The stories in this book suggest that we learn from the mistakes of others —we don’t live long enough to make all of them ourselves! The vehicle used to deliver these lessons is humor. With all this in mind, remember how difficult it will be for a well-meaning, intelligent and curious nautical rookie to break into this brave new world, knowing that the sea gods are there, watching and waiting for a good laugh. Enter Skip Murphy. Skip is the new boater that makes experienced boaters cringe when they see him pulling into the marina. The stories follow Skip from the process of choosing and buying the boat of his dreams, to his eventual rise from rank begin- ner to a moderately qualified sailor.

The book is aimed at a variety of boating audiences — novice boaters who can learn what NOT to do by avoiding Skip’s follies, and experienced boaters who have gained their knowledge by making some of Skip’s mistakes. They will chuckle and shake their heads and think, “What an idiot!” while secretly acknowledging, “Oops, I did that once.” It might also be of interest to boat brokers, sailing instructors or insurance companies who may want their new ‘Skips’ to read the book and avoid making one (or more) of his mistakes!