It tells you how to read a nautical chart, how to use a compass or GPS, and how to navigate by "the seat of your pants". The book desicribes fundamental saftey issues and tells you how to avoid getting run over by large ships, trashed in tide rips, or hopelessly lost in the fog .

This book is absolutely REQUIRED reading for anyone serious about covering large distances in a sea kayak. If you paddle, get this book and read it many times!!! The material in this book has to be second nature to you if you want to be safe in "big water".


There are better books on the topic.   January 14, 2007
 7 out of 9 found this review helpful

I purchased this book at the suggestion of a top sea kayaking coach. I should note that many paddlers consider this book the encyclopedia or "standard" of sea kayaking navigation books. The book is lengthy and appears to be comprehensive, however, I found it to be poorly organized and presentation lacking. It is a decent desktop reference on the subject, if you are looking for specific information on a sea kayaking navigation topic. It is tough to just pick this book up and learn navigation. It is really not layed out for self-instruction.

I would strongly recommend "Simple Kayak Navigation" by Ray Killan over Burch's book. It is concise, easy to understand, comes packed with excellent examples, and has just the right amount of humor.


Accurate, too Complex for Quick Use   January 3, 2008
 5 out of 6 found this review helpful

Burch's legendary book is full of information, but really is not a book I consult to renew my skills or solve a navigational problem. As an encyclopedia of navigation for small human-powered craft this book has use. It's a good read after one has mastered basic navigation from a practical standpoint. Simply too much information. Much of that contained could be edited severely and would be of more practical use. Burch is a great fact-presenter, but navigation is a subject that needs to be mastered through presentation of basic facts repeated in practical ways. Burch speaks too far over the heads of most beginning and intermediate navigators. This book didn't really make sense to me until I'd read it yearly for a number of years. Because of this fact, I only recommend it to navigation "junkies" who already have a firm understanding of all nav foundation topics.