Rigging covers every aspect of standing and running rigging on a boat. The book explains the various options and materials with clear illustrations and photographs. An easy step-by-step guide, you will learn how to choose and fit equipment on cruising and racing yachts of all sizes before learning how to tune your rig to increase safety and achieve better performance. Hundreds of alternate configurations are examined and the bewildering array of lines is simply explained. Where calculations are used they are kept easy and straightforward. Whether you sail a gaff-rigged classic, a weekend cruiser or a high tech racer, this book contains everything you need and want to know about the mysterious art of boat rigging.
The definitive guide from the world's best-known sailboat maintenance expert Don Casey’s Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual combines six core volumes into a single, utterly dependable resource that answers every frequent question, explains every major system, and helps you keep your boat and its components shipshape. More than 2,500 clear and detailed illustrations guide you step by step through every procedure. Casey’s technical virtuosity, his user-friendly explanations, and Peter Compton's diesel engine expertise make even the more complicated repairs and improvements easy to understand. This must-have guide saves you time, money, and grief as you learn the fastest, easiest, most effective ways to: Evaluate the condition of your boat or one you’re about to purchase Repair structural damage to your fiberglass sailboat Improve or repair your sailboat’s electrical system Troubleshoot, maintain, and repair your boat’s diesel engine Put a professional-looking finish on your boat’s hull, deck, spars, wood, and trim Make and repair sails, sail covers, dodgers, awnings, sailbags, and bimini tops
The Skipper's Cockpit Racing Guide is an at-a-glance reference for dinghy and yacht racers, covering everything they need to know to improve their performance – and win. From those in their first year of racing to old hands wondering why they're not winning, this guide covers an enormous amount of detail in a simple, easy to follow format. Topics are broken down into photo sequences, boxes, flowcharts, hints and tips, and cover: - setting your goals - assembling the right boat and gear - practising and tuning (straight line, tacking, gybing, rounding marks, doing penalties) - starting (planning, set-up of rig and foils) - race strategy (beating, reaching, running) - tactics against the opposition - crewing skills (trim, weight) - tides and currents (what affects the flow, using them to your advantage) - wind (wind shadows, wind bends, forecasts) - spinnakers (symmetric, asymmetric, hoist, gybe, drop) - rules (start, beat, reach, run) A final section on troubleshooting enables readers to rate their performance and identify areas for improvement, handily linking back to those pages in the book.
The Dinghy Bible is the complete, user-friendly, hands-on manual packed with detailed step-by-step diagrams, lively action photos, and helpful advice on getting the most out of dinghy sailing whatever your skill level. Whether just learning the basics or wanting tips on sailing with the best, this is the book that provides all the answers in an easily accessible visual presentation. It's all here! - Choosing your dinghy - Launching, helming, trapezing and capsizing - Racing tips, techniques and tactics - Knots and ropes - Sailing etiquette - Rules of the road, safety and emergencies - Boat maintenance and repairs - Trailer maintenance - and much more... The Dinghy Bible is an ideal companion to enjoyable sailing for every skill level. Praise for The Sailing Bible: 'A first-class introductory text' - Yachting Monthly 'It's a beautifully designed book, with glossy photos, diagrams and clear text, and a great read whether you're just starting out or looking to improve your skills' - Practical Boat Owner
Interested in learning to sail but feel like you’re navigating in murky waters? Sailing for Dummies, Second Edition introduces the basics of sailing, looks at the different types of sailboats and their basic parts, and teaches you everything you need to know before you leave the dock. In Sailing for Dummies, Second Edition, two U.S. sailing champions show you how to: Find and choose a sailing school Use life jackets correctly Tie ten nautical knots Handle sailing emergencies (such as capsizing and rescuing a man overboard) Launch your boat from a trailer, ramp, or beach Get your boat from point A to point B (and back again) Predict and respond to water and wind conditions Read charts, plot your course, use a compass, and find your position at sea Sailing for Dummies shows you that getting out on the water is easier than you think. The authors keep the sailor-speak to a minimum where possible, but give you a grasp of the terminology you need to safely and effectively communicate with your crew. A textbook, user’s manual, and reference all in one, this book takes the intimidation out of sailing and gives you the skills and confidence you need to get your feet wet and become the sailing pro you’ve always wanted to be. Anchors away!
The complete guide to racing in dinghies and yachts, packed with hands-on practical advice, user friendly instructional diagrams, and lively, inspirational photography. Racing in dinghies and yachts is a uniquely challenging sport – no other form of racing puts you at the mercy of something as unpredictable as wind or current. To win, you need an understanding of the weather and of your craft, and an understanding of psychology, whether that's your own strategy and adaptability or your opponents'. The most thorough and comprehensive guide to sail racing ever written, The Sail Racing Bible avoids the overly technical, but includes theory to help you understand what you need to do, when and why. Packed with step-by-step instructions, clear bird's-eye diagrams showing exactly what you need to do, tip boxes and checklists, tables and charts, this book is the racing coach you need by your side, at every stage of the race, and at every level from beginner to advanced. With up-and-coming racer Mason Stang and his superstar coach Udi Gal to hand, anyone – at whatever level – can turn yesterday's defeat into tomorrow's victory.
Completely revised and updated to address changes in technology, this new edition is the definitive guide to the art and science of sailing. Since the publication of the widely hailed first edition in 1983, The Annapolis Book of Seamanship has set the standard by which other books on sailing are measured. Used throughout America as a textbook in sailing schools and Power Squadrons, The Annapolis Book of Seamanship thoroughly and clearly covers the fundamental and advanced skills of modern sailing. This edition of Annapolis is a major overhaul. Over half the book has been revised; old topics and features have been updated, and many new ones have been introduced. The design has been modernized, and many color illustrations have been added. As big and detailed as Annapolis is, the wealth of technical information (including dozens of step-by-step instructions) is presented here in a way that is uniquely readable; it's both useful and easy to use. This is because John Rousmaniere and artist Mark Smith bring to Annapolis decades of experience both as sailors and as professional communicators. Annapolis emphasizes the standard skills and proven methods that eliminate error and confusion, ensure security in emergencies, and allow every sailor more time for enjoyment on the water. Much has changed on the water since 1983 when this book was originally published. Black buoys are now green, the Global Positioning Satellite navigation system (GPS) is almost universally used, new types of anchors and sails have appeared, safety skills and gear are vastly improved, many more women are commanding boats, and catamarans and trimarans are common where only monohulls used to sail. But for all these modern developments, the basic skills and spirit of sailing have not changed at all. Sail trimming, keeping up steerageway, maintaining the dead reckoning plot, heaving-to -- these fundamentals are as important now as ever and receive much attention here. Among the innovations in this edition are: * Basic skills in early chapters: Fundamental sailing and boat-handling skills and gear, which are introduced in chapters 1, 2, and 3. * "Hands On" segments: Three dozen special sections, each devoted to a particular seamanship problem and an expert solution. * More how-to tips: Additional rules of thumb that guide a crew quickly and successfully through seamanship problems. * New coverage of multihulls: Advice on evaluating, anchoring, and handling catamarans and trimarans under sail (including in storms). * More on emergencies: New material on emergencies, safety, and heavy-weather sailing, including a section on preparing a docked boat for a hurricane. * Equipment updates: Expanded coverage of the use and care of modern gear and hardware, including radar, GPS, rescue devices, and asymmetrical spinnakers. * Terminology: Full definition and illustration of major terms when they're first introduced, with alternative language provided in parentheses. * Gender: The use of feminine personal pronouns, which reflect the fact that more women are captaining and sailing boats than ever before. From navigation and seamanship to boat and gear maintenance, from pleasure cruising to heavy-weather sailing, here is the definitive, state-of-the-art guide that provides systematic step-by-step techniques to see you through every situation on deck and in the cockpit.
The official learn-to-sail manual of the American Sailing Association and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, with over 150 line drawings and photographs. Written by America’s foremost instructional authority, the new edition of Sailing Fundamentals combines the training programs of the American Sailing Association and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. The official learn-to-sail manual of the American Sailing Association, it is also used in the programs of many yacht clubs, colleges, and sailing groups. Unlike most introductory sailing books, which reflect the biases and idiosyncrasies of their authors, Sailing Fundamentals has been extensively pretested by ASA professional instructors to ensure that it offers the fastest, easiest, most systematic way to learn basic sailing and basic coastal cruising. This book covers every aspect of beginning sailing—from hoisting sail to docking and anchoring—and specifically prepares the learner to qualify for sailing certification according to international standards. Widely acclaimed author Gary Jobson has won several major races, including the 1977 America’s Cup victory as tactician aboard Courageous. He was head sailing coach at the US Naval Academy, and has conducted sailing clinics across the country.
