Top 10 MUST read books for sailing

[Gilligan8]

The title is misleading because I have nothing to offer (this would come as no surprise if you knew me

I came here looking for this info and was surprised that there was no sticky for something like this.

I did the obvious search and mostly what I found was other threads saying, "This comes up a lot, you should search."

I'm new to the sport/adventure and in fact haven't even settled on a boat yet, but the wife and I attend to liveaboard (her immediately in NOLA and I to join her in a few years maybe on another better boat to do real cruising).

In the mean time we will need to learn "all there is to know" about sailing.

I've been watching lots of youtube videos but I want to get my hands on some paper!

I'm certain this comes up too often, but a sticky would help that problem.

[siamese]

I'd start with Chapman's.

[billknny]

On my list #1 to #5 would all be the same book:

Nigal Caulder's Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual

Once you have that....

#6 Ivar Dedekam's llustrated Sail & Rig Tuning

#7 Brion Toss' The Complete Rigger's Apprentice: Tools and Techniques for Modern and Traditional Rigging

#8 Emiliano Marino's The Sailmaker's Apprentice: A Guide for the Self-Reliant Sailor

#9 Something on Navigation. Lots to chose from.

#10 Nav Rules.

[slug]

Originally Posted by siamese

I'd start with Chapman's.

Yah

Chapman’s or equivalent

[Lazerbrains]

"Heavy Weather Sailing" - Adlard Coles

Should be in everybody's library.

[Pete7]

Given you are starting from scratch, I would suggest something from the Competent Crew and Day Skipper syllabus of the Royal Yachting Association or the US equivalent, before any of the above. Learn the basics first.


https://www.rya.org.uk/shop/pages/pr...-handbook-sail

Where is NOLA

Pete

[SVTatia]

Originally Posted by Gilligan8

...

I did the obvious search and mostly what I found was other threads saying, "This comes up a lot, you should search."
...

It does come up once in a while... example - 10+ pages:

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...oks-43448.html

[Mikado]

Good list of technical sailing books.

Don’t forget about books related to the cruising life and sailing lifestyle.

I just read Off The Grid, a fun book about sailing that wasn’t at all technical but I could apply a lot of the stories to my current and future sailing life.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1546581340..._1pMAEbJWMA7JS

[Hardhead]

Not technical - but Joshua Slocumb's "Sailing Around the World Alone" - will give you some insight into the outlook of a calm skipper. He's certainly done more with less... and was the first.

[dickfred]

Here are two that are quite comprehensive and timeless as sailing itself:
Bond, Bob, Handbook of sailing, New York, Knopf, 1987.
Herreshoff, Halsey C. editor, The sailors handbook - updated edition, New York, Little Brown, 1994.
If not longer in print, buy used. I tend to use Abes Books, but used options, if available, always listed in Amazon.

[Captain Puget]

Stress Free Sailing, by Duncan Wells

Easy to follow with lots of good, practical advice

[carstenb]

Beth Leonard's - the Voyagers Handbook

This will tell you everything you need to know about becoming a liveaboard cruiser.

[redhead]

Chapman's is good, but for some reason I got more out of "Annapolis Book of Seamanship". It assumes you know nothing and starts from there and that's what I needed.

[Paul Kelly]

"We Didn't Mean To Go To Sea" by Arthur Ransome

[canyonbat]

Originally Posted by Captain Puget

Stress Free Sailing, by Duncan Wells

Easy to follow with lots of good, practical advice

This is our favorite sailing book. Buy the Kindle edition - it has videos!