Just because you're primarily a day sailor or a coastal, doesn't mean you must confine yourself exclusively to those sorts of voyages. If you've always longed to take a lengthier cruise—say to Antigua or the Cayman Islands, possibly Fiji, or maybe across the Atlantic and around the Greek Islands—but have never had the courage, help is at hand.

Knowledge imparts confidence, and Ed Mapes, author of Further Offshore: A Practical Guide for Sailors, has plenty of knowledge to impart. The U.S. Coast Guard master mariner, certified sailing instructor for the American Sailing Association, racer and delivery captain is a frequent lecturer at boat shows, a contributing writer to various sailing magazines and the author of Ready to Sail. In other words, he knows whereof he speaks.

Further Offshore: A Practical Guide for Sailors, published by Sheridan House in March 2008, breaks down the myriad details of offshore sailing into easily digestible chunks. Learn how to equip your boat for a bluewater cruise, how to deal with adverse weather conditions and what to do in a medical emergency. You'll read about meal planning, safety issues, cruising with children, instrumentation, communications and more.

Further Offshore: A Practical Guide for Sailors is available at Amazon.com or your local bookstore.

Don't just dream of an offshore cruise. Prepare for one.

&150; Linda Hoff