The Complete Sailor: Learning the Art of Sailing

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McGraw Hill Professional, 1995 - Education - 208 pages
4 Reviews
The Complete Sailor takes the reader from the first sail to a mastery of small-boat handling. Weaving his writing around 600 drawings by noted marine illustrator Kelly Mulford, David Seidman has created a book in which each double-page spread invites the eye and communicates volumes of information. The Complete Sailor goes beyond other learn-to-sail books to cover navigation, boat design, and seamanship. Encyclopedic in scope yet warm in style, it conveys the magic as well as the techniques of sailing. Among the other topics covered: anchoring, ropework, rigging, weather, fog, squalls, currents and tides, rules of the road, trailering, and working the winds. The book is a gentle introduction for those just starting out, and a guide to new horizons for those who already sail.

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LibraryThing Review

User Review  - afderrick - LibraryThing

I received this book after taking a sailing class. I have not actually read through the entire book from beginning to end, but have found it to be a great resource and something I often refer to ... Read full review

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If you want to learn to sail, I highly recommend this book. If you've done a lot of sailing it might not contain much new information.
"The Complete Sailor" turned a few a few hours of sailing instruction, mostly in 420 racing, into knowledge broad enough that, when I bought my first boat, I felt surprisingly confident operating the 1500 pound vessel. David Seidman taught me sailing and seamanship, and I was ready to confront the summer boat traffic as well as the winds and waters, because I could always rely on his guidance. The book continues to be a valuable refresher after long frozen winters. I find that it agrees with virtually every reliable source of sailing information, and corrects many inaccuracies I often hear bandied about at the city sailing dock. I consider it the single most valuable book to have read on the general subject of sailing.  

Contents

WIND SENSE
10
WORKING WINDS
20
GETTING UNDERWAY
30
Copyright

12 other sections not shown

Common terms and phrases

adjust anchor angle bearings becomes boat boat's boom breeze buoys called centerboard chart cleat close coil coming compass course crew direction distance downwind ease eye splice falling feet force forward give halyard hand handle hard haul head heeling hitch hold hull jibe keel keep knots land lead leave length less lift light look lower luff mast miles mooring moving Once pass port position possible pressure prevent pull push rain range reach reduce reef rope round rudder sail sailors secure shape sheet shrouds side speed standing starboard stay steer stern stop strong sure swing tack tide topping trailer trimmed turn waves weather weight wind windward

References to this book

About the author (1995)

David Seidman (Oak Beach, NY) has spent a good portion of his life finding his way around the world. He has crossed oceans, toured central Asia and Mongolia without a map or the ability to speak the language, and found a Mayan ruin in Guatemala. He is the author of The Essential Sea Kayaker, The Essential Wilderness Navigator, and The Complete Sailor and a former editor of Boating magazine.

Bibliographic information

QR code for The Complete Sailor
TitleThe Complete Sailor: Learning the Art of Sailing
AuthorDavid Seidman
Editionillustrated
PublisherMcGraw Hill Professional, 1995
ISBN0070571317, 9780070571310
Length208 pages
Subjects › 

Education / Physical Education
Sports & Recreation / Boating
Sports & Recreation / Sailing
  
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