Famed yacht designer & author L. Francis Herreshoff takes us on family-style cruises in American waters, during which all sorts of boats & boating skills are explained while they are used. He tells about the adventures of the crews of the catboat Piscator, the ketch Viator, & the engineless whaleboat-style ketch Rozinante. There are anecdotes & examples & a wide variety of boat lore in each chapter, as well as adventures, races, coastwise cruises & visits to historical harbors.