“Avoiding Huge Ships” Creates Quite a Scene on Amazon

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With 1,097 reviews, Captain John Trimmer’s book on “How to Avoid Huge Ships” could very well be the most highly-reviewed maritime industry book on Amazon.

Who could have predicted that a how-to manual would create such a stir?  The following are a few sample comments left by readers:

Leigh commented:

Before reading this book, my days and nights were spent in terror over the possibility of running into a big ship. I couldn’t work, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, all because the thought of a big ship encounter was too horrifying. But now, after reading this book, I feel at ease and totally prepared if a ship strike should occur. The book walked me through how to:

1. Act in a big ship attack
2. Disguise my house as an iceberg
3. Sense a big ship’s presence before it senses me
4. Identify ships as big or small
5. Identify big ships’ horns and much more!

Allsion Hawn was a bit more critical in her review:

I realize that the title is “How to Avoid Huge Ships,” but I didn’t think that Captain Trimmer would be so narrow minded in his book.

I was truly hoping this book would also explain how to avoid “big” or even “moderately large” ships, but alas in 112 pages not a scrap of information on how to avoid the dangers of tugboats or coast guard vessels was mentioned. I also hoped that the coverage of “titanic” or “monstrous” ships would be covered, but again I was disappointed. I feel completely exposed and unsafe to anything smaller than a garbage barge or anything bigger than a Naval battleship!

Mr. Noel D. Hill found Captain Trimmer’s book “invaluable,” he writes:

As the father of two teenagers, I found this book invaluable. I’m sure other parents here can empathize when I say I shudder at the thought of the increasing presence of huge ships in the lives my children. I certainly remember the strain I caused so long ago for my own parents when I began experimenting with huge ships. The long inter-continental voyages that kept my mom and dad up all night with worry. Don’t even get me started on the international protocols when transporting perishable cargo. To think, I was even younger than my kids are now! huge ships are everywhere and it doesn’t help that the tv and movies make huge ships seem glamorous and cool.

This book helped me really approach the subject of huge ships with my kids in an honest and non judgmental way. Because of the insights this book provided, I can sleep a little better and cope with the reality that I can’t always be there to protect my kids from huge ships, especially as they become adults. I’m confident that my teens, when confronted by a huge ship, are much better prepared to make wiser decisions than I did. At the very least my children certainly know that they can always come to me if they have any concerns, questions or just need my support when it comes to the topic of huge ships.

For one unlucky reader named Dan, Trimmer’s book was disastrous:

Read this book before going on vacation and I couldn’t find my cruise liner in the port. Vacation ruined.

We admittedly haven’t yet read the book, but if one of you has it and wants to send it to us, we’ll take a look and give you our feedback after we get through it. Click here to read the rest of the reviews.

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