PRESS RELEASE
AUSTRALIAN BOATING MANUAL – 4th. Edition
As certain as sun rises in the East, Dick Gandy has revised the Australian Boating Manual to keep up with changes in maritime training requirements.
He has revised and expanded it to meet the syllabus requirements of the Transport and Logistics’ 2007 training package with chapter 2 as a study guide for commercial certificates, listing chapters and questions from the book one needs to study to obtain various certificates. The training package came into effect last year.
At 968 pages, this newly released 4th edition is 116 pages larger than the 3rd. edition and twice the size of the first edition.
Page 3 lists “What’s New In this Edition”. Chapter 3 has been expanded to include boat design and construction, watertight integrity and survey requirements. Codes of safe working practices have been added to chapters 4, 5 and 6. The book now covers hazardous matertials and safety data sheets, deck machinery safety, ship and port facility security codes, safety management systems, onboard communication, conflict resolution, fishing vessels safety protocol and ballast water regulations.
Chapters dealing with first aid and anchors have been revised; as are the sections on fast craft regulations, crowd management, fire protection, passage planning, environment protection, EPIRBS, refrigeration and steering systems.
In addition to adding a section on automatic radar plotting aid, the author has looked ahead to include the Automatic Identification System (AIS) - a VHF broadcast device which recently became compulsory on large vessels and is fast making its way to small vessels. It exchanges ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore information such as vessel call sign, registration number and MMSI, as well as manoeuvring information such as position, course and speed, and ship particulars and cargo information.
The chapter on boat maintenance includes protection from galvanic and stray currents, care of sails, hull repairs and various types of paints, varnishes and anti-foulings. The navigation chapter covers the full syllabus to the Master Class IV certificate level, making it also a complete navigation book. Being large, it is divided into three sub-chapters: Compasses, Chartwork and Tides & currents.
Similarly, the OHS chapter is divided into five sub-chapters: First Aid, Fire, Survival, Work Practices and Safe Operational Regulations. The First Aid section, which is regularly revised by a boating pharmacist, includes information on seasickness, surviving heart attack when alone and marine bites and stings.
In addition to seamanship, electronics, communication, navigation, meteorology, regulations and engines, the book includes sections on buying and insuring boats, nautical terminology, cyclone protection, sizes of mooring lines, winches, slings, onboard work practices, electronic fuel injection, four-stroke outboards, engine beds, exhaust systems, ventilation, soundproofing, solar power, electrical installations, pumps, valves and plumbing.
The Australian Boating Manual is the product of research into what boaties need to and want to know. It is the product of input from wide ranging experts and manufacturers. Whether you want to buy a boat, GPS, radar or sounder, this book tells you what to look for. The author acknowledges with gratitude the generosity of so many experts who have helped him in producing this manual.
It is a unique manual and textbook, with information easy to find and digest. It also contains 2687 self-test multiple-choice questions and answers at the back of the chapters. It is an excellent buy for $A89.95.
Available at bookshops and chandlers or contact the publisher, Ocean Publications, on (02) 9996 0725. Check out www.AustralianBoatingManual.com or email dgandy@bigpond.com. For bulk discounts or to purchase the Gandy’s Exams computer program based on the book contact the publisher.