Businessman, sailor and author Ralph Richardson hopes the latest edition of his book will help bring more tourism business to the Island by yacht.‘The Bermuda Boater: A Comprehensive Guide to Piloting and Seamanship for Boaters around the Waters of Bermuda’ was first released in 1992.The guide, now commonly referred to as the “Bermuda Boating Bible” has since gone through two editions and sold 4,000 copiesMr Richardson says that while hundreds of yachts sail into Bermuda every year, they generally don’t stay very long. But with the latest edition of his book, he hopes to entice them to stay longer, discover Bermuda and help boost tourism.The past commodore of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club taught marine navigation courses for more than 20 years and taught Royal Yachting Association courses for four. He says he originally wrote the book out of necessity.“The main function of this book, initially, was just so that I would have a text book for my course because there was no book that taught navigation using Bermuda charts,” Mr Richardson said.He is now preparing to write an updated version which will be released next April or May, just in time for the start of boating season.“The books last about ten years and people keep them on their boats,” he said. “Ninety percent of our purchasers are people who just bought a boat and they don’t have an awful lot of experience.”The older editions of the book teach boating basics like water safety, ‘rules of the road’ and how to moor a boat or get away from a dock. Mr Richardson plans to add more for visiting yachtsmen interested in cruising around Bermuda and seeing more than just the marina or yacht club.“What we do know is lots of yachtsmen come to Bermuda and they are looking for resources,” he said. “In the 2004 edition, we added a section called ‘A Brief Yachtsman’s Guide to Bermuda’. It talks about Bermuda, making an approach, approaching by sea. We list the sailing clubs and marinas and their numbers. And if you want to get repairs, who to call, how to clear customs, basic information. That is what we really want to beef up because I think that there’s a real opportunity there.”In the latest edition of the book, Mr Richardson says he’s going to relay the experiences of 30 or so American yachtsmen who travelled to Bermuda in June 2011 for an “around the Island five-day cruise” and show how others can do so too.All members of the Cruising Club of America, many of the yachtsmen had been travelling to Bermuda for 20 or 30 years, but never considered it a cruising destination. Mr Richardson was determined to show them interesting and unique bays and inlets that they didn’t know.“The CCA has some of the most travelled sailors in the world, I can tell you. They’ve sailed around the world and done cruises everywhere, but they didn’t know. The commodore of the CCA did that trip with us last year and she said, ‘Ralph, we’ve been coming to Bermuda for a long time and we’ve never seen any of these places — we never knew this existed.’”Mr Richardson hopes adding the information to the book will inspire other yachtsmen to travel here and explore Bermuda’s hidden gems by boat.“Our main goal is to get people to know that guided or otherwise, that there are other things to do than see the marina or the yacht club. You can actually enjoy more and it’s not quite as difficult as they may think. Most people are afraid to do it because of the shallow water.”Sailing has a long and rich history in Bermuda, but only recently has it made some take notice of what a shot in the arm it can be to the Island’s economy. In June, the Newport to Bermuda Race, which finishes here every other year, added an estimated $10 million to the local economy with restaurants, hotels and retailers all reporting a surge in business as 160 boats crossed the finish line.With visitors now being allowed to stay 90 days, rather than 21, Mr Richardson says the Department of Tourism sees there’s a great opportunity to capitalise on yachtsmen interested in coming to Bermuda for more than just the race. He says the longer they get to stay, the more money they spend.“What Tourism would like to see is that people spend longer times in Bermuda after a race,” he said. “People will spend more money because they’ve got to buy food and supplies to last them longer ice, fuel. So businesses can benefit from it. I think there’s lots of potential for it. Certainly Tourism recognise that.“So, we’re encouraging people to stay and we want them to know that you can cruise in Bermuda and there are lots of options and we’ll tell them how to do it.”He continued: “It’s a way to support the concept of longer stays in Bermuda. We’ve already talked to the Director of Tourism and he is totally behind the concept of encouraging people to stay but there’s got to be something to encourage them to stay. So we will be writing about that in the book and letting people know.”In celebration of the 20th anniversary of ‘The Bermuda Boater’, the latest edition will also establish a “Captain’s Club” section. Those who pre-order before November 30 will get their names printed in it and will also get an autographed copy of the book and be invited to its launch.The book retails for $25, or $35 with Captain’s Club membership. While Mr Richardson says the books make a great gift for boating enthusiasts, he doesn’t count on making much of a profit from the effort.“Nobody gets rich on books in Bermuda, you just can’t sell enough books. Everyone who’s ever printed a book in Bermuda does it because it’s something that they’re passionate about — it’s nothing that they make money off of.”To order, visit, www.bermudaboater.com.