Hi David, There are lots of excellent books out there on sailing, sailing problems, and solutions to them. See any of the Hal Roth books - or the Hiscox books - or the Pardey books They all cover cruising and cruising problems: - boat hulls - rigs - accommodations - sails - engines - dinghies / outboards / and equipment - anchors / anchoring / problems and solutions - on board living - food storage - clothing storage - living on board - cooking - ways to conserve your water supply / and how to refill your tanks when it rains ... and what works and what doesn't - and most importantly, why they reach their conclusions. Many of these books are really reference books. Books to turn to when you have a problem and want to know how the people with lots of blue water miles under their keels solved the same problem, ....and why they chose that specific solution. You can learn from the most experienced sailors, even if you only sail on lakes or bays. - their reefing methods give you a lot of know-how. Then there is another sort of book that gives you all sorts of clever ideas to use on your boat; - Bimini - chart tables - storage tricks - how to simplify something Again, useful books that can supply lots of ideas and "how to" suggestions. Happy reading, Connie