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If you have a certain book in mind (or a CD, or a video), and it's not among these books, please scroll down to the Amazon.com search box.
Literature on sailing is huge. You can find a lot of good books about the basics of sailing, tactics, strategies, weather, racing, history, as well as people's accounts of their own sailing experiences, both happy and tragic. We will give you here reviews of various books - you decide what you want to read.
"117 Days Adrift" by Maurice Bailey and Maralyn Bailey is an inspiring as well as thrilling story. The authors have spent almost four months in a raft, with failing equipment and not much to live on. Yet, they survived to write this great book. It can be an eye opener for too eager sailors, and a warning for the rest of us. It's a breadth-taking read, which I will recommend to anyone who likes adventure and human endurance stories.
"Against all odds: Around Alone in the BOC Challenge" by Alan Nebauer seems like a very good book in light of the recent start of the Around Alone '02 - '03 race. It's an amazing race, and this book will be truly inspiring for any sailor.
"All in the Same Boat" by Fiona McCall & Paul Howard is a wonderfully written account of how a Canadian family (the authors and their two children, ages 4 and 6) sailed to Africa, South America, and Panama. And they did this on a boat ("Lorcha") built by themselves in their backyard. It's very pleasant to read, and added to this is a lot of very valuable information - especially about how to sail with small children, and how to prepare your boat for this.
"The Boat Who Wouldn't Float" by Farley Mowat (a Canadian, by the way) is a comical story (a real one, too - most of the time!) of a schooner bought by the author who hugely overpaid it, and had never known peace ever since. He did sail it along the shores of New Foundland, but man, what a sailing adventure it was!
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"The Breath of Angels : A True Story of Life and Death at Sea" by John Beattie is a very touching, but also humorous true story of his adventures at sea. While he begins as a person who's not very adept at sailing, his experiences - good and bad - teach him a lot during his voyages. The book makes you feel connected to the author in a special way. A certain thing to keep you reading and longing for more.
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"Dark Wind: A Survivor's Tale of Love and Loss" by Gordon Chaplin is an absolutely excellent book. Mr. Chaplin indicates that writing this book began as his personal therapy, but it became a beautiful and a very tragic story. To most of us (I believe) sailing is more than a hobby - it's a way of life, and this book tells of a life of two not-so-perfect people in love, in a not-so-perfect life of sailing and traveling. It is a true story, told in a manner that keeps you turning the pages. I found it disturbing, but the language is clean and concise, a very good read. It does become slightly technical at times, but the facts are important, and this doesn't take away from the book. Overall, it's an extremely tragic story, leaving a tint of hope at the end... A MUST to read...
I would also like to thank Mr. Geoffrey R.C. Hunt for recommending this book to me.
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"Fastnet, Force 10" by John Rousmaniere is a tragic account of a storm that hit the Irish Sea during the 605-mile Fastnet Race in 1979. During a force 10 wind (on the Beaufort scale, which equals roughly to 48-55 knots) the sea destroyed many boats, and ended lives of 15 people. Out of 303 boats only 85 finished the race, 194 retired, and 5 sunk. This book is very well written, and contains a lot of black-and-white photos. The author sailed in that race in an American boat, which was lucky enough to have finished the race.
"Megayacht: True Stories of Adventure, Drama and Tragedy at Sea" by Buddy Haack and Doug Hoogs, is an incredible ensemble of true stories of the crew and the captains of vessels at sea. The accounts are simply terrifying at times, so that it's really difficult to put this book away once you start reading. An absolutely great read.
"Time on Ice: A Winter Voyage to Antarctica" by Deborah Shapiro and Rolf Bjelke, beyond descriptions of their dangerous and very lonely voyage, is a discovery of the self and the beauty of this isolated and isolating place. They trusted their 40-footer Northern Light, as well as their extensive sailing experience (including high latitudes), and took on a voyage which still proved to be more than they expected. It's a beautiful book, not only for sailors, but also for anyone who's fascinated by Antarctica.
"The Perfect Storm" by Sebastian Junger is a very powerful account of the dreadful fate of Andrea Gail - the swordfish fishing boat caught in a storm of the century, the meteorologists called the Perfect Storm because of the rare weather occurrence. Many of you have probably already seen the motion picture of the story (which I liked), but the book is an excellent read, has great descriptions of weather factors and wave formation, and keeps you turning the pages from the beginning to the very end.
"The Practical Mariner's Book of Knowledge: 420 Sea-Tested Rules of Thumb for Almost Every Boating Situation" by John Vigor is an amusing read, and a very good book for reading out loud on a leisurely stroll on your boat, or even in the car. Quite a bit of useful information in there too! Have fun.
"Sniffing the Coast: an Acadian voyage" by Silver Donald Cameron is a well written book, describing the Acadian heritage through the eyes of a sailor. The author, his wife and son, sailed around the Gulf of St. Lawrence, getting to know the distinct culture of the Maritimes. Later he put it all on paper. It's a very interesting story, albeit touching more upon the life of the Maritimers, than on sailing.
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"Ticonderoga: Tales of an Enchanted Yacht" by Jack A. Somer is a wonderful story of a yacht built to be just a romantic tale, but after changing owners - and many aspects about her - she turns out to be one of the fastest yachts for the speed-length ratio. Combined beauty and racing speed makes her one of the greatest sailboats ever floating. The photographs are breathtaking - well, just like Ticonderoga herself.
"21st Century Sailing Simulator 2.0" is a great way to stay in touch with your passion when you cannot sail. This simulator is definitely one of the better ones, you can control the sails, the rudder, spinnaker etc. This is all on a J/22. There is also an option of racing, either against your computer, or against other on-line sailors through the Internet. Go on, this time try your hand at computer sailing!
"The American Practical Navigator: 'Bowditch' - 2002 Bicentennial Edition"
by Nathaniel Bowditch, National Imagery and Mapping and Agency Staff
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"Around the Buoys: A Manual of Sailboat Racing Tactics and Strategies" by Michael Jr. Huck, Terry Greenfield, Mike Huck, and Michael V. Jr. Huck is an excellent and extremely informative book, especially for the beginning or intermediate racers. It's packed with diagrams, instruction on every part of a race, and how they all work to win you the best placements. The language is approachable, and I definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to do better the next time in a race.
"Boatowner's Mechanical & Electrical Manual: How to Maintain, Repair, and Improve Your Boat's Essential Systems" by Nigel Calder is a "must-have" for anybody with an older boat, although anyone will benefit from it. Mechanical and electrical systems should never be neglected, and the following book will help you go through all the possible problems you might encounter. The best part of the book is that it guides you through the steps of not only repairing and maintaining the systems, but also of looking for possible problems. Many people have considered it as the most essential guide to mechanical and electrical systems that they've ever owned.
"Championship tactics: How Anyone Can Sail Faster, Smarter and Win
Races" by Gary Jobson,Tom Whidden, and Adam Loory is another
one of must-haves. It is written in a very concise manner, and it's for everyone who
feels even the slightest need to polish some of the racing skills. Gary Jobson was a
tactician for Ted Turner at the 1977 America's Cup, which he won. Tom Whidden won
the 1980, 1987, and 1988 America's Cup for Dennis Connor - again as a tactician, and Adam
Loory took part in the 1989 Trans-Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, on a class-winning boat.
He also covered the 1987 America's Cup for "USA Today". As
you can see, the team who wrote this book is superb, and the book is an excellent read.
"The Complete Canvas worker's Guide" by Jim Grant is a very thorough instruction book, complete with detailed step-by-step descriptions, and illustrations. You can learn how to make your own awnings, sail bags, biminis, boat covers, flags, sail covers, harnesses, and still more canvas projects. If you ever have problems finding the proper covers, cushions or bags for your boat - you may definitely get a lot from this book. It is complete with 186 pages, and 230 illustrations.
"Cruising in a Nutshell: The Art and Science of Enjoyable Coastwise Voyaging in Small Auxiliary Yachts" by Tony Gibbs is an instructional, and well written book about sailing close to the coast in small boats (say, up to 30 feet long). The author gives a huge amount of information and advise regarding preparations, techniques, navigation, surviving various weather conditions, and maintenance. Lots of text (292 pages altogether) is intertwined with valuable photographs and drawings. Tony Gibbs is also a sailor, as well as editor of New Yorker, and an ex-editor of Yachting magazine.
"Inspecting the Aging Boat" by Don Casey encompasses all aspects of a boat inspection, and can give you just a bit more information as to what still needs to be done, or bought. Even if you're buying a used boat, this book could already be a lot of help while you try to decide if it would be a good buy.
"Knowing the Ropes"
(you can buy this book from Amazon.com - just click on the link!) by Roger C. Taylor is an instructional book on everything that involves the use of ropes (on a sailboat, that is). Interesting, valuable, and gives you a very broad picture of what you can do (and should do) with ropes on your boat.
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today!
"Learn to Sail" by Dennis Conner and Michael Levitt is a great book for beginners. It contains a lot of basic information about practically any aspect of sailing (except maybe navigation and weather types), and is written in a language which will appeal to most avid sailors. Even though it is a book for beginners, even experienced sailors can probably learn something new from it.
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today!
"Learning to Sail : The Annapolis Sailing School Guide for All Ages" by Di Goodman and Ian Brodie might be just what you're looking for if you have kids and want to teach them sailing. The language is fantastically accessible for the young souls (say from age 10 up), the guide is based on the proven techniques of the Annapolis Sailing School, and it's very non-technical. Simply a must for kids and teens who want to learn how to sail.
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book today!
"Sailing Fundamentals : The Official Learn-To-Sail Manual of the American Sailing Association and the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary" by Gary Jobson is a wonderful book for beginning sailors (although there's still so much info, that even "older" sailors will learn something from it). It's complete with photographs, and the language is much less technical than the usual learn-to-sail books.
"Sailing with Confidence" (1992) by Bud Foulke, published by Bennett Marine Video is a well done video, made specifically for the amateur sailors, very informative for all, even people who've never sailed before. Excellent gift for new at the sport!
"Start Sailing Right, part 1" is an instructional video directed by Emmett McNamara. This is a video for beginning sailors, even those who have never been on a sailboat (kids and teens included). It's a great way to get well acquainted with the sport, even before you step onto a boat. It's been "officially sanctioned by U.S. Sailing and the American Red Cross", and might also be a great gift idea!
"Storm Tactics Handbook" by Lin and Larry Pardey was January's 2000 feature, because it seems that more people take to the sea this year, probably to make it more special. It is a book full of tried-and-true tactics for surviving extreme conditions at sea. The authors (who themselves have close to 30 year sailing experience) have included ancient and modern tactics that have helped sailors throughout the ages. While the book takes a scientific approach, the authors have not ignored even one tactic that has helped anyone before - even if it does not seem too scientific.
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"This Old Boat" by Don Casey will be interesting to anyone who has just bought a boat that's old and needs some, or lots of repairs. The author provides a vast amount of information about practically every aspect of boat maintenance and repair: from choosing a good boat, through wiring and cabinetwork, to repairing fiberglass and sails. A very good reference book for do-it-yourself kind of sailors.
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"The Sextant Handbook: Adjustment, Repair, Use and History" by Bruce Bauer is a must-have book for all those who would still like to know the wonderful art of navigating with a sextant. While you most certainly use a GPS or a Loran-C right now, remember, that electronics have this nasty habit of breaking down, and knowing how to use a sextant (and possess one, which is a whole other story...) might just save your back.
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book today!
"The America's Cup: The History of Sailing's Greatest Competition in the Twentieth Century" by Dennis Conner and Michael Levitt is their latest book. It touches upon the history of the race, the Cup class designs - how they developed and changed, and the various characters involved with this great race. Dennis Conner, himself an America's Cup racer, gives you wonderful personal insights into the event.
"The America's Cup: An Informal History" by Ian Dear is a must for anyone who is interested in this event. It is a wonderfully written history of the race, together with a lot of "behind-the-scenes" stuff. The pictures are rather good, and the author makes sure that the book does not get boring at any point.
"The Golden Age of Sail" by Amy Handy is a beautiful book describing the times of the tall ships. The author tells a hundred and fifty years long history of the seas including stories of pirates, explorers, battles, as well as technological innovations that followed. This book has simply wonderful pictures (most are paintings, but there are also a number of drawings and photographs) and a vivid language.
"Hen Frigates: Passion and Peril, Nineteenth Century Women at Sea" by Joan Druett is a historical account of Victorian women, wives and daughters of sailors, who have endured all of the hardships of the life at sea. There are excerpts from their diaries and letters, and often heart breaking stories of courage and loss.
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"The Illustrated Dictionary of Boating Terms: 2000 Essential Terms for Sailors and Powerboaters." by John Rousmaniere is a very new and concise set of boating terminology. The author has an extensive sailing experience and wrote some of the best selling instructional books for young sailors. You can count on this book providing you with both the "proper" names, as well as a lot of sailing jargon. A great addition to your sailing literature.
"The Illustrated Dictionary of Sailing" by Jane Daniels is a very comprehensive dictionary, with a lot of very good and informative photos and drawings. You can learn a lot just by reading it.
"Sailing (sa'ling), 1.n. the fine art of getting wet and becoming ill while slowly going nowhere at great expense. A Dictionary for Landlubbers, Old Salts, & Armchair Drifters" by Henry Beard & Roy McKie is - as you have probably already figured out - is a comical dictionary of sailing. The definitions are hilarious, but will be understood only by those who do sail. It is a must for any sailor.
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