Sea Kayaking

Janet Money, formerly the sports editor of the Woodstock Daily
Sentinel-Review, is a freelance writer and editor in London, Ontario.

This fourth edition of John Dowd’s definitive sea-kayaking manual is
not intended for beginners. The chapters on navigation and first aid in
particular assume a basic knowledge on the part of the reader. For the
advanced kayaker, the book is full of practical instruction, including a
well-illustrated chapter on rescue techniques in which Dowd is not
afraid to criticize some traditionally taught methods of rescue
instruction.

New to this edition are sections on teaching kayaking, low-impact
environmental paddling, and kayaking for people with disabilities. Dowd
also covers equipment, technique, weather, reading the sea, hazards,
emergency procedures, survival situation, and expedition planning. His
book concludes with appendices on long-distance soloing and photography,
an annotated bibliography, and (rare for a manual) an index.

It might not be necessary to buy each new edition of Sea Kayaking, but
this would be an excellent one to start with.