0 In Power Boats in Rough Seas (Adlard Coles Ltd., £4.25) Dag Pike has taken a sharp, discerning look at the factors affecting the seaworthiness and safety of power boats and described them in concise, seamanlike terms. Whatever experience his other seafaring activities provided, his years with the RNLI undoubtedly gave him some rousing firsthand knowledge of rough weather requirements.

Perhaps his remark in the introduction that 'Power driven boats of the type under consideration....rarely make ocean passages' suggests a narrower market for the book than is really the case. A very great deal of what he says applies to the motor cruisers which certainly do make ocean passages and whose owners and skippers might well profit from his researches.

The chapter on waves is a brief but competent study of this vital subject which largely reduces the 'cruel sea' and 'freak wave' beloved of journalists to their proper proportions. Hull forms, engines and steering gear are all discussed in simple, straightforward terms though it is possible that the harsh environment in which marine engines have to work might have been further emphasised. The absence of susceptible electrics and the reduced fire risk contribute much to the reliability and safety of the diesel engine at sea.

In the chapter on helmsman and crew the author makes it clear that he has high speed power boats principally in mind, but even here there is not a great deal which does not apply to the roomy cruiser thumping along at eight knots.

On the subject of navigation Dag Pike says 'Almost as important as the chart is the compass', which may cause some raised eyebrows. Not so very long ago many, if not most, RNLI lifeboats habitually went to sea without a chart of any sort but even the coxswains who knew every wave by sight took an occasional glance at the compass! In his summing up, Dag Pike makes some novel suggestions for instruments to warn helmsmen of the approach of dangerous waves. Perhaps when such things are available it will no longer be true to say that a good helmsman in a bad boat will always be better than a bad helmsman in a good boat, but that day is not yet.

In recent times there has been a spate of books purporting to give reliable information on the craft of the mariner and marine craft. Power Boats in Rough Seas covers its title subject with seamanlike thoroughness and deserves to be read with similar application.—E.W.M.

• To many now ageing ex-wartime anti-submariners the basic concepts of underwater sound will surely bring back memories of enthusiastic instructors on Asdic courses. In Sound Underwater (David and Charles, £3.75), Gregory Haines has written a clearly informative work on the subject. Whether many laymen, even those with some fragments of anti-submarine lectures still in their minds, will find the theory and formulae easy to assimilate is a matter of conjecture.

But if the difficult bits are skipped by those with lazy brains there is still a great deal here to interest all seafarers, particularly navigators, and sea lovers.

The sections on sounding instruments for navigation, fish detection and underwater surveying make intensely interesting and instructive reading. With so much now depending on the exploitation of oil, gas and minerals below the sea bed, the work of mapping the floor of the ocean has become of vital importance, if only because nearly threequarters of the earth's surface is under water. The book describes the progress made in this essential work in some detail. An index and extensive bibliography make this a valuable reference book for students of the subject.— E.W.M.

• The part played by the boatmen of the east coast in the long brave history of sea rescue has been widely acknowledged but many of the more interesting details have been overlooked or ignored.

Saved from the Sea (Terence Dalton Ltd., £4.80) has been written by Robert Malster and not only fills in the gaps but also provides a mass of absorbing anecdotes, many of which are of epic quality.

The difficulties and dangers of seafaring in the days of sail, when a shift of wind could bring imminent destruction to large numbers of vessels, are only too apparent and the hardiness of the seamen almost beyond belief.

Readers will find the chapter on the enterprising beach companies of the eastthe coast intensely interesting. Indeed it is a subject which has perhaps been neglected by maritime historians and this is a welcome addition. There is little doubt that there was at times intense rivalry and friction between the beachmen and the lifeboat crews, for the beachmen looked on the lifeboat as unwelcome competition. But in general the beach companies consisted of brave and splendid seamen and many gave their lives in attempls to help others.

A considerable part of the book concerns the history of the Norfolk and Suffolk lifeboats, recording many of their splendid rescues and detailing the development of the boats from their earliest days. Among the early exponents of sea rescue the astonishing Captain Manby makes his bow, not perhaps to the acclaim he considered his right.

There are five useful appendices and a comprehensive glossary to complete this very competent and highly entertaining book by an obvious master of his subject.

—E.W.M.

• There can be few more absorbing subjects for a book than the coastline of Britain and this applies to both text and illustrations. In Beside the Seaside (George Allen and Unwin, £3.75), Anthony Smith has pleasantly related the experiences and opinions of himself and a dedicated team during circumnavigations of the coasts of England, Scotland and Wales by air, land and sea.

The resulting book is both fascinating and frightening and although many people will fail to agree with all the contentions, nearly everyone will agree with most of them.

From the RNLI point of view the remarks on the tripartite sea rescue system in force are perhaps a little pessimistic. It would appear that Barracuda, the vessel employed for the sea voyage, did not require or at least did not ask for assistance at any time.

Had this been necessary it is possible that her crew would have been suitably impressed by the efficiency of the rescue services, even to the extent of astonishment! The outstanding motif of the book is, perhaps inevitably, pollution: pollution in all its forms and increasing beastliness.

In spite of the sewage and obvious and obnoxious industrial waste, the motor car and the casual visitor must rank high on the list of culprits. The book says that Britain's 6,000 miles of coastline in fact works out at 4" per inhabitant.

It is recommended that those who consider this precious little should read the book and join in any efforts to preserve what beauty is left.—E.W.M.

• The address of Heritage Publications, the publishers of Great Sea Rescues of the South West by R. L.

Elliott (35p), reviewed in our summer issue, is 14 Queen Anne Terrace, Plymouth..