In publication for over thirty years, Adriatic Pilot remains the only single volume to cover the whole region, from Albania and the heel of Italy in the south to Venice and Slovenia in the north. The ever-popular cruising ground of Croatia is covered extensively in four separate chapters.This 8th edition has been fully revised to include new information on marinas, visitor moorings and anchorages, with all the attendant facilities available to cruising sailors. There is also plenty to give historical context and to whet the appetite for visits and exploration ashore. Plans have been updated throughout. Numerous photographs help to orientate, inform and inspire, including a new set of images for the Italian coast and Venice lagoon.For occasional charterers or long-term cruisers alike, Trevor and Dinah Thompson's thorough and comprehensive work should be the first choice of any cruising sailor wanting to make the most of this rich and diverse coastline.
On November 18, 1944, the end of the war in Europe finally in sight, American copilot Lieutenant Lee Lamar struggled alongside pilot Randall Darden to keep Bottoms Up, their B-24J Liberator, in the air. They and their crew of eight young men had believed the intelligence officer who, at the predawn briefing at their base in southern Italy, had confided that their mission that day would be a milk run. But that twenty-first mission out of Italy would be their last. Bottoms Up was staggered by an antiaircraft shell that sent it plunging three miles earthward, the pilots recovering control at just 5,000 feet. With two engines out, they tried to make it to a tiny strip on a British-held island in the Adriatic Sea and in desperation threw out everything not essential to flight: machine guns, belts of ammunition, flak jackets. But over Pula, in what is now Croatia, they were once more hit by German fire, and the focus quickly became escaping the doomed bomber. Seemingly unable to extricate himself, Lamar all but surrendered to death before fortuitously bailing out. He was captured the next day and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner at a stalag on the Baltic Sea, suffering the deprivations of little food and heat in Europe’s coldest winter in a century. He never saw most of his crew again. Then, in 2006, more than sixty years after these life-changing experiences, Lamar received an email from Croatian archaeologist Luka Bekic, who had discovered the wreckage of Bottoms Up. A veteran of the Balkan wars of the 1990s, Bekic felt compelled to find out the crew’s identities and fates. Lee Lamar, a boy from a hardscrabble farm in rural northwestern Missouri, had gone to college on the GI Bill, become a civil engineer, gotten married, and raised a family. Yet, for all the opportunity that stemmed from his wartime service, part of him was lost. The prohibition on asking prisoners of war their memories during the repatriation process prevented him from reconciling himself to the events of that November day. That changed when, nearly a year after being contacted by Bekic, Lamar visited the site, hoping to gain closure, and met the Croatian Partisans who had helped some members of his crew escape. In this absorbing, alternating account of World War II and its aftermath, Dennis R. Okerstrom chronicles, through Lee Lamar’s experiences, the Great Depression generation who went on to fight in the most expensive war in history. This is the story of the young men who flew Bottoms Up on her final mission, of Lamar’s trip back to the scene of his recurring nightmare, and of a remarkable convergence of international courage, perseverance, and friendship.
This is the perfect guide for anyone cruising in the Mediterranean by Rod Heikell, the acknowledged expert on Mediterranean sailing. Thoroughly updated, this new edition conveys the magic of Mediterranean cruising, as well as giving practical first-hand advice on sailing these enticing waters. Although the Mediterranean provides wonderfully diverse cruising opportunities, it can also deliver a few surprises to the unwary. In this invaluable practical guide, Rod Heikell provides sound advice on: anchoring, berthing bow or stern-to, what weather to expect, facilities and the costs of keeping a boat there, plus advice on navigation, popular routes, formalities and what to expect ashore. Each country around the Mediterranean is covered, and there's even a handy section on shoe-string cruising for those on a tight budget. 'Offers time-served advice to both the novice and the old-hand.' Nautical Magazine
With its stunning scenery and variety of ports and anchorages, Croatia is becoming an increasingly popular cruising destination. The Sunsail Southern Croatia Cruising Companion, written by Jane Cody and Jon Nash, features the coastline between Zadar and Molunat, just south of Dubrovnik, as well as its numerous adjacent islands. Packed full of colour harbour plans and photographs along with clear pilotage directions and carefully selected waypoints, this essential guide also incorporates comprehensive information on the facilities and shops ashore as well as offers tips on where to eat and places to visit. Best beaches along with car and bicycle hire are also detailed. Informative and authoritative, it will more than earn its keep aboard.
In Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts, acclaimed journalist Robert D. Kaplan continues his exploration of the American military's challenging and varied commitments around the world. From protecting sea lanes, to providing disaster relief, to preparing for potential military confrontation with North Korea and Iran, Kaplan describes the astonishing, vital, and often unacknowledged operations regularly performed by American military personnel in the air, at sea, and on the ground. Vivid and illuminating, this book takes us deep into the highly technical and exotic cultures of the armed forces, telling soldiers' stories from the perspective of the troops on the ground.
