Sailing : A Beginner's Guide

Sailing: A Beginner's Guide takes the reader step-by-step from his or her first sail to an almost intuitive mastery of small boat handling. the delightful drawings combined with the author's appealing writing style successfully explain topics in manageable double page spreads. The book unravels the mysteries of reading the wind, guides the reader through his or her first tenuous steps aboard, and then beyond to navigation, safety, seamanship and even trailering, conveying the magic as well as the nuts and bolts of sailing. It is a gentle introduction for those who are just starting out, and will provide many evocative images for those who already sail. It's all here, more successfully captured than ever before in one book. Inspirational for novice and old hand alike. 'A learn-to-sail book with heart' - WoodenBoat ' A real winner ... a masterful blend of straightforward text with delightful and instructive illustrations' - Cruising World 'Teaches sailing with flair and poetry' - SAIL Cover......Page 1 CONTENTS......Page 7 BECOMING A SAILOR......Page 10 WIND SENSE......Page 11 Direction......Page 13 Words of the Wind......Page 14 Land and the Wind......Page 15 True & Apparent Winds......Page 17 Wind Speed Tables......Page 18 Wind Strength......Page 19 WORKING WINDS......Page 21 With the Wind......Page 23 Across the Wind......Page 25 Working the Wind......Page 27 Into the Wind......Page 29 GETTING UNDERWAY......Page 31 Bending Sail......Page 33 Steering......Page 35 Making Sail......Page 36 Leaving a Mooring, or a Dock......Page 37 Reaching......Page 39 Keeping a Course......Page 40 Close-Hauled......Page 41 Tacking......Page 43 Other Tacks......Page 45 In Irons......Page 46 Downwind......Page 47 Gybing......Page 49 Slowing Down......Page 51 Heaving-To......Page 52 Heavy Weather......Page 53 Capsized!......Page 55 Practise......Page 56 Returning to a Mooring, or a Dock......Page 57 Beach Sailing......Page 59 Dock Work......Page 61 Leaving Her......Page 63 THE BOAT......Page 65 Form......Page 67 Comparing Boats......Page 68 Lines......Page 69 Stability......Page 71 Heeling......Page 72 Resistance......Page 73 Preventing Leeway......Page 75 Wooden Boats......Page 77 Fibreglass Boats......Page 79 Metal Boats......Page 81 Buoyancy......Page 82 Boats......Page 83 RIGGING......Page 85 Standing Rigging......Page 87 Tuning the Rig......Page 88 Running Rigging......Page 89 Sail Controls......Page 91 Tackle......Page 94 Winches......Page 95 Stepping the Mast......Page 96 Rigs......Page 97 Balance......Page 99 SAILS......Page 103 Sail Shape......Page 105 Telltales......Page 106 Fault Finder......Page 107 Reefing......Page 109 The Genoa......Page 111 The Spinnaker......Page 112 Sail Care......Page 116 UNDER POWER......Page 117 Inboards......Page 119 Outboards......Page 121 Oars......Page 122 RULES OF THE ROAD......Page 123 Right of Way......Page 125 Avoiding Collisions......Page 127 Sound Signals......Page 128 Lights & Shapes......Page 129 ANCHORING......Page 131 Ground Tackle......Page 133 The Anchorage......Page 136 Anchoring Under Sail......Page 137 A Second Anchor......Page 138 Weighing Anchor......Page 139 Moorings......Page 140 MARLINSPIKE SEAMANSHIP......Page 141 Rope......Page 143 The Ditty Bag......Page 145 Knots......Page 147 Cleats......Page 151 Eye Splice......Page 152 Going Aloft......Page 155 Chafe......Page 156 Coiling......Page 157 Heaving Lines......Page 158 EMERGENCIES......Page 159 Avoiding Trouble......Page 161 Personal Safety......Page 162 Aground......Page 163 Man Overboard......Page 165 Towing......Page 167 Signalling for Help......Page 168 SEA & SKY......Page 169 Weather......Page 171 Fog......Page 174 Squalls......Page 175 Currents......Page 176 Tides......Page 177 Waves......Page 179 NAVIGATION......Page 181 Language of the Chart......Page 183 Aids to Navigation......Page 185 Lights......Page 187 Visibility......Page 189 Sound......Page 190 Plotting a Course......Page 191 The Compass......Page 193 Deviation......Page 195 Lines of Position......Page 197 Danger LOPs......Page 199 Distance Off......Page 200 A Fix......Page 201 Dead Reckoning......Page 202 Distance Run......Page 203 Speed......Page 204 Running Fix......Page 205 Correcting for Currents......Page 206 GPS Navigation......Page 207 Getting a Fix with GPS......Page 208 Waypoint Navigation......Page 209 Staying on Course with GPS......Page 210 RACING......Page 211 How It’s Done......Page 213 Racers......Page 215 Rules......Page 217 The Start......Page 219 Playing the Wind......Page 221 Windward Leg......Page 223 A Racer’s Tack......Page 225 Offwind Legs......Page 226 At the Mark......Page 227 Racers’ Secrets......Page 228 TRAILERING......Page 229 The Trailer......Page 231 On the Road......Page 232 Ramps......Page 233 Backing Up......Page 235 Launching & Retrieving......Page 236 C......Page 237 H......Page 238 P......Page 239 S......Page 240 Y......Page 241 Updated and expanded for its second edition, this guide takes the reader step-by-step from his or her first tenuoussteps aboard, and then beyond beyond to navigation, safety, seamanshipand even trailering, conveying the magic as well as the nuts and boltsof sailing.