Best sailing books according to redditors
We found 65 Reddit comments discussing the best sailing books. We ranked the 39 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 65 Reddit comments discussing the best sailing books. We ranked the 39 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
A little digging showed that it's a custom boat by designer Bruce Roberts. Purchased by a family from Portland who wrote a book (http://www.amazon.com/Missives-Maravida-Caribbean-Sailboat-Adventure-ebook/dp/B00AC54H1G) about their Caribbean adventure.
The preview of the boat on Amazon shows some of the specs in the first few pages.
Cap'n Fatty has at least one book that addresses this question. He would add a #4 to your list, "You live frugally while at sea." But he also mentions a pretty good list of "jobs you can do at sea" - including skills in demand among other boat folks. He even mentions a dentist who had an exam chair in one of the cabins on his boat, IIRC.
I can recommend the Tricktionary: One of the best books for learning new moves with tons of information for all levels in my opinion. I only found a kindle link but I am sure there are places where you can get a hard cover edition.
I was reading Lin Pardey's book about cruising on a budget and she says the size of your boat really determines that. Couples cruising on boats under 30' tend to spend 500-800/mo, but that doubles at 35', and triples at 40. So 24k / yr will work, if you're conservative.
Also you should read ... damn now I can't remember the name of the book. It's about this guy who owned a night club in LA who sold everything to buy a boat and go sailing with his wife and kids. Hope someone else here can remember the name of that so I can read it again.
edit - found it: https://www.amazon.com/Blown-Away-Herb-Payson-ebook/dp/B00O6VD36W/ref=pd_sim_351_20?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=8Y85N4YEF5GV2K8HJF10
Also: http://sailingsimplicity.com/go-small-go-simple-go-now-by-lin-pardey/
You won't find inexpensive slips for that size vessel. You'll either need to find a mooring ball, or anchor out.
https://smile.amazon.com/Creative-Anchoring-Everything-Cruising-Related-ebook/dp/B00UR6RRS0
His writing is also nice
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Alone-Together-Sailing-Hawaii-Beyond/dp/099725310X
Have you heard of of Frank Dye? He sailed a Wayfarer (16 ish footer dinghy) across the North Sea amongst other places.
https://www.amazon.com.au/Ocean-Crossing-Wayfarer-Iceland-Norway-ebook/dp/B00UFPPFZA
All these questions are spelled out in the rule book, or will otherwise be amended by the Racing Instructions provided during the Skippers Meeting.
I highly recommend the Dave Perry book Understanding The Racing Rules Of Sailing. This book also contains the current US Sailing rulebook in full, so you need not buy both books.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1938915046
A word of advice - I wouldn't worry about protests, particularly how to file one, at your first regatta. Worry about beating them on the course, not in the room. Keep your head in the game, don't sail mad. Sail fast, sail smart, sail safe.
I'm sure you already are but if not, start keeping eyes on the local used boat market. Wait and watch then pick your pitch. If it's too good to be true, it probably is BUT there are motivated sellers. People buy 2nd boats before selling their current one all the time, people inherit boats they can't afford upkeep on, people leave them at boat yards. This is especially true for smaller and older boats where the annual storage and upkeep can exceed the value of the boat itself.
Set up a separate bank account and figure out your annual cost of ownership. Start getting used to setting that money aside automatically each month. It'll give you a head start on your sinking fund so any early upgrades or repairs don't sting as much.
I watched and saved for 3 years until I was able to make a late-season steal on a well cared for Cal 2-25. Owner bought it for 6k, was paying 3500 for a slip and 1600 for winter storage. He was asking 5k but I waited until late in the season and offered 3400 pointing out the fact that he's breaking even on asking price by avoiding the looking winter storage. We settled on 3800 and we took ownership with 2+ months of the sailing season left.
While you're preparing, read the following books:
I completely and whole heartily recommend -
Buy, Outfit, and Sail by Fatty Goodlander.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00638SJII/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_hCKSBbDBD1P7E
And ...
Chasing the Horizon also by Fatty Goodlander.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00121QHXK/ref=cm_sw_r_em_apa_yEKSBbDTYBTS5
He is the uncrowded king of Poverty Finance.
Read as much as you can, join Facebook groups, buy a Kindle, go to boat shows. Immerse yourself in the culture as much as you can before you have a boat.
Nice man I go to SJSU and my sailing class there was awesome, even though it was just in a lake. But for a book I'd consider the ASA books:
https://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Made-Easy-American-Association/dp/098210250X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1502261789&sr=8-1&keywords=asa+101
If you want to get ASA certified down the road you'll end up getting them anyways :p
I recommend The Complete Sailor and the ASA Basic Keelboat text Sailing Made Easy. Note that if you sign up for ASA 101 you should get Sailing Made Easy included.
Welcome to the Bay Area!!! It's not all gentlemen here ;) we've got some ladies too!
For summer sailing on the bay, one thing you may have heard about is the "summer pattern" - cool air (aka heavy winds) rushing in through the Golden Gate and spilling over the Bay and towards Sacramento is a common occurrence in the summer, when Sacremento's hot weather causes a vaccum sucking wind in from the ocean. Just know that it can be still at 2pm and gusting 25knots by 4pm. I race on the bay and have seen this happen a few times!
Also, I definitely recommend bringing a motor with you in high-traffic areas with deep channels where the huge cargo boats pass. The Lee of Angel island is easy to get stuck in without wind, and that's a highly trafficked area. A motor will ease some stress until you're used to weather patterns created by the terrain around the Bay.
Last!! I HIGHLY recommend the book Sailing the Bay by Kimball Livingston. It's a great easy read and I'm sure many sailors familiar with the bay read through it with knowing nods about the little bits of local knowledge. http://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Bay-Kimball-Livingston/dp/0966380800
Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:
amazon.co.uk
amazon.ca
amazon.com.au
amazon.in
amazon.com.mx
amazon.de
amazon.it
amazon.es
amazon.com.br
amazon.nl
Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.
Julie Bradley. The link is https://www.amazon.com/Escape-Ordinary-JULIE-BRADLEY-ebook/dp/B07LCDX6JQ/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= I think you will really like it
The kindle version of Gonzo's Flying Dog is now available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N06HL4E
Fatty Goodlander is a master of improvisation. They were lucky to have him on the radio! If you haven't already, check out some of his books. As an experienced sailor, I received his book "Buy, outfit and sail a small vessel around the world" and a bottle of rum in return for pulling a Canadian boat off of shore in Charleston. There's a lot I already knew, there were some neat tricks I never thought of, but overall it was a fun read. http://www.amazon.com/Outfit-Sail-Capn-Fatty-Goodlander-ebook/dp/B00638SJII
I did the RYA competent crew out here in Barcelona with a company based in Brighton.
I had 0 sailing experience.
Before the course, I brought Dummies Guide to Sailing and buried myself in the book. It helped to have some basic knowledge of how sailing works.
The course was great and as other have said, you'll be getting your hand dirty. I went on to do the Day skipper 6 weeks later, and am now the proud owner of my very own boat.
Still learning every time I sail though :)
It's a very well put together course and an excellent starting base.
I did mine with lagoon.co.uk
If you are new to sailing, try The Book on Sailing Safety. It teaches the fundamentals of sailing and boating safety as well as more advanced topics. Search for it on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Book-Sailing-Safety-Henry-Krisher/dp/197938634X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510769205&sr=8-1&keywords=The+book+on+Sailing+Safety&dpID=51o7QcQlWcL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch
oh..shameless plug for one of my heroes.
​
https://www.amazon.com/Buy-Outfit-Sail-Inexpensively-Safely/dp/1456310038/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537972806&sr=8-1&keywords=goodlander
I started drawing again. Reading more books for leisure. Recently came across a book called Alone Together: Sailing Solo to Hawaii and Beyond it's a personal log of a solo sailing journey to Hawaii. Very well written filled with humor and a great little escape even if you're not into sailing. The author has a youtube channel where he blogs about working on his boat and reads an excerpt from the novel (https://www.youtube.com/user/cdw000).
Exercise is a great way to get lost in your own thoughts and vitalize the body. I go hiking from time to time. I think it's a great hobby to take on.
For a while I was into vintage watch collecting. It was a weird passion brought on by the idea of replacing a fitbit I got from my ex for Christmas. I was never a watch person until I got that fitbit and literally wore it every day. I came to realize that it's dangerous to start collecting anything when it's for the reason of trying to fill a void. I sold off my collection once it became a problem.
You're right about not wasting energy and talent on hate, anger, and misery. Going through this has made me realized that it's pointless to feed my demons. This has changed me a bit. Though I still think a bit of anger is healthy as it can be a force that drives productivity, so as long as you know where to stop. I have had thoughts here and there whether I've been suppressing the anger or it's really gone. I hope for the latter.
Whether our problems are similar or not, the end result is the same I think. But finding solace in the fact that there great people out there gives a lot of hope that it will be okay.
https://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Made-Easy-American-Association/dp/098210250X
Just saw the last part of this sentence. Crewing for club races? In that case I have to recommend Winning In One Designs by Dave Perry to go along with the Racing Rules of Sailing
When I got into dinghy sailing, I was obsessed with Royces Sailing Illustrated. I don't know how up to date it is, but I loved reading it.
Also, I may be biased, since my godfather wrote it, but Winning in One Designs is a great book, very accessible and super-informative.
Buy the boat "Sailing the Bay" by Kimball Livingston, and read it. Then decide on a next step.
http://www.amazon.com/Sailing-The-Bay-Kimball-Livingston/dp/0966380800
Or by it used for $3.46
Honestly, I have read Sailing for Dummies and it was very straight forward and helpful in learning about the basics. It may not be as engaging as other books listed, but it is an easy and informative read.