 As Jack Coote mentioned in the preface to the first edition of this book sixteen years ago, it is not a pessimistic work. Its purpose is not to discourage anyone from setting out on a well-equipped yacht after thorough preparation. Nor should it be seen as a morbid or voyeuristic account. When a sailor loses a yacht, regardless of the reason, it is like losing a partner in great adventures. Frank Mulville described in the chapter Girl Stella’s Going: “A boat has a soul, a personality, eccentricities of behavior that are endearing.
It becomes part of a person, coloring their entire life with a romance unfamiliar to those who don’t understand a lifestyle connected with boats. The older a boat gets, the stronger its aura... People look at boats with admiration and say, “She’s been to the South Seas,” or “She’s just returned from the North Cape,” and the boat’s reputation surpasses that of its owner. “A boat is always there—you never stop worrying about her, whether you are aboard or ashore.
She might be laid up for winter in a safe harbor or hauled out in a yard... Wherever you are, part of your consciousness always remains with her. Men lie awake worrying about their bank accounts, their wives, their mistresses—actual or potential; but sailors worry about boats”. Mulville felt that losing Girl Stella was a “dead weight of responsibility”—a burden that could never be fully lifted. Similarly, Mike Richey experienced “no going back” after losing Fester. As he watched her fade into the distance—still looking as trim and beautiful as ever—he realized how deeply he loved her. “Men personify their boats like no other artifacts,” he reflected. “I felt I had failed her, that I should have stayed with the boat...
That was one of the saddest moments of my life,” he recalled. Bill Tilman expressed that the loss of Mischief meant more than losing a yacht. “It felt like I had betrayed and abandoned a friend who was stricken,” he said. “I shall never forget her.” Bob Roberts faced a scene that nearly broke his heart: seeing Thelma, the brave 27-foot vessel that had carried him safely through 7,000 miles of both calm and storm in the Pacific, pounding on rocks along a lonely shoreline. Coral had sliced through her anchor chain as if with a file.
 This book is designed for the first-time sailor who has either just acquired their own boat or is learning on a friend's vessel. It also serves as a valuable resource for experienced sailors, providing material and lesson plans for teaching others to sail. "Sailing 'The Annapolis Way,' " like the Annapolis Sailing School, emphasizes hands-on learning.
In many parts of the world, qualified sailing instruction may be lacking. While having an instructor can help you learn more quickly and safely than teaching yourself, this book is intended to guide you through various aspects of sailing without relying solely on a trained expert. Throughout the text, we will remind you: Do not attempt to sail without someone on board who has at least some sailing experience.
Please take this advice seriously; in sailing, it's often your lack of knowledge that can lead to trouble. For the past twenty-five years, "The Annapolis Way" has been effectively used to teach individuals how to sail keelboats around 24 feet in length. This book aims to instruct those with small centerboard boats, larger swing-keel boats, or full-keel boats up to 28 feet long.
We will not cover windsurfing—though the underlying aerodynamic principles apply—or racing, which can simply be seen as getting from point A to point B quickly. If you sail your boat correctly, you will indeed be sailing it rapidly.
 The enthusiasts of sailing from all around the planet show continuously increasing interest in the so-called "junk", or Chinese, rig. The reason for this is that the rig is much safer and easier for handling. This is particularly truth for smaller crafts and for family/short-handed sailing in open sea and in different weather conditions.
The content of this volume is mainly intended to provide interested readers with a sort of primer book giving them all required and detailed information about the rig. The authors of the book have described the whole process of designing a rig, rigging a boat and sailing.
The volume has been prepared in such way that makes it equally useful for both amateur and professional boat designers. The content is arranged in three major parts. While the first part is focusing on the Chinese rig, the second part of the book is dealing with the rig design.
Finally, the third part provides practical instructions on using the rig. There is some additional information provided in the appendices. This is definitely one of the best volumes on the junk rig reflecting the huge practical experience of the authors. Absolutely recommended publication to all boat owners and designers who will find lots of useful stuff inside.
 This is a good textbook of sailing compiled by the recognized YCC expert. The content of the course opens with the introduction explaining the fundamental sailing principles including description of the elementary maneuvers and some of the nautical terminology commonly used in sailing.
The second chapter coming under Safety in Navigation title contains the basic safety rules and also touches the possible accidents, while the third chapter is solely devoted to the maneuvers - the readers will have all basic information on them and this will be just enough for a good start.
The next chapter covers such important aspects of naval architecture as sail stability and trim. The remaining parts of the course are dealing with the techniques and effects of the trim, making the basic knots, some basic information on dinghy boats etc. There is a concise yet comprehensive sailing dictionary included.
There is also a very interesting closing chapter giving ten so-called golden rules to be followed by all YCC dinghy sailors. taking into account that the information presented in the pages of this course is basic and presented in a very easy-to-understand way, we would highly recommend this course to all newcomers to the world of sailing.
 This is the absolutely must-have publication on the table of each and every person belonging to the world of yachting. The publication which is maybe the most popular among all issued for the yachtsmen, explains literally all racing rules that would normally affect each portion of the race, right from the start line and to the finish.
The coverage is perfect and the explanations are supplemented with the numerous clear data diagrams and illustrations for easier understanding and showing which yacht in in the right/wrong. All of the racing rules of the 2017-2020 period have also been included for ready reference.
The volume is considered ideal for all yachters due to the way the rules are explained as well as the arrangement of the material. The racing rules have been graded according to the competition levels and this presentation style has proved the most effective and gained this book its worldwide popularity.
The readers from the different parts of the world have already found this title very valuable and presenting a quite complex subject in a very understandable manner. Make sure you have a copy of this book before you start any yacht racing, and go through all the pages attentively.
 This is one of the most authoritative manuals ever written, very practically useful and released by the yachting professionals. The content is presented in a very understandable way and the author managed to avoid being too technical. It is full of useful info, interesting facts and images, making it an excellent reference source for all sailors regardless of their level of preparation.
So we can say that even beginners will benefit a lot. The volume contains more than a thousand of informative and colorful images and data diagrams supplementing the text. Go through all chapters of this book and you will get so much better prepared for sailing.
According to the people who had already purchased and read it, the book is a real treasure for the people with little to no practical sailing experience since the content is covering virtually everything they need in order to make their first steps in the world of sailing, starting from choosing the right boat and then all the way through knot making, rigging, and all aspects considered important enough for inclusion in the volume. The instructions are so clear and simple that anyone will be able to read, understand and apply them immediately.
 The book was written by one of the most respected specialist in the field, the author of the famous and popular The Complete Yachtmaster. The publication is covering virtually everything that the yachtsmen shall be aware of when planning their ocean voyages and offshore cruise passages.
All core aspects have been addressed starting with the preparation to the voyage, where the readers will be told how to choose the proper and suitable boat and the rigging, power requirements and the necessary lifesaving appliances, communication devices, crew etc. Then the author proceeds to the activities on passage including but not limited to the forecasting and weather systems, emergency situations, deck job, watchkeeping and others.
In addition to that, the ocean navigation matters have also been dealt with in detail, covering both celestial navigation techniques and contemporary electronic navigation means. The book is somewhat unique, since the author goes well beyond the regular RYA syllabus to make sure that the trainees have been duly equipped with the good understanding of what they shall do in any situation, and how they shall behave. The whole practical experience of the veteran yachtsman has been reflected in the pages of this brilliant volume to be shared with the readers.
 Since the original release of this volume some fifty years back, it remained the pure classic of the navigation as well as storm survival at sea. One of the unique features of this book is that it focuses on the lessons learnt during the real life cases. It is a great opportunity for the readers to benefit from learning the experience of the other people, showing what does and what does not work in such conditions.
The approach used by the author is very interesting – he managed to include numerous stories supplemented with the detailed analysis and technical advice to be taken into consideration in the future. This would cover the seaworthiness of the boat and its stability, preparations for the heavy weather sailing, rigging and spars, crew fitness, and many other important aspects. The readers will also find many effective methods for survival on different types of boats.
The book, referred to as the perfect and ultimate survival title, is based on the valuable contributions provided by the most experienced and professional sailors in the world, and it is definitely one of the most authoritative books on the subject. This sixth edition reflects all latest developments and achievements in the field of sailing, featuring newly introduced chapters on sailboat design, storm-sailing etc.
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