SEA SO BIG, SHIP SO SMALL

As increasing numbers of youngsters ""take to the briny"", the market for this kind of book is steadily expanding. Miss Bendick's extraordinary talent for finding the level of her audience without condescending to it, is perfectly attuned to her subject, in this case initiating young sailors into the art of seamanship. After describing the functions of such smallcraft as rowboats, dinghies, prams, utility boats and outboard cruisers, the book is largely devoted to a discussion of specific ""how-tos"" -- how to keep your boat in shipshape condition, how to care for an outboard motor (incidentally the choice of over half the pleasure-boat owning population), how to operate a sailboat, canoe and rowboat. Rules of the road and boat manners contain vital statistics on passing signals, lights, charts, compass, aids and buoys. The reader can be his own weather forecaster by learning simple cloud formations and he can also learn basic techniques of handling his craft in wind and current. The question, ""What would you have done differently"", concludes each paragraph describing a boating accident and there is ample material here for satisfactory answers. Neither reckless nor overly cautious, the spirit of the book is one of realism molded to suit the needs of this age group.