Richardson's new book, "The Bermuda Boater'', which provides a well-organised, nuts-and-bolts look at local boating.

The 86-page book was written to fill what Mr. Richardson sees as a lack of knowledge about boating.

"Over the past few years the boating activity in Bermuda has increased tremendously,'' Mr. Richardson says in his forward.

"As boating activity increases so does the likelihood of an accident. Few people take the time to learn the rules of the road, and many take to the sea with no knowledge of the rules of good seamanship and safe boating.'' With these thoughts in mind, Mr. Richardson, a former skipper of the Enterprise submarine, has put together a text that emphasises the rules of proper navigation, piloting and boat handling.

A major point made in the opening chapter "Aids to Navigation & Distress Calls'' is that boat safety begins before the boater steps aboard his craft.

He begins with Harbour Radio and the assistance this Government facility can provide in terms of safety and radio communications.

It is vital, he says, to have an effective radio-telephone, licensed by the Department of Telecommunications. It not only helps with navigational communications but also in emergencies, when its serial number can be used for easy identification.

Mr. Richardson points out that the Department of Telecommunications offers up to 50 channels that provide different services, including Channel 16 for distress calls.

Mr. Richardson uses one of his own experiences at sea to point out that transister radios can also be used for navigation.

He was sailing near hazy St. Thomas unaware of his precise location. Each AM radio, he says, has an internal antenna that is directional in nature. By holding the antenna and rotating, the holder will note a point when the signal diminishes to a low. Mr. Richardson said that point will indicate the direction of a radio station.

"In a few minutes we were able to establish that St. Thomas was either directly ahead or directly behind us,'' Mr. Richardson said in explaining the technique.

"We determined that since we had not hit anything the Island still lay ahead.'' Mr. Richardson's manual focusses on elementary practices such as boat movements around standard red and green buoys -- simple, safe steps that many new boaters and water users are ignorant of.

Another important subject within the book is tides. Mr. Richardson explains why and when they occur and where to find out when they occur.

The Bermuda Boater also covers the Rules of Boating in detail, use of the magnetic compass and charts, the location of submarine cables and finding your position.

Mr. Richardson has taken a step-by-step approach to boating that he feels all boaters can benefit from, even those who have no experience.

"I have included some rather basic information as it cannot be assumed that everyone will start at the same level,'' he says at the end of his introduction.

"During one of my classes (at Warwick Community School) I had spent about ten minutes discussing the positioning of lights on a boat. At the end of my discourse, a hand went up in the rear of the class.

"The student asked: `Where is the bow of the boat?' "I hope, therefore, that you will not be impatient as we cover this basic type of information.''