The only specialised marine publication in Oceania that focuses on the maritime industry, from super yachts to small craft to large commercial ships, including coastal shipping, tugs, tow boats, barges, ferries, tourist, sport-fishing craft
Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/131029
BOOKS VELVET AND ELVIS – WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT AN EEL? The longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii) is the world's largest and longest-lived freshwater eel, and is a creature of great cultural and biological significance in New Zealand. Velvet & Elvis is a global citizen's thoughtful response to a unique species on the edge of extinction, written primarily for children but a book to be enjoyed by everyone. In reading Velvet & Elvis we found it to be a gorgeous and simple book with an important story of New Zealand's longfin eel told with Stephanie Bowman's stunning paintings. In addition to the Velvet & Elvis book, Stephanie also created a migrating, social art project in order to raise awareness of the plight of the longfin eel and its struggling freshwater ecosystem. Velvet's travelling tuna tapestry is a taniwha-sized longfin eel made of recycled cloth constructed by over 5000 people within and beyond New Zealand. The tapestry not only depicts a velvety longfin eel, but also showcases the great diversity of wildlife found in New Zealand's water. School groups, museums, and individuals all around the country, from Kaitaia to Invercargill, added panels to the tapestry as it travelled around New Zealand from 2011 through 2013. There are more than 75 panels that make up the 150m (and still growing) quilt. Each panel is about two metres long; the size of the largest female longfins when they – some a century old – finally reach maturity and nature calls for them to migrate to breed. Published by Papawai Press the booklet is available for RRP $22, by direct mail order at: info@papawai.co.nz. FLY PATTERNS BY FISHING GUIDES Being only an occasional fly fisher I must admit that my knowledge of tying a fly is zilch, and when it comes to choosing the best fly for the conditions it's information gleaned from the local sports shop. This said, as interest in fly fishing continues to grow along with new developments in saltwater fly fishing, we are seeing a resurgence in the sport. VIP.S61 GOT OLD, UNLOVED MARITIME BOOKS GATHERING DUST? Professional Skipper is looking for unwanted books featuring all aspects of New Zealand's maritime history, from shipping to fishing to the waterfront, to add to our growing in-house reference library. CONTACT: The Editor, Keith Ingram Professional Skipper, 4 Prince Regent Drive Half Moon Bay, Manukau City 2012 PHONE 09 533 4336 email: keith@skipper.co.nz 72 Professional Skipper May/June 2013 Clearly here in New Zealand we have developed local favorites for local conditions, but let's not forget that the art of fly fishing was developed in the old country and is now one of the largest fishing activities in the United States. This book written by Tony Lolli, an avid fly fisher, accomplished fly tyer and fishing guide, draws on the expert knowledge of many professional fishing guides who have shared the vast majority of some 200 patterns never seen before in print. All of them proven to be successful when the fishing gets hard and the guide resorts to relying on their secret pattern to save the day and encourage repeat business. While aimed at many species including trout, I would suggest that many flies, if not most, would be equally at home in our local waterways. For a rank amateur I enjoyed reading this book because not only was it full of colour images, the text was both detailed in how to tie the fly and informative on the target species, as well as where and under what conditions best used. The fly patterns are designed for the most popular fly fishing species, be they fresh or salt water including; trout, Atlantic salmon, Pacific salmon, steelhead, striped bass, redfish, bonefish, barramundi, sailfish and marlin. Published by New Burlington Books in London and distributed in New Zealand by New Holland Publishers, this beautifully illustrated hard cover book carries a RRP of $29.99 making it a very affordable gift for any budding fly fisher. THE CHALLENGE In the summer of 1812 Britain stood alone fighting for her very survival against a vast European Empire. Only the Royal Navy stood between Napoleon's legions and ultimate victory. In that dark hour America saw its chance to challenge British dominance. In three titanic ship actions, the challenge was decisively met when British frigates closed with the USS Chesapeake, Essex and President the flagship of the American ambition. Leading the victory HMS Shannon captured the USS Chesapeake in thirteen blood soaked minutes. This victory secured British control of the Atlantic and within a year Washington DC had been taken and burnt by British troops. In examining these extraordinary battles, author Andrew Lambert reveals that much of the claimed mythologies of the War of 1812 was actually a disaster for the United States and sparked some of Britain's finest moments at sea. Published by Faber and distributed by Allan & Unwin, The Challenge is available from all leading bookshops. RRP $49.99.