Sailing Smart

Sailing Smart is for every sailor who wants to increase his or her knowledge, understanding, and sailing expertise: the local day-sailor who wants a firmer grasp of the fundamentals, as well as the serious competitor who wants to be up on the latest, most innovative sailing techniques and racing strategies. Buddy Melges, one of the world's best-known sailors, has at last set down his highly original thoughts on how to sail well. He covers the full range of sailing experience, from the general to the specific, the basic to the highly sophisticated. Melges's message is delivered in a bright, uncluttered manner by way of applications from his own sailing experience and through step-by-step instructions on everything from basic boat handling to expert on-the-course tactics and maneuvers. This book is expertly illustrated by the noted sailing artist Ted Brennan, and each drawing is accompanied by a cogent, in-depth explanatory caption.

Master your instruments and turn on-board information into racing results Modern sailors are bombarded with a wealth of information from their on-board instruments. From apparent and true wind speed to boat speed and speed over the, there's no shortage of data to interpret. Sail Smart shows you how to become the master of your instruments and make the right calls every time, knowing for certain when to tack, which shift to look out for, how the tide can work for or against you, and much more. With diagrams and full-color photographs throughout, this accessible and instructional guide turns information into excellence. •Unlock your winning potential •Maximise your onboard instruments •Learn to think like a professional yachtsman

Olympic gold medallist and multiple world champion, Paul Goodison, explains why this book is important if you want to win races. He says: "To win sailboat races you need to sail the boat fast. This comes down to hours on the water training and tuning – there are few shortcuts to hours of practising on the water. To consistently win races you need to sail fast and smart – making the right decisions to sail the best course. If you are not the fastest boat, you are still able to win races and regattas by managing risk and sailing smart. This is where good tactics come in. But, unlike boatspeed, tactics may be learnt by thinking about each leg of the course and different situations from the comfort of your own home. Jon Emmett's new book, Tactics Made Simple, is a great tool to help fast track this learning." This book explains simply, through hundreds of diagrams, what tactics can be applied around the race track. Individual boats in each scenario are given names so that you can easily understand what they are doing. Individual chapters take you around the race course, from before you get on the water, through the pre-start, start, different legs and manoeuvres. Each section contains detailed advice for the beginner, intermediate and advanced sailor so you can just look at the level of tactics relevant to you. Ideal for dinghy sailors, there is also a wealth of advice that will benefit yachtsmen. This is a practical way to improve your racing results, whether starting out, moving up the club circuit or competing at national level and beyond. Originally published by Wiley Nautical as Be Your Own Tactics Coach.

"I know you'll want to read more after you finish Sailing a Serious Ocean. And be warned, you'll very likely want to sail with John, perhaps across an ocean." -- DALLAS MURPHY, AUTHOR OF ROUNDING THE HORN After sailing 300,000 miles and weathering dozens of storms in all the world's oceans, John Kretschmer has plenty of stories and advice to share. John's offshore training passages sell out a year in advance and his entertaining presentations are popular at boat shows and yacht clubs all over the English speaking world. John's talent for storytelling enchants his audience as it soaks up the lessons he learned during his oftenchallenging voyages. Now you can take a seat next to John--at a lesser cost--and get the knowledge you need to fulfill your own dream of blue-water adventure. In Sailing a Serious Ocean, John tells you what to expect when sailing the oceans and shows how to sail safely across them. His tales of storm encounters and other examples of extreme seamanship will help you prepare for your journey and give you confidence to handle any situation—even heavy weather. Through his personal stories, John will guide you through the whole process of choosing the right boat, outfitting with the right gear, planning your route, navigating the ocean, and understanding the nuances of life at sea. Our oceans are beautiful yet unpredictable—water that is at one moment a natural mirror for the glowing sun can turn into a foamy, raging wall of fury. John knows our oceans, and he is one of the best teachers of taming and enjoying them. Before you set off across the big blue, turn to John for his inspirational stories and hard-learned advice and discover the serious sailor in you.

The groundbreaking reference on high speed racing techniques--the bible for racing sailors of all levels and abilities from dinghies to the America's Cup. High Performance Sailing has become the standard reference work on high speed racing techniques. Groundbreaking in its thinking on boat speed, strategy and tactics, and timeless in its application, this second edition has been brought right up to date with new information, the discoveries from new boat testing and new developments. Some people like to sail. Some people like to sail fast. This is a book about sailing faster. During the past few decades there has been a revolution in the way some boat designers and sailors have thought about, designed, built and sailed their boats. This book is about the new ideas which have led to these greater speeds and the faster sailing techniques which have been developed to achieve them. "It is the cheapest bit of go-faster gear you can buy..."--Robert Lloyd, Island Sailing Club "One of the most readable books on the complex subject of sailing faster, and without doubt, a must for every racing sailor"--Yachts and Yachting