Royce's Sailing Illustrated

I have shelf after shelf of books on sailing and boating, but only Royce's Sailing Illustrated is essentially worn out. This and the accompanying workbook are the only books of which I have two copies; one set at home and one set the boat. If you want an excellent introduction to sailing, buy, borrow, or steal this book. It's still no substitute for actually spending time at the tiller (and making your own mistakes), but Royce, through this little book, will teach you more than a boat-load of much more expensive volumes (or most sailing "schools", for that matter).

This compact work is not only a very good distillation of the ways of a modern sailor, but is arguably the most essential book to keep on board one's small boat for reference by the captain or the most novice of crew. It's keys to success are it's clarity of explanation and ease of reading. Of the 50 or so boat-related books in my library I rank this one among my top five in frequency of use.

This book is a must for any sailing enthsiast. It not only provides useful information on all aspects of sailing, sail boat design by does so with numerous sketches and pictures. A wonderful book for a reference amnual.

My wife took a sailing class in 1984 and I glanced at this book when she wasn't using it...I STOLE it from her and read it religiously...It was so basic, yet so damn informative that it made a profound impact on me...THIS IS THE BOOK to give the beginner...I am sure that this book is what made me successful with boating for the last 15 years...I am recommending it to EVERYONE I know...I am a USCG licensed Master with sailing endorsement and have been a US Navy DIver since 1974...I have been on the water a long time and this book is A KEEPER!!!!!!!!!

"Vol.I" is the 1993 edition of "The Sailor's Bible" that's been often updated & refined since 1956 and it shows. (There's also a Vol. II in a larger format and written for classroom use; it's said to cover the same material in more depth--but with half the pages?) Vol. II may be a better choice for home than this Vol. I which is now called the "on-the-water" version. Vol. I, this book, is very encyclopedic, useful for beginners through advanced levels. All sailing topics are covered and some (e.g., hull speed) are treated in more detail than most other books. The author, a sailor-artist, provides 1000s of helpful simple pictures & diagrams. It's comprehensive covering hulls, keels, rigging, sailing rigs, etc., from caravel to ULDB, OD dinghies to inboard cruisers. Sprinkled throughout are little gems of history or experience that enliven the reading. Many detailed pictures, some cutaways & parts are labeled, of 22 popular OD dinghies & cats plus 9 cruising boats (1 cat). A glossary of 38 pages covers about 1500 terms. Topics include splicing, first aid, recovering from capsizes, groundings, etc,; it has the practical advice that can keep some mishaps from becoming disasters. Good coverage of reefing, hull forms & high seas, broaching, pitch-poling, getting pooped, heaving to, etc. It's not perfect: All print is in blue (non-photo?) ink. The index is so-so but not great. Since it's intended as a reference, the writing is usually brief, in sound bites; when topics have a longer treatment (e.g., hull speed) the style remains so the bites feel pasted together. And some of the charts (e.g., avoiding collisions) have been photo-reduced to the point they're hard to read. But still, at the price, it probably has more facts per buck than any other sailing book.