Do It?Correspondence SchoolsThe Computer and School23 Our NeighborhoodRegions and SeasonsWhere to StopEpilogueThe Widening GapGreen Flash, by MelanieSequelAppendix A Recipes, by MelAppendix B Correspondence SchoolsIndex