Full & By , by Bill Schanen. Copyright ?2001. Published by Seaworthy Publications. ISBN 1-892399-08-3. 210 pp. $14.95.

Order directly from the publisher at www.seaworthy.com 

     The mark of a good sailing book is one that makes you want to jump up, run down the dock, untie the lines to your boat and let the wind take you. Which is why I say, reader beware! when you read this book, because if you don't have a boat ready at your disposal, you might end up feeling inspired, but frustrated. Based on the editorial column of the same title, Full and By is a collection of essays by the editor and publisher of Sailing magazine, Bill Schanen.

     Bill Schanen's entire life has revolved around boats and sailing. His family sailed the Great Lakes while he was a kid, and his dad was so much into sailing,  that he started his own magazine, simply called Sailing. As Bill grew up he not only cultivated his own love of sailing, he also followed in his father's footsteps into the world of newspapers and journalism. It's no small wonder that those two aspects of his life would converge, and that eventually he would  become editor-in-chief and publisher of Sailing magazine.

     Schanen's love for sailing is contagious in his essays, which tell stories about inspirational sailors, moments at sea, and ruminations about the polemics of sailing and sailboats. It is as informative as it is inspirational, with lots of traditional sailing lore, lingo and a good sense of humor mixed in.