"This book contains drills to make you a champion."

By practising in this structured way, we guarantee you will sail faster, better and smarter - and will ultimately win races.

The drills apply to all types of boat - monohulls, multihulls and sailboards. The equipment needed is minimal - the only thing you really need is the desire to improve your performance.

Race training is divided into major sections: Boat handlingStartingMark roundingTacticsFinishing

Each section has pre-thoughts on what you're trying to achieve, followed by carefully designed drills.

Luck does play a part in racing - but remember: the more you practice, the luckier you'll get!

A comprehensive guide to over 140 knots and splices, with easy-to-follow instructions, and 380 clear illustrations. Useful for sailing, fishing, camping, hobbyists, and those needing to know knots and splices. Contains an explanation of the basic terms used relating to knots and ropes, and cordage.

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

‘This book is a must-have for any serious racing sailor’ – Sir Ben Ainslie, four-time Olympic gold winning sailor Paul Elvstrøm is arguably the greatest Olympic sailor of all time. Proving that understanding the rules is crucial to winning, he devised this unique approach to explaining them using bird’s-eye diagrams. His detailed explanations are applied to myriad racing situations, each cross-referenced to relevant case studies provided by World Sailing (formerly ISAF). Included with the book are a set of plastic boats, for use during protest hearings. They are transparent but coloured differently so can also be used with an overhead projector. This edition is completely revised to cover the new rules issued for 2021–24. It includes the full text of the latest rules, with a handy quick-reference guide highlighting the latest changes. There is also a confidence-building section on how to present your case in a protest, and the back cover shows the signal flags for instant easy reference on the race course. Long established as the most accessible and most trusted guide to the racing rules, Elvstrøm Explains is a must-have. Whether racing in a dinghy, keelboat or large yacht, it is the perfect pocket reference for those who want to win.

Not many 'amateur' yacht designers would dare to enter the first boat they had ever designed into the epic offshore Fastnet Race, let alone with the intention of winning it. But that is what Dick Carter did in 1964, beating all 151 other yachts, some sailed by the most notable sailors of the day. He repeated the feat 4 years later with another of his own designs (which also won the Admiral's Cup that year as top boat and top team), but by then he could certainly not be described as an 'amateur' yacht designer. His radical innovations created fast and comfortable boats which were much in demand in this, the golden age of offshore racing. They were commissioned by the top sailors and succeeded in winning the Admiral's Cup, Southern Cross Series, One Ton Cup, Two Ton Cup and many of the biggest races. He even went on to design the massive 128-foot Vendredi Treize for Jean-Yves Terlain to sail single-handed in the 1972 OSTAR (trans-Atlantic) race - the longest boat ever to have been raced single-handed. But after just a decade at the top of his game, he quit the world of sailing and moved on to other challenges. He hadn't been heard of for so long that sailors assumed he was dead. His surprise appearance at the funeral of Ted Hood gave rise to the suggestion that he wrote this book. It is beautifully produced with many fabulous photographs and boat plans and was first published in the US by Seapoint Books and is now published in the UK by Fernhurst Books. While his career as a yacht designer may have been brief, the impact of his innovations has lasted the test of time. Who today would think of an offshore yacht without internal halyards in the mast or that the rudder always had to be fixed to the keel? These concepts, and many more, were first introduced by Dick Carter.

Most people know of Arthur Ransome, the author of the classic children's sailing tale, Swallows & Amazons, and many other books in the same series. But besides his exciting tales of children on the water there is much more to the man. Before he wrote Swallows & Amazons, Ransome was a journalist for the Daily News, based in Russia. He is reputed to have played chess against Lenin and he married Trotsky's secretary. He cruised extensively in the Baltic in the 1920s on board his beloved Racundra. His account of his first cruise on that boat was his first commercially successful book, Racundra's First Cruise (also available from Fernhurst Books). The second cruise was spoilt by bad weather, but the third cruise was special - it was his honeymoon having married Evgenia Shelepina. Ransome clearly intended to publish the account of this cruise, but never finished it. Ransome enthusiast, Brian Hammett, got hold of the unpublished manuscript and found Ransome's hand-written notes, diaries, logbooks and photographs in the Ransome archive at Leeds University. Brian compiled this book, adding his own notes from his cruises in the same area. The result is a glorious volume which has delighted Ransome enthusiasts, sailors and landlubbers equally. This new paperback edition and eBook will be published on 8th May - the very day that Ransome and Shelepina got married in 1924 before their honeymoon cruise which is recounted in this book.

On Friday 14 June 1968 Suhaili, a tiny ketch, slipped almost unnoticed out of Falmouth harbour steered by the solitary figure at her helm, Robin Knox-Johnston. Ten and a half months later Suhaili, paintwork peeling and rust streaked, her once white sails weathered and brown, her self-steering gone, her tiller arm jury rigged to the rudder head, came romping joyously back to Falmouth to a fantastic reception for Robin, who had become the first man to sail round the world non-stop single-handed. By every standard it was an incredible adventure, perhaps the last great uncomputerised journey left to man. Every hazard, every temptation to abandon the astounding voyage came Robin's way, from polluted water tanks, smashed cabin top and collapsed boom to lost self-steering gear and sheered off tiller, and all before the tiny ketch had fought her way to Cape Horn, the point of no return, the fearsome test of any seaman's nerve and determination. A World of My Own is Robin's gripping, uninhibited, moving account of one of the greatest sea adventures of our time. An instant bestseller, it is now reissued for a new generation of readers to be enthralled and inspired.

The Irish Sea is a huge, almost landlocked sea. Around its shores and islands there are no fewer than six countries, provinces or protectorates. Several languages are represented; English, Welsh, Irish, Scots Gaelic and Manx, along with countless accents and dialects. Its waters teem with life; dolphins and porpoises are a common sight; leatherback turtles come here from the Caribbean to feed on the jellyfish and whales are regular visitors. In the air there are gulls, puffins, guillemots and more. The range of challenges and coastlines is astonishing. Tides above five knots are commonplace and yet there are calm, sheltered waters for relaxed wandering. This well established pilot covers both sides of the Irish Sea from Milford Haven to Portpatrick, and Rathlin Island to Carnsore Point. From his base in Liverpool David Rainsbury spent much of 2014 revisiting the coasts he describes. The sailing directions and descriptions, updated for this second edition, cover all the places that provide shelter. At the start of each chapter there are useful coasting notes which deal with some of the more difficult passages and tidal gateways. The harbour text is then clearly organised so that essential information regarding accessibility, tides and shelter always proceed the pilotage notes which are supported by clear full colour plans. For this second edition the harbour plans have been updated and throughout new photos have been added. The text records all changes as well as including a new section on wind farms. Updates are published on the Irish Sea Pilot website.

Plans include: Approaches to Marsala Approaches to Favignana Approaches to Trapani Approaches to Palermo

For thousands of years, man has sailed into battle, sailed for rumored wealth, and sailed for pure adventure. And for nearly as long, stories about the sea have entertained, intrigued, and inspired readers. The Greatest Sailing Stories Ever Told brings together some of the most compelling writing of the millennium. Here is Peter Goss's wrenching narrative of incredible courage in the world's most desolate ocean; Ernest Shackleton's understated and awesome account of one of the most daring small-boat journeys ever taken, where failure meant certain death for his long-suffering crew. But sailing is much more than headlong dashes into roaring seas. You'll also find William F. Buckley Jr. on idyllic cruising; James Thurber on the arcane and often impenetrable language of sailors; the legendary Joshua Slocum on sailing alone around the world. The Greatest Sailing Stories Ever Told is a treasure trove: tears, adrenaline, laughter, and adventure abound. With contributions from: - James Thurber -William F. Buckley Jr. - Ann Davison - Sterling Hayden - Ernest Shackleton - Tristan Jones - Samuel Eliot Morrison - Joshua Slocum - E. B. White - C. S. Forester - Cleveland Amory - Weston Martyr - Peter Goss - David Kasanof

'For most men, as Epicurus has remarked, rest is stagnation and activity madness. Mad or not, the activity that I have been pursuing for the last twenty years takes the form of voyages to remote, mountainous regions.' H.W. 'Bill' Tilman's fourteenth book Ice with Everything describes three more of those voyages, 'the first comparatively humdrum, the second totally disastrous, and the third exceedingly troublesome'. The first voyage describes Tilman's 1971 attempt to reach East Greenland's remote and ice-bound Scoresby Sound. The largest fjord system in the world was named after the father of Whitby whaling captain, William Scoresby, who first charted the coastline in 1822. Scoresby's two-volume Account of the Arctic Regions provided much of the historical inspiration for Tilman's northern voyages and fuelled his fascination with Scoresby Sound and the unclimbed mountains at its head. Tilman's first attempt to reach the fjord had already cost him his first boat, Mischief, in 1968. The following year, a 'polite mutiny' aboard Sea Breeze had forced him to turn back within sight of the entrance, so with a good crew aboard in 1971, it was particularly frustrating for Tilman to find the fjord blocked once more, this time by impenetrable sea ice at the entrance. Refusing to give up, Tilman's obsession with Scoresby Sound continued in 1972 when a series of unfortunate events led to the loss of Sea Breeze, crushed between a rock and an ice floe. Safely back home in Wales, the inevitable search for a new boat began. 'One cannot buy a biggish boat as if buying a piece of soap. The act is almost as irrevocable as marriage and should be given as much thought'. The 1902 pilot cutter Baroque was acquired and after not inconsiderable expense, proved equal to the challenge. Tilman's first troublesome voyage aboard her to West Greenland in 1973 completes this collection.

The learn-to-sail book for when you are in a hurry to gain your sea legs

At the Offshore Sailing School, the Colgates have taught more than 100,000 adults how to sail. Now they are making their proven instructional methods available to you so you can fulfill your sailing dreams in little time. Though designed around three days of intensive instruction, the book adapts easily to any learning pace. You can master the fundamentals in three days--or over a summer of leisurely sailing.

John Kretschmer is sailing's practical philosopher - as much a doer as a thinker. And that is the overarching theme of this chronicle of a sailing life. Often amusing, sometimes poignant, occasionally terrifying but always inspiring, his deeply personal account is a welcome reminder of the good life waiting at sea. With hundreds of thousands of nautical miles under his keel, John's adventures have taken him several times around the world, with challenging crossings of the Atlantic and the Pacific, a narrow escape from a coup in Yemen, an unlikely deliverance from a coral reef off Belize as well as more serene, introspective passages where trade winds are blowing and stories are flowing. His crew has included CEOs, actors, writers, teachers, kids - in essence, everyone. John's narrative is interwoven with practical tips and advice in seamanship, but also, and just as importantly, his hard-won insights about making the most of our lives. He truly believes we find out who we really are, and what we are capable of, far from the shackles of land, when we find a place where time changes shape - days may merge into one another, but minutes are memorable. To live adventurously is to live more fully, and that is the life John Kretschmer continues to live. In this book he shares his simple profundities that will inspire those who live to sail, and those seeking something more rewarding from life.

Beautifully produced, with a Foreword by Dame Ellen MacArthur, specially commissioned maps and atmospheric line drawings, this is a classic edition of one of the greatest sea adventures of all time. Joshua Slocum's epic solo voyage around the world in 1895 aboard the 37 foot sloop Spray remains one of the major feats of singlehanded voyaging, and has since been the inspiration for the many who have gone to sea in small boats. Starting from Boston in 1895, by the time he dropped anchor in Newport, Rhode Island over three years after his journey began, he had cruised some 46,000 miles entirely by sail and entirely alone. With none of the advantages of modern technology, Slocum faced fog, gales, gear failure, coral reefs and attacks by pirates. He also devised his own system of lashing the wheel into an early version of the modern day autopilot, which enabled him to sail 2,000 miles across the Pacific without once touching the helm. Slocum published his account of the voyage in 1900, and the book was an immediate success. Sailing Alone Around the World is a classic of sailing literature, acclaimed as an unequalled masterpiece of vital yet disciplined prose. It will be welcomed by all admirers of his legendary achievement.

Give this book a year and it will improve your sailing - and that's if you read only one tip a day. No fewer than 365 experienced sailors share the wisdom of their experience, revealing invaluable suggestions you won't get taught on many sailing courses. Their tips include smart advice, time- and money-saving cheats and ingenious solutions across a wide range of sailing issues - from boat handling (including rigging and sails, as well as anchoring and mooring) to living aboard (including cooking and your water supply), along with thrifty hints for simple maintenance and repair (plus winterising), and customising your boat to suit your needs. Ideal for swotting up on a specific topic or dipping into when needed, there is something for everyone, from new sailors to Day Skipper students and beyond. This isn't a book of secret knowledge, so all sailors - at any level - will benefit from learning from something new from the experience of others.

Bob Shepton is an ordained minister in the Church of England in his late 70s, but spends most of his time sailing into the Arctic and making first ascents of inaccessible mountains. No tea parties for this vicar. Opening with the disastrous fire that destroyed his yacht whilst he was ice-bound in Greenland, the book travels back to his childhood growing up on the rubber plantation his father managed in Malaysia, moving back to England after his father was shot by the Japanese during the war, boarding school, the Royal Marines, and the church. We then follow Bob as he sails around the world with a group of schoolboys, is dismasted off the Falklands, trapped in ice, and climbs mountains accessible only from iceberg-strewn water and with only sketchy maps available. Bob Shepton, winner of the 2013 Yachtsman of the Year Award, is an old-school adventurer, and this compelling book is in the spirit of sailing mountaineer HW Tilman, explorer Ranulph Fiennes, climber Chris Bonington and yachtsman Robin Knox-Johnston, all of whom have been either friends of Bob's or an inspiration for his own exploits. Derring do in a dog collar! Ranulph Fiennes: 'A wonderful true tale of adventure.' Bear Grylls: 'You are going to enjoy this...as a Commando, Bob is clearly made of the right stuff!'

You will learn from this book: How the rig works.How to adjust it for today's conditions.How to use all-purpose sails across the full wind range.How to sail fast in a straight line.How to use waves.How to tack and gybe properly.How to handle a spinnaker - be it asymmetric or conventional.A variety of hosts and drops, and when to use them.

One person, one boat and mile upon mile of open sea. Ever since Joshua Slocum circumnavigated the world in 1895-1898, sailors have dreamed of taking to the high seas alone and many have devoted their lives to doing just that. Sir Francis Chichester sailed around the world in 266 days in 1966 and, two years later, Robin Knox-Johnston became the first to do it non-stop. If one skipper could do it fast, then others thought they could do it faster. From the first Observer Single-handed Transatlantic Race (Ostar) in 1960, the idea of lone sailors pitting their wits against each other and the elements aboard such delicate-seeming craft has captured the public's imagination. This text explores the background of all the major single-handed sailing races from the pioneering Ostar to the Vendee Globe. Each chapter traces the history of each race and includes a detailed map of the route. Feature spreads on celebrated skippers and their dramatic stories are included, along with an exploration of the impact these fearless men and women have had on boat design, as their quest for sailing excellence has continued to challenge boat technology.

It's easy to confuse (or forget) what particular lights, marks and shapes mean - especially under stress or in the dark - but with this handy book, help is quickly at hand. Laid out simply & clearly for quick accessibility, it enables crew, navigators, skippers and even casual day guests aboard to quickly identify the lights, marks and shapes being displayed by other ships at night as well as during the day. A ready reckoner reminder of: -Cardinal buoys and channel markers -Lights displayed by ships at night (tugs, dredgers, pilot vessels, stationary vessels, fishing boats, yachts, motorboats) and from all aspects (front, side, astern) -Daytime shapes displayed by boats (e.g. for anchoring, towing, diving, dredging) -Ships' sound signals (used in fog) -Signal flags and their navigational meanings (I am dragging my anchor; You are running into danger; I have a diver down). These lights, shapes and marks are applicable worldwide, by maritime law, which makes this international handbook a valuable and popular addition to the Reeds Handbook series.

"I first met her in Tollesbury and immediately fell for her. She was an -Essex girl through and through but not like all the others, although she was shallow. As far as I could see then there were only two problems. There was a big age difference-fifty-five years. She was born in 1904 and I was ten back then in 1959. None of this mattered to me but the second problem would be trickier: my Dad loved her too." So begins Nick Imber's affectionate account of his family's love affair with the barge yacht Nan, who was to give so much pleasure to three generations, across twenty years from the 1950s to the 1970s. We share Nick's childhood excitement on first encountering Nan, his teenage pride in skippering her for the very first time, and his quiet pleasure as his own children take to the water in her. Nan took good care of them all; whether exploring a peaceful East Coast river, braving a gale at sea, or drying out on an idyllic Devon beach, she demonstrates that the humble barge yacht has so much to offer the young sailing family.