The Perfect First Mate

A Woman's Guide to Recreational Boating

Second Edition

By Joy Smith

240 pp. 15 b&w photos, 1 map. Late June 2009. Paperback. $19.95
ISBN 978 1 57409 282 0

The position of First Mate is often less than glamorous, especially when serving with a strong-willed captain who has more boyish enthusiasm than organizational skills. After more than 30 years of sailing with Captain ‘My Way,’ Joy Smith shares the hard-won secrets of keeping both boat and crew shipshape. She has fully updated the book for this second edition.

From packing and planning for needs aboard to enjoying life at dock or anchor and ashore, The Perfect First Mate helps boaters streamline tasks and maximize efficiency, safety and comfort, while above all leaving plenty of time for pleasure. Contents include storage issues, moving and sleeping comfortably below decks, keeping the cabin warm/cool, counteracting boat odor, mold and mildew, and dealing with trash, laundry, and marine toilets. One entire section is devoted to food: provisioning and storage, equipping the galley, and cooking, with original recipes included. The author also provides in-depth discussions of how to protect against the elements, avoid injury, and deal with the logistics of sailing, from planning/navigation to performing First Mate duties on deck.

“A helpful collection of tips to make any outing more enjoyable, whether it’s a day trip or an extended cruise. . . . Smith’s straightforward, conversational style of explaining basic safety, navigation and foul-weather preparation procedures should be of particular help to unseasoned first mates.” — Boating World

“[Smith] provides new first mates with practical, time-proven advice that takes the grief out of boating and makes it relaxing and pleasurable. . . . And most important of all, she discusses how best to relate to the captain, especially during times of stress. All in all, The Perfect First Mate is a book that all first mates can learn from—whether they are novices or old hands at boating.”
— The ENSIGN

Joy Smith is the author of Kitchen Afloat (published by Sheridan House) and The Empty Nest Cookbook, as well as many freelance boating articles. She and her husband/captain have owned six sailboats, several dinghies and a Boston whaler. They now sail a Farr 50 yacht, and cruise the Caribbean in winter, returning to New England waters each spring. Smith currently lives in Connecticut. Readers may visit Smith's Web site, www.joysmith.net to read her blog and learn more about her books and articles.