Sailing Made Easy

by American Sailing

The book is the most comprehensive education and boating safety learn-to-sail guide to date. Incorporated in the textbook are useful illustrations and exceptional photographs of complex sailing concepts. There are also quizzes at the end of each chapter, and a glossary to help those new to sailing to navigate their way through the extensive nautical terminology.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Sports, How To, Travel, Education

120 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2010

Reviews

[Dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A books is a book baby
But actually not bad. I was dreading a tedious read on mainsheets and jibing but it stayed interesting.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read and then listened to this textbook (basic sailing reference guide) prior to taking the ASA 101 course and test. Easy to follow and plenty informative.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sailing Made Easy does a pretty good job of doing exactly what it says it will. It's a very clear and easily understood introduction to sailing and covers all the basics of how a sailboat works, how to start and end a sail, how to perform basic maneuvers, and the specialized vocabulary that describes all of it. I received a copy of this textbook as part of the introductory sailing class I took this summer and read most of it, though not quite all of it, before the class. Today, I finally finished that last chapter. Fascinating stuff. I didn't have any trouble getting through the book, and I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to remember the details once I was actually on a boat. I'll go sailing again at some point, and I'll definitely go back over some of this book before I do.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm reading this in preparation for the ASA101 (required to rent boats) course despite having well over a thousand miles of single-handing experience under my belt so I'm not the target audience at all. My wife has complained a ton about how poor the explanations are though, so I'll give it 3 instead of 4.

[Lindsey Denny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This textbook/workbook provided a great introduction to basic keelboat sailing. I think some of the concepts in the final 2/3 of the book were more challenging to comprehend without a practicum. I read this ahead of an upcoming sailing trip so as to be a more effective crew member. Looking forward to trying out different skills and maneuvers out on the water! Perhaps this will lead to taking the the formal ASA 101 course sometime.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of material. The book starts easy and progressively gets more complicated as the material piles on. Also, the definitions are not as clear as they could be and get recast in later chapters adding to a bit of confusion. It is a needed read for anyone beginning sailboat operations though.

[C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a textbook. It was a lot easier to get most of the information in the online course the class required me to take, but it has a lot of good information and detail and I may refer back to some of the diagrams as I continue learning.

[Bugzmanov · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a textbook. It does the job. Nothing to be fancy about

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy and practical guide that covers all aspects of basic sailing.

[Catie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fingers crossed that this helps me with my sailing class 🤞

[Zoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a textbook, but I read it, so I'm counting it toward my total.

[Chuck Barnard · Rating 5 out of 5]

very clear and helpful

[George Mannella · Rating 5 out of 5]

great reference book to take alongside ASA 101

[Anthony Laird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to prepare for the ASA Sailing certification and class

[realNateCash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great entry level book regarding sailing. This is enough to get you started on the path of always learning.

[Fred Platten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty thorough, and good graphics. I'll update my review once I take my ASA 101 exam next week. 😀

UPDATE: I scored a perfect 100 on my written test.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm reading this to get ready for a week of sail training this March. Overwhelmed by the nautical terms and trying to imagine everything described in the book when I have never really sailed. Will reread before we fly south, and watch some Youtube videos too!

[Marshall Vandegrift]

Sailing!

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very helpful and informative - everything you need to pass ASA Sailing 101!

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good primer for getting on the water.