The Blue Book of Sailing: The 22 Keys to Sailing Mastery

by Adam Cort

Transform basic sailing skills into true mastery No other sport is as complex or as gear- and technique-intensive as sailing. The details and nuances are vast, but beneath the surface are 22 elements, or core areas of knowledge. By understanding these principles you can attain true tie any knot, shape any sail, take the helm of any boat, no matter how large or unfamiliar.

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Mark Hurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I attended my ASA classes last summer and fall, I began asking the instructors questions about the sails. I wanted to understand more than just moving the main sheet port or starboard. While I understood the basic principles they were teaching - points of sail, trimming the main and head sails - I wanted to better understand much more.
I encourage anyone who is curious like me to get this book. Finally, it was explained I would say in a slightly more advanced level, only requiring the basic knowledge taught to me by the courses an instruction I obtained.
Like my sailing courses, there are talking points around navigation and weather too. What I found also very interesting was distinguishing factors that are used to compare boats. What differences exist for boats built for speed vs. comfort.

[Sean Sexton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book for sailors at all skill levels. Instead of just presenting a collection of knowledge, terms and skills, the Blue Book organizes things based on sets of skills that good sailors should have. (E.g. sail trim, docking, navigating, etc). This is a great way to organize the information, allowing for sailors to work at improving skills in different areas. I also very much appreciated that this wasn't a gigantic tome, but short enough to read cover to cover.

[Badr البدر · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very informative book for the serious sailor. The selection of topics is comprehensive. Yet I have found it to dive too deep too soon. I would have preferred a more gradual approach with more illustrations.