Reference Materials for Getting Started

Internet Public Library
http://www.ipl.org/ref/RR/static/ref00.00.00.html

This Internet Public Library list of reference materials for when you're out on the sea and can't carry a whole library with you! The Internet Public Library (IPL) is a public service organization and learning/teaching environment at the University of Michigan School of Information. Start with their homepage (http://www.ipl.org/) and marvel at all the free information available.

Seattle Public Library Electronic Reference
http://www.spl.org/selectedsites/reference.html#ENCYC

Several of the electronic databases that the Seattle Public Library subscribes to are accessible from any computer without a library card. But for the more well-known and effective databases like eLibrary Plus, Associations Unlimited, Lands and Peoples Online, Expanded Academic Universe, InfoTrac Reference, and ProQuest Direct (links to local and national newspapers) can not be accessed unless you enter in a Seattle Public Library Card ID Number.

WorldCat
http://firstsearch.oclc.org/WebZ/FSPage?pagename=home:sessionid=sp04sw01-59545-cuw0tvqd-7bnivr:entitypagenum=3:0

WorldCat is an enormous database of library holdings around the world. It has over 40 million records in it, and adds thousands more every day. WorldCat will tell you which of its subcribing libraries own a specific title; if your nearest library does not own the title, you can tell who else does. Subscribing to WorldCat is very expensive, and not every library will have access to it. Luckily the University of Washington's Libraries do subscribe, and it can be accessed at the web address above. Unfortunately, it is a "restricted" database, meaning it is contractually restricted to University of Washington faculty, students, and staff, or to persons physically present in the University Libraries. In some cases, you may be able to ask a librarian to "search OCLC" for you -- this is the same as searching WorldCat, but a bit more technical, and sometimes access is limited to just library staff. Searching WorldCat is different from nearly every other database. Read the 'help' section closely.

Festivals.com
www.festivals.com

from the website: "Welcome to the online gathering place of the worldwide festival community! We invite you to delve into our festival search, submit your festival photos, share your festival experiences, nominate an event to be featured, and join our online communities. We can't wait to hear your ideas." Even though this site has little to do with sailing, it could be very useful during the planning stage of the trip. The site links to festivals and tourism sites for countries all over the globe. The site is searchable using terms or visually by clicking on a world map and selecting a section of the world. Check often and plan ahead so as not to miss any potential exciting visits to land.

MagPortal.com by Hot Neuron LLC
http://www.magportal.com/

A whole site that lets you search for articles in free online magazines.

A Maritime History on the Internet: A Guide to Doing Maritime History Research Online
http://www.ils.unc.edu/maritime/home.shtml

"Maritime History on the Internet" is another pathfinder that was launched in the spring of 2000 and updated as recently as July 2001. The links are still active and the site has been recognized by Family Tree Magazine as a "Site of the Day" in 2001. In addition to interesting Internet sites about sailing and the history of people at sea, the site does a nice job of including links to museums, music, and images that would pertain to the topic of "maritime history" as well. There is also an excellent page listing "Internet-accessible library catalogs that will be of value to researchers in maritime history. It is divided into a list of maritime museum library catalogs and academic library catalogs, useful because of the size of their collections." Situated in libraries and universities around the world, these sites can be accessed from any computer that can access the Internet and they are free of charge.

Round-the-World Travel Guides: Sailing
http://www.travel-library.com/rtw/html/rtwsailing.html

This is an amazing little site that is organized like a pathfinder in that it is a list of resources, print materials, online travelogues, and even newsgroups. There's a great section about finding jobs on cruise ships in order to get paid to cool or clean as you travel the world. I like how simple and useful this site is. There are no graphics, just links and info. The site is sponsored by a group called round-the-world travel guides. There's a link at the bottom of the page (http://www.travel-library.com/rtw/html/faq.htm) that takes you back to the round-the-world travel guide table of contents which is a rich source of info to look over when still in the planning stages of the trip.

YachtRacing.com
http://yachtracing.com/catrace/worldr01.html

Mostly a site for yacht racing, but some good links to books about sailing and racing. The site also includes a good history of circumnavigators in grid form. Organized well.

The Annapolis Book of Seamanship
John Roushmairere, New York: Simon & Schuster, 3rd rev. ed., 416 pages, 1999.
[non-fiction 623.88 Rousma 1999] Temporary Central Library
For sale on amazon.com

An excellent all-purpose source with index, bibliographic materials listed at the end, and a dictionary of sailing/cruising terms used in the book. This book is more condensed and factual than the other all-encompassing sailing reference materials. Photos and illustrations are more instructive in nature. There is less of a focus on the sailing lifestyle and more of a focus on the essentials of survival on the sea and upkeep of the boat.

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Everything from boat interior design and selecting a vessel, to cruising life and food prep and selection around the world. The writing style is clear and engaging. There are photos and illustrations on nearly every page. There's a good balance between anecdotal and factual materials. And there's even a "saltwater guarantee" which promises to replace any book that's been damaged by saltwater. CD-Rom and website also accompany the book. The CD-Rom is at an additional cost and is indexed and searchable, while the website is free (www.setsail.com).

A 222 page half size book that translates approximately 2,750 sailing words into 10 different languages. A great source for navigating basic language differences from port to port. It's organized by topics such as emergencies, medical emergencies, formalities, the boat, the engine, drive system, at sea, navigation, and general reference. Languages: English, French, German, Dutch, Danish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, and Greek.

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