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The Complete Sailing Manual

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An essential reference book for sailing enthusiasts, now in its fourth edition with a foreword by quadruple Olympic gold medalist Ben Ainslie.

Learn the basics of sailing, master navigation, and maintain your boat with The Complete Sailing Manual, written by instructor and former British national champion Steve Sleight. This authoritative text has clear, annotated diagrams and photographs that answer questions about any sailing situation with thorough coverage of all aspects of sailing and boat ownership. Look up how to rig a dinghy, tie basic knots, or save someone who fell overboard.

Revised and updated to include the latest developments in equipment, safety, and activities, including foiling, long-distance cruising, and high-speed, apparent wind-sailing, and newest technology such as modern performance systems and electronic navigation. All rules, regulations, and best practices are also up to date.

From the novice to the experienced sailor, The Complete Sailing Manual is the perfect book for anyone interested in sailing.

448 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 1999

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About the author

Steve Sleight

33 books4 followers

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5 stars
117 (46%)
4 stars
104 (41%)
3 stars
28 (11%)
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Patrick Bristow.
42 reviews1 follower
September 28, 2020
A not-very-deep but surprisingly-deep view of a really wide range of sailing topics crammed into a book of reasonable length. It was jam-packed with all kinds of tips I enjoyed hearing. I struggle to know who I'd recommend this to, but I'd say it's worth a read for everyone from the beginning sailor to the experienced cruiser. It certainly helped that it was written in such a way that it made an easy, comfortable read on passages.
Profile Image for Dr Zorlak.
262 reviews109 followers
March 11, 2017
Marvelous photos and state of the art diagrams. Even so, I found the knot drawings better in the For Dummies book.

Focuses equally on racing and voyaging, with great tips on ship maintenance, anchoring, and spinnaker use.
Profile Image for Tom Jones.
22 reviews
February 25, 2011
This is a very comprehensive introduction to sailing. I covers the many facets of sailing, from racing dingies to blue water crossings. The illustrations are clear, the pictures are beautiful, and the text is quite readable. Sailing is a very large topic to cover with one book, but this book does a good job of giving both details and perspective. It was enjoyable to read and I learned a bit. Overall a good book.
Profile Image for Stefychan.
21 reviews
Want to read
August 4, 2012
Il manuale � carino e ricco di fotografie. Il DVD per�, pur esponendo bene gli argomenti, � troppo "veloce": lo spettatore in pochi minuti viene bombardato molti concetti, terminologia, tecniche. Bastava spezzare in pi� capitoli e fare qualche pausa tra un concetto e l'altro.
Profile Image for JackCanoes.
14 reviews
November 19, 2012
The book is quite complete in that it covers every aspect of sailing. I liked it because it's clear, easy to read with nice illustrations. I might get a copy for myself so I can consult it once in a while.
11 reviews
April 15, 2016
If you are look for a sail boat you need to know how to tie the knots for the sails so if you are planning on buying a sail boat you should probably get this book or else you will be stuck in the middle of no where.
Profile Image for Rod.
20 reviews2 followers
March 20, 2020
discovering my viking heritage.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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