Books to Boat by : 11-Year-Old Shop in Dana Point Is the Only Store in the County Specializing in Nautical Publications

If you are sailing to Tahiti or just zipping over to Catalina for the weekend, it is essential to have up-to-date charts of the area you are visiting. And even if you are just an armchair cruiser, you’ll need a ready supply of boating books and magazines to transport you to faraway places.

At Dana Book and Navigation Co., you can find charts that will take you anywhere in the world and more than 2,500 different books ranging from outboard repair manuals and seagoing cookbooks to cruising guides and sailing adventures.

Although you can buy nautical books at many general-interest bookstores and you can purchase a chart at a ship’s chandlery, Dana Book and Navigation Co. is Orange County’s only bookstore specializing in things nautical.

Although the 11-year-old store has gone through several different owners, the store’s nautical-only philosophy has remained unchanged, says Gina Billings, who bought the business two years ago with her partner, Patrick McNeal.

Billings, a longtime boater, used to shop at the store, which is only a few blocks from her house in Dana Point. When the opportunity came to buy the business, Billings, a former paralegal, couldn’t pass it up.

“There are other nautical bookstores, one in San Diego, a couple in San Francisco and quite a few on the East Coast,” she says, “but for this area this is the only one.”

One of the store’s strengths, according to Billings, is its large collection of technical books. “We get calls from people wanting to know how to fix (an) icebox, that kind of thing. Or how to work on an electrical system.” Chances are good that Dana Book and Navigation has a book that can tell you how, Billings says. “For example, we have all the shop manuals (for outboard engines).” A repair manual for a Mercury outboard costs $24.95.

In addition to its technical publications, the shop is known for its large selection of charts and even provides a trip-planning service. “We just finished planning a trip for a man who was going to Mexico, then through the Panama Canal and on to the Mediterranean,” Billings says. “And we’re involved in putting together the charts for a man who hopes to go around the world.”

Most boaters, however, are more interested in local charts of the Southern California area and Baja, Mexico, Billings says. “We do lots of trip plans for Baja.”

Chart prices range anywhere from $13.25 for a single chart of one specific area to $59.95 for a Southern California chart guide that includes the entire coast. “We have hundreds of charts from local waters to the Mediterranean to the South Pacific,” says Billings, who is thinking about expanding the chart area of the store.

But don’t get the idea that Dana Book and Navigation carries only technical books and charts. You will also find books on fishing, cruising, diving, sailing, powerboating and a dozen other nautical topics. And you’ll find glossy coffee table books, adventure and survival books--even classic fiction such as Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick.” There’s also a children’s section that includes seagoing titles for tots.

“Most people who come in here are surprised that there are that many different nautical books,” Billings says. “We even have a historical section that’s very large, so I have a whole following of history buffs who shop here. And I have customers from the Midwest who are regulars.”

The 1,400-square-foot store also carries boating videos, for rent or for sale, and magazines, including more than a dozen nautical publications both foreign and domestic.

As the working partner in the business, Billings spends all her time at the store. Her partner, Patrick McNeal, is an attorney who works at the store when he can. The store has two part-time employees, including Bill Clore, who has worked there for eight years and has watched the store nearly double in size. “I used to have time to read a lot more,” Clore says. “Not anymore.”

Dana Book and Navigation Co., at 24402 Del Prado in Dana Point, is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The store is closed on Tuesdays.

Parading on the bay--About 100 decorated boats are expected to take to the water July 22 in Newport Harbor for the 30th annual Character Boat Parade.

The theme of this year’s parade is “Newport Beach in the Wild, Wild West.” In keeping with the Western theme, boats will begin collecting around noon off Bayshores in front of the former home of John Wayne. The parade will begin at noon and will continue throughout the harbor, ending at the same place it started.

A Western barbecue will follow the parade at 4 p.m. at the American Legion Yacht Club, 215 15th St., Newport Beach. Tickets, which include a steak dinner, are $10.50 in advance and $12.50 at the door. If you want to take part in the parade but you don’t have a boat, you can buy a ticket for $10 and cruise aboard the Pavilion Queen, along with the Marine Corps Band, which will be performing aboard the vessel throughout the parade. The Character Boat Parade is sponsored by the Commodore’s Club of the Newport Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce. Chairmen are Ralph Rodheim and Bob Cornelius. For information, call (714) 644-8211.

Photo exhibit--Work by Costa Mesa boating photographer Geri Conser is on exhibit now through Sept. 30 at the Los Angeles Maritime Museum in San Pedro. Conser has been specializing in yacht photography for more than 16 years. Museum hours are Tuesdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information call (213) 548-7618.

Boating classes--A 12-week boating safety class will be offered by Flotilla 53 of the Coast Guard Auxiliary beginning July 18. Classes will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Building 6 at the Armed Forces Reserve Center, Building 6, Los Alamitos. For information call Sam Emer at (714) 892-5927.

Women’s racing--Women sailors are invited to compete in Dana Point Yacht Club’s Dana Belles Series for women only. The two-day event will be held July 21 and 22. Entrants do not have to be members of the yacht club. For information, call Tamara Kaniwec at (714) 951-7732.