The Complete Sailor: Learning the Art of Sailing

this is it! If you are looking for a book that will give the basics of sailing, this book has it. If you are looking for a long-term reference to remind you of the details, this is it. If you are looking for a book to have on-board for novices during bareboat cruises, this is it. If you are looking for a book that the novices could use to critique your skills, this is it. Unfortunately, I purchased this book after going through ASA sailing school. I have read the ASA and the US Sail course books to the bareboat chartering level. From a sailing skills point of view, this book beats them hands down. The illustrations are enchanting. They draw the reader into each topic. At the same time, the concisely present the key information needed to grasp the topic. This will be coming with me on all of my bareboat trips! Anyone got a scuba book like this?

The best introduction to sailing I've found. The illustrations- cartoons, really- are attractive, and clearly show exactly what you want to know without excessive detail or abstract diagrams. Along with instruction from a friend, this is the book that taught me how to sail my little Potter 15. Recommended for all beginning sailors, and those who are intersted in learning more about sailing.

I wish I had gotten this before I bought Sailing For Dummies. Sailing For Dummies somehow left me with a lot of unanswered basic questions about sailing. Complete Sailor answered those questions. Complete Sailor also has more illustrations that provide a clearer understanding of just what the heck the author's talking about.

After sailing for 30 years, I was looking for a book for my children to use to give them a solid foundation. I ordered another 5 star book recommended by sailing schools, but ran across this one at the library. This book is head and shoulders above the other. It covers all the basics in an easy to read style, and the huge number of detailed drawings are both beautiful and incredibly informative.In addition to the basic stuff you need to know to sail a small boat, it also has a wealth of deeper information, about everything from bouyancy and balance, to boat construction and history.I'm buying a copy for each of my kids, and recommending it to my sailing friends. As for the other books, I will probably either return them, or leave them to gather dust on a shelf.

With superb illustrations and minimal text, this superb primer is the basic text for our sailing school (Orca Sailing). We emphasize key concepts, and this book is perfectly aligned with that intention. There are a few historical sections and small boat pages we ignore in our larger boat cruising classes, but after 10 years of reading everything about sailing (and often feeling disappointed), this is the one!