 This is another very rare publication. Just imagine, it was published nearly century-and-half ago, in 1884. This is what we call a truly classic book. Of course, some things have significantly changed since the time of the first release of this manual; however, you must agree that the fundamental laws of physics and hydrodynamics governing the behavior of the yacht remain unchanged.
The manual opens with a chapter describing the process of selecting a yacht giving some valuable instructions and practical tips to the future yacht owner. The next chapter addresses the examination of the yacht - you will know how to check your yacht and the areas where you should be concentrated on during the examination. The following two chapters are dealing with the yacht construction and equipment, while the others are dedicated to the seamanship, management of the yacht and racing.
Finally, the remainder of the manual is covering various types of yachts, for example centre-board, Brighton beach, Pollywog etc. Small racing yachts have also been paid particular attention in this volume; same approach was applied to the steam, ice yachting and canoeing - there are separate chapters for each of them. At the end, there is a dictionary of general yachting-related information for ready use.
 Nick doesn't like fore and aft mooring buoys. He finds them difficult to pick up and, once secured, they seem to put veiy heavy loads on the mooring lines, particularly with the tidal stream from astern and a crosswind. Having read in the sailing directions that the only mooring option in Chausey Sound was between fore and aft buoys, he was thinking about giving up the plan for an overnight visit to the islands southeast of Jersey.
His crew had heard that this was a magical place though, and persuaded him that, as it was neap tides and no more than a Force 4-5 forecast, it would be a shame to pass them by. As it turned out, there was plenty of room on the moorings and, with the help of smart work from the crew, Nick picked up a suitable pair of buoys without a problem. The wind had been light when they arrived and dropped to nothing overnight so his worry about strain on the deck cleats and mooring lines was ill-founded.
The following day he planned to leave through the shallow northern end of the Sound, which meant waiting until mid-afternoon for sufficient rise of tide and a favourable stream. By lunch the wind had built to the promised Force 4-5 from the northeast, right abeam, and the heavy warp risers from the buoys were leading to windward at quite a shallow angle...
 This is the second edition of the nice and world popular book prepared by Frank Sargeant and released to serve as the comprehensive overview of both sailing and power boating, covering all the techniques shared by both. It includes all necessary materials that any boater needs to know when buying a boat; it also addresses the cost of ownership, marine power, motors, weather and technology matters, safe navigation and seamanship techniques, and other boat handling issues; in addition, this new edition of the book contains a separate chapter dedicated solely to the personal watercraft.
You will get the expert advice on nearly every aspect of launching, anchoring, docking, repair and maintenance of the boat. All info on the marine equipment and technology contained in the book is up-to-date and reflects the very latest breakthroughs in the industry. As it is entailed by the name of this book, it will be extremely useful to novices willing to get some basic knowledge on boating and sailing, for the perfect start.
There is a Glossary at the end of the book explaining the most popular definitions and abbreviations the boater may need to use. The list of guide books and online resources is also there for easy reference. Highly recommended for both newcomers and professionals of the boating, since there is always some room for the improvement of your skills.
 Here is a truly perfect and must-have guide for all newcomers to dinghy sailing who are willing to learn the basics as well as to those who are experienced but still intent to improve their sailing skills and get the techniques developed. The Guide is very easy to follow and provides step-by-step instructions supplemented with so many illustrations and photos - it contains everything the dinghy sailor needs to know - the book is divided into four big parts, namely Basic Principles, providing the very basic information on the dinghy boat, Preparing to Sail, First Sail - addressing the preparation and the process of sailing, and Basics of racing - for a bit more advanced sailors.
The Glossary of the terms is also there. We would say that it is one of the most comprehensive sailing books available at the market today. You will definitely enjoy reading it and will find so much of useful and practical information inside. It will be useful even for the people who do not sail dinghy boats - the author of the book did include the large separate section dedicated to the larger boats like yachts and sloops. It contains all necessary basics of the sailing and navigation. The images and graphs are included in the book for illustration of the text.
 An excellent modern publication containing selected tips and techniques for better marine navigation, route planning and handling of boats - both sailing boats and ones under power. All techniques and tips have been explained in a very clear manner making the seamanship and navigation really comprehensible even to the newcomers. The text of the volume is very simple and understandable.
Clear explanations provided by the author are demystifying all covered topics. The readers from all around the globe have already found this publication a must-read one for any person contemplating the blue water voyage or coastal cruising. According to their reviews, this volume deserves an important place in the library of any offshore yachter. The book is well-prepared, it engages the readers and provides lots of valuable information covering many areas of boating and yachting.
The content of it will be of equally great use for marine professional and beginner sailors since it provides them all with the easily accessed and readable reference touching every single boating skill and also some secrets of the effective seamanship. It is very practical and gives numerous instructions and informative hints to help all beginners gain the required boating skills very quickly plus gives some new information for the experienced sailors.
 Over the years, along with Joshua Slocum and Moitessier, John Kretschmer has secured an iconic place in my pantheon of inspirational sailors. Even though we didn’t meet until about ten years ago, as speakers invited to the same seminar weekend, our story goes way back. I was seventeen years old, during my first Atlantic crossing from the Canaries to the Caribbean, when we were first introduced on paper.
The satellite navigation broke, and just as the conversational instruction of John’s mail order celestial navigation course guided my father through all the sight reduction, plotting, and running fixes, his words taught me the simpler mechanics of just the noon sight. When this trip ended and my own circumnavigation was about to begin, the outstanding qualifications of the Contessa 26 that I was planning to sail were substantiated by another John story that my father had read and liked to talk about with great flair, the one about his rounding of Cape Horn on a Contessa 32.
It only followed that if a Contessa 32 could withstand such a harrowing journey in the notoriously difficult Southern Ocean, then the 26 could certainly handle the trade wind belt I faced. On my first passage from New York to Bermuda, beset as I was with rookie mistakes and navigational difficulties, it was his celestial navigation manual that I used for solace, for reassurance, for learning.
The loose pages were clamped together in a red cardboard binder that still sits on a shelf above my desk almost thirty years later, and I can reread the words of his introduction that were nearly memorized while trying in vain to locate my position out in the middle of all that water...
 For any person who seriously considers setting sail, the present excellent publication shall be treated as a very essential reading, and it makes no difference if they are dripping their toe in the sea water for the first time or they are truly sea-dogs willing to brush-up their seamanship skills. All of them will get a great chance to get duly started - they will explore many different types of boats, know what shall be worn, and also discover the correct kit to be chosen for the lakes, high seas or rivers.
They will learn the basic sailing techniques, from launching their boats to racing and get the low-down in navigating their vessels and handling emergency situations. We do recommend you to take some of your time doing some prior research before you start - explore the most popular sailing destinations of the planet etc.
This book has already been deservedly placed in the list of the top popular sailing publications of the world. Taking into account the usefulness of the information presented in the book, we may definitely say that this is a must-have one for all enthusiasts of sailing and boating. We guarantee that you will not get disappointed with the content of this great publication.
 Here is the complete reference to the navigation suitable for both beginners and experts. The book will lead the reader through all practical aspects of navigation in a very logical manner. The author has used a truly unique combination of traditional and modern technical disciplines. As a result, the readers do not experience any lack in knowledge and will get to know how to operate their boats safely. You will find all necessary basic information inside. That is why we would consider this book as the good training source at the very first stage, i.e. before you proceed to the actual on-the-job training,
The material provided in this publication will make you get some basics and understand what that is all about. As it was mentioned by one of the reviewers, this publication is another piece of a very large puzzle, and this is actually how it shall be treated. The popularity of the book is the result of the effort and time spent by the author.
Some practical tips provided inside, may also be useful not only to the novices but even to the professional and experienced navigators. It is a very useful practical companion for the sailors of today preparing to navigate through the seas since it explains both traditional and electronic methods of navigation.
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