The Complete Idiots Guide To Sailing

Offers tips on choosing a boat, describes the parts of a boat and how they operate, explains marine navigation, and covers maintenance and safety issues.

The idea of learning to sail excites the imagination with fantasies of a carefree, simple way to relax. But in reality, a lot of work goes into mastering the technical aspects of sailing and learning how to get from one place to another without ending up in the water. Other sailing books go into more detail than the casual learner wants or needs. The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Sailing gives readers just what they need to know to get started and enjoy their time on the water. In it, readers get: A primer on the different types of sailboats and tips for buying or renting. Detailed descriptions of the parts and controls of a sailboat. The roles and jobs of sailor and crew. How to get the boat into the water (if it isn't already). The mechanics of sailing. Departing, anchoring, and docking. Handling, navigating, and weather. Sailing safety and emergency preparedness. The rules of the sailing road. Backup plans: engines and oars. Storing, hauling, and maintaining a sailboat.

Interested in learning to sail but feel like you’re navigating in murky waters? Sailing for Dummies, Second Edition introduces the basics of sailing, looks at the different types of sailboats and their basic parts, and teaches you everything you need to know before you leave the dock. In Sailing for Dummies, Second Edition, two U.S. sailing champions show you how to: Find and choose a sailing school Use life jackets correctly Tie ten nautical knots Handle sailing emergencies (such as capsizing and rescuing a man overboard) Launch your boat from a trailer, ramp, or beach Get your boat from point A to point B (and back again) Predict and respond to water and wind conditions Read charts, plot your course, use a compass, and find your position at sea Sailing for Dummies shows you that getting out on the water is easier than you think. The authors keep the sailor-speak to a minimum where possible, but give you a grasp of the terminology you need to safely and effectively communicate with your crew. A textbook, user’s manual, and reference all in one, this book takes the intimidation out of sailing and gives you the skills and confidence you need to get your feet wet and become the sailing pro you’ve always wanted to be. Anchors away!

Sailing: A Beginner's Guide takes the reader step by stepfrom his or her first sail to an almost intuitive mastery of small boathandling. The delightful drawings combined with the author's appealingwriting style successfully explain topics in manageable double pagespreads. The book unravels the mysteries of reading the wind, guides thereader through his or her first tenuous steps aboard, and then beyondto navigation, safety, seamanship and even trailering, conveying themagic as well as the nuts and bolts of sailing. It is a gentleintroduction for those who are just starting out, and will provide manyevocative images for those who already sail. It's all here, moresuccessfully captured then ever before in one book. Inspirational fornovice and old hand alike. 'An excellent introduction… a remarkable work' Practical Boat Owner 'Streets ahead of the rest… highly recommended for beginners of all ages' Guernsey Press

An excellent overview of both power boating and sailing, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Boating and Sailing, Third Edition, focuses on the techniques shared by both. For example, anchoring, motoring, docking, tailoring, and other techniques are critical for both types of boaters to learn - and the most common techniques omitted by most sailing only books. It also covers weather, safety, maps, rules of the road, dealing with people on the boat, gear, types of boats - power and sailboats - and the basics of sailing.

Newly updated and now in paperback, this backlist classic contains 2,000 diagrams and photos enabling you to visualize every sailing procedure and maneuver; reflects the latest word on procedures, techniques, and equipment. 48 pages of full-color photos.

Buoy your sailing knowhow with advice from two US sailing champions Nothing can beat the feel of the warm sun on your back, the gentle wind in your hair, and a swaying deck under your feet. If you long to take to the open water and sail wherever the wind takes you, you’ll find everything you need to know in Sailing For Dummies. This friendly guide offers information for beginning and intermediate captains. Discover everything you need to know to confidently navigate your vessel through whatever waters—rough or smooth—you may encounter. Whether your goal is to explore a nearby lake, sail down the Mighty Mississippi, or take to the open sea, Sailing For Dummies explains how to launch your vessel, tie knots, turn sails, read the water, and more. Figure out how to work with the wind using sails to reach your destination Find out how the latest technology makes sailing easier and more enjoyable Master the essential skills of docking, tying knots, and dropping anchor Learn how to read the wind, sea, and sky to know what the weather is up to Choose the boat that’s right for you, complete with bells and whistles Discover the basics of windsurfing and kiteboarding Satisfy your need to go farther and faster in your craft Know how to sail safely in tricky situations Whether you’re dipping your toe in the water or knee deep in your pursuit of sailing excellence, this reference will come in handy as you set your sights on sailing. After spending some time with Sailing For Dummies—and even more time on the water—you’ll know the ropes!

Do you want to learn to sail? Are your boating skills and seamanship at the right standard? Do you need to improve on your boating basics and safety? Then Boating for Dummies is exactly what you need!

“It was the best of dreams, it was the worst of dreams, it was an age of consulting the nautical experts, it was the age of landlubber foolishness, it was the epoch of determination, it was the epoch of despair, it was the season of hurricanes, it was a spring of beachcombing...” If you dream about chucking it all away and sailing toward an island life, read this first Renee and Michael didn’t have any boating experience and when their plans to remedy that fell through the two had to learn everything the hard way. Despite themselves they managed to get from Miami to Grenada, eventually dropping the anchor of their cruising catamaran at the island of their dreams. Determined to save future sailors from themselves, A Sail of Two Idiots includes lessons Renee and Michael learned and shares them with you as examples of what and what not to do. This a how-to guide wrapped in a funny story—kind of like getting your serving of vegetables from a slice of pizza. Read this and make your dream of sailing away a reality. Includes: “What Broke?” sections explores the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of a cruising multihull "Island” section provide assessments of the islands of the Caribbean