@DanS - I thought the same when I bought it. But i read front front to end; skimming over the actual formulae - but remembering why they are needed. And if I want to know the forces on my stays, or on the anchor, or on the keel bolts I have a source and the contents are well-indexed. The book goes a long way towards answering typical boater's questions like "Why the H**** did the boat manufacturer do that?"