 This is the revised and completely rewritten edition of one of the best publications available for preparation to the RYA assessment. The content of the volume will provide required assistance to the students during their shore-based courses. The text of the book is remarkably comprehensive and the information is presented in a very clear and understandable manner, covering absolutely all basics of the syllabus.
The most important portions have been highlighted by the author. There are numerous tips provided on the examination tactics - they all will be of great practical use for the students. According to the numerous reader reviews, this publication is a must-read for any person intending to start sailing; it will also be great when used by those willing to improve their seamanship skills.
The volume starts with the brief introduction and basic information about the navigation followed by the sections covering the nautical charts, IALA system, depth sounding, GPS and radar, chartwork and the log. The other topics of the book cover the weather and passage planning, e-navigation means, sources of weather info, seagoing practice, tides and so many other areas that any sailor shall be duly aware of.
 This is one of the best books for beginner sailors. They will find all necessary information explained very clearly and in the easy to understand manner and such approach has already been greatly appreciated by the newbies. The author covered literally all aspects of sailing and compiled the text in a way considered the best for the beginners. The volume starts with the introduction where the author explains what it is to be a sailor.
In fact, sailing cannot be considered a precise science and is rather a sort of art. The main content of the publication starts with winds covering the wind strength and speed tables, working winds, true and apparent winds etc. The chapter Getting Underway is dealing with the bending sail, steering and coursekeeping, heaving-to, tacking and all other activities, literally everything the sailor will have to do when underway.
Then there is a chapter devoted to the boats and familiarizing readers with the boat construction, materials they are commonly made of, stability, buoyancy etc. The rigging and sails of the boats have been covered each in separate chapters. in addition to that, the book provide the information about the established Rules of the Road and instructions to follow in case of emergency.
 This publication is maybe the most popular of all books devoted to yachting and has been a real bestseller since the time of the original; release. The book has managed to establish itself as a perfect reference source for the Yachtmaster trainees plus to the skippers regardless of their experience level. The author of the book is a recognized yachting expert; he is bringing together all fundamental information of contemporary cruising in a single volume making it accessible for everyone.
The content ought to be learned by any person intending to sail on a small boat. The author has covered all important topics related to the yachting and his efforts have eventually resulted in this excellent guidebook. The text is supplemented with numerous charts and live examples for better understanding. It is a real Bible of sailing and shall be considered required reading for the boat skippers - it can be used for the classroom training or even on board.
In fact there is no other book available today to provide same coverage of the relevant topics and explain every facet of boat sailing in such comprehensive manner. There should be a copy of this book possessed on board any boat since it contains absolutely everything that the boaters shall know about sailing theory and practice.
 The present instructional book shall serve as an excellent guide for the beginners covering both catamaran and mono-hull sailing with particular attention paid to the basic sailing techniques, safety matters and, what is very important, fun! The author is not using any of complicated marine jargon usually getting most of the novices stymied, and proceeds directly to the fundamental questions, for instance, how to leave the dock and where the brakes are located.
The simple theoretical principles and techniques addressed in the pages of this volume are nicely illustrated in detail. This book has already been very well met by the beginner sailors from all around the world who have appreciated the approach used by the author to presentation of the material making it easily understandable to all of them.
Spending some time with the book and going thoroughly through all chapters and information provided will definitely guarantee a good understanding and getting a required theoretical basis for the beginner sailors to start practicing on the water. Recommended to all newcomers to the world of yachting regardless of their level, knowledge and skills - all of them will find this guide useful.
 This book is for those willing to learn sailing but feeling like they are navigating in murky waters. Here is a second edition of the world popular sailing text-book introducing the very fundamentals of sailing and looking at the many different sailboat types together with their basic parts, teaching beginner sailors everything they need to be aware of prior to leaving the dock.
The content has been compiled by two American sailing champions so this is something we all can trust. The book will tell the readers how to find and choose a good sailing school, show the correct use of lifejackets, demonstrate making ten most popular nautical knots, teach how to handle potential sailing emergencies, for example if the boat gets capsized or there is a man overboard, how to read nautical charts, plot the course and use basic navigational equipment, how to move from one point to another, etc.
The intention of the author was to show the newcomers that to get out on the water is much easier than they would think. The sailor-speak has been kept to a minimum, however the readers will be given some basic terminology they will need for safe and effective communication with the crew members. In fact, this is not only a text-book but also an excellent reference book giving the required sailing skills and confidence.
 Generally, boating is considered one of the safest leisure sporting activities. But, in any sport that pushes us to the edge of our abilities, there will always be a chance of injury or even an accident. We have to be duly prepared to cope with all such emergencies and get our chances of survival increased. The present handbook is essential for everyone taking the one-day Basic Sea Survival Courses by RYA or the two-day Offshore Safety Course by RYA/ISAF.
Actually, it should be very valuable for any person intending to take his boat offshore. In this publications the following issues have been addressed: preparing for and handling heavy weather, buoyancy and lifejackets aids, Man overboard prevention, liferafts, raising the alarms, fire control, when to abandon the ship, first aid techniques, survival in cold water, lifesaving signals, rescue etc.
The present volume is intended to highlight the importance of possessing all required safety equipment on board and maintains its good working condition at any time. Moreover, it will provide trainees with the knowledge pertaining to the correct use of this equipment, enabling the future seafarers to cope with any sort of emergency they may face at sea.
 The content of this theoretical course incorporates the syllabus of the RYA and AYF. The course-book starts with the general introduction providing some basic information with particular attention being paid to pre-requisites and qualifications.
The main aim of the present training course has been defined as providing assistance to the students in developing the confidence and prepare the candidates for the Yacht Skipper for the Local and Inland Waters exams. While the first part of the course is devoted to the inland waters and coastal waters, its second part covers the local waters only.
The topics covered by the scope of the course include commonly used nautical terminology, the sailing theory, anchoring and mooring techniques, berthing and docking, safety at sea, rules of the road, ropework, meteorology and other important topics. In short, this is an excellent training tool to be used for preparation to the relevant examinations as it will provide the trainees with all required information.
We would therefore recommend this volume not only to the students preparing for the exams but in fact to every person interested in yachting and willing to expand their knowledge.
 According to the numerous book reviews received from the readers, this volume shall be treated as the essential source of information for people willing to develop better offshore sailing knowledge and skills. The content has been revised and updated several times in order to cover more topics in a better way.
It is a real must-read one for those who are planning the extended sailing; however, since the information is presented in a very understandable way, the book will be appreciated by anyone with the interest in sailing. The book presents an excellent and perfectly compiled collection of the real-life stories about people encountering severe weather at sea. A great reference tool providing readers with lots of useful information.
In fact, this is a textbook on heavy weather sailing therefore any person planning blue water sailing shall definitely get a look in it and familiarize himself or herself with the content. There are many stories with the real life experiences supplemented with the detailed professional analysis of each event. We would absolutely recommend everyone to spend some time going through the pages of this book as it is contains something one can hardly find in any other publication.
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