62 of 62 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Comprehesive and readable, good practical advice, Aug 19 1999
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
I first read his 1988 edition as I was just getting into sea kayaking. I have since built 3 singles and a triple and have done week-long trips in Prince William Sound, Puget Sound, Sea of Cortez, and New Zealand. So I'm now fairly experienced and yet still learn (relearn?) new information and techniques when I reread it.
I especially appreciate Dowd's emphasis on self-rescues as opposed to assisted rescues. So many rescues that work in a pool with an unloaded boat are impossible in 38F water, 3-foot seas, with 150 pounds of gear in your touring kayak. And yet that is when you really need a solid rescue technique.
His references to some of the epoch, historic and recent, long-distance expeditions are inspirational. When you're slogging 5 miles back to camp against a 15-knot wind, it helps to remember that people have paddled across the Atlantic and that your task is doable.
Be safe, go see cool places, happy paddling. -David Thomas
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Bible of the Sport, Aug 18 2000
By Michael J Edelman - Published on Amazon.com
There are a number of good books on kayak technique, but Dowd's is the bible of the sport, and with good reason. He's been kayaking for over thirty years, and he's done some of the most difficult voyages in kayaking history. He's specific in his recommendations, but open minded, too. He favors feathered paddles, but he understands the advantage of unfeatehred paddles, and allows how they may be superior in many conditions.
Dowd's advice isn't based on theory, but on experience. He's not afraid to admit his own mistakes, and in this latest edition, he desribes how he's changed a lot of his opinons on the rescue techniques he's taught in the past. He's realistic, and realizes that not every kayaker is going to develop a bombproof roll or be able to perform the Borze's paddlefloat rescue; he endorses alternate techniques like he (somewhat contentious) Sea Wings.
What it boils down to is this: Whatever other books you may own, whatever lessons you may have taken, whatever your level of experience- you need this book.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best books on Sea Kayaking that I have ever read!, Mar 17 2007
By W. Merriman - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Sea Kayaking (Paperback)
I am not an avid reader, and I usually lose interest in a book and place it on the shelf mid way through if the author doesn't keep my interest. John Dowd had not only captivated my interest, but made it hard for me to put it down. Some of the best and informative information about Sea Kayaking that I have read yet. It should be a "Must Read" for any person involved in the sport of Sea Kayaking, beginner to novice. 5 Star Rating above all others!!!
