An indispensable guide to preparing you and your boat for extended passagemaking. The Handbook is the primary text for the Neal's weekend Offshore Cruising Seminars and is based on their 28 years and over 200,000 miles of offshore cruising experience. Covers the psychological aspects of cruising, a woman's point of view, cost of cruising, boat selection, sail inventory and repair, boat canvas, safety at sea, passage planning, equipping the boat, seamanship, medicine at sea, and managing your escape. Revised annually, the Handbook is unique in that it names and lists the costs of specific brands of equipment and boats, and offers recommendations based on Neal's first-hand experience with them.