Sail just a couple of miles away from the coast and the shoreline begins to drop below the horizon. Soon you are alone on the same wild seas the Vikings crossed, where Drake repulsed the Spanish Armada, and where the clippers once raced home with cargoes of tea. The modern world may have changed radically, but the sea remains as feral and free as it always was. There are opportunities for adventure all around us, if we wish to take advantage of them. Dinghy cruising is accessible, affordable adventure, available to anyone. It requires little other than self-reliance and self-confidence, as well as a respect for the subtleties of the local climate and topography. Out at sea in a small boat, nature is not something to be observed disinterestedly: it batters and drenches you, refreshes and enlivens you. In Sailing the Shallows Roger Barnes combines lyrical writing and beautifully drawn illustrations with simple and practical wisdom on sailing a small boat – a combination that has been much admired in his first book, The Dinghy Cruising Companion. Where the first book got readers set up and ready to go, Sailing the Shallows sees us underway and exploring. Roger describes a series of sea passages in small boats in UK, French and Italian waters, with each chapter highlighting a particular technique of coastal sailing or wilderness camping. Roger weaves practical instruction seamlessly into the narrative, and accompanies his tales with a series of exquisite hand-drawn illustrations of the places visited, events described or details of his beloved boat Avel Dro. This book is a manifesto for a different attitude to sailing; an antidote to the complexity and ostentation of contemporary yachting. It is also arguing for a different attitude to living – plain, direct and at one with nature – a reassessment of our priorities that is long overdue.

'You will venture into the fringes of the wilderness with the minimum of simple gear, to live with it on its own terms. You will know that one of the sure ways to contentment in this life is a small boat, a fair wind, and a new coast to explore.' Dinghy cruising is a wonderful way to experience nature and new coastlines at close quarters and low cost. Sailing where larger boats cannot reach and sleeping under canvas onboard or ashore, this is boating taken right back to the basics, and all the better for that. This guide, updated and expanded for its second edition, is invaluable for all aspiring or already-enthusiastic dinghy cruisers, showing how to get started and how to expand your horizons. The information and advice is interwoven with wonderfully evocative stories of the author's adventures afloat, from idyllic weeks pottering around secluded rivers and coastlines to hair-raising voyages to remote islands. The text covers: finding a good boat; fitting out for daysailing; boatcraft under engine and oar; mooring and anchoring; preparing for open water; out at sea; coastal navigation; dinghy homemaking; keeping comfortable and safe. And for this new edition, an account of the author's first capsize, new material on electronics and clothing, and more information on boat designs. Illustrated throughout with inspirational colour photos and helpful illustrations, this book shows just why small boats are the perfect passport to remote and beautiful places.