Product Description

The Complete Sailor takes the reader from the first sail to a mastery of small-boat handling. Weaving his writing around 600 drawings by noted marine illustrator Kelly Mulford, David Seidman has created a book in which each double-page spread invites the eye and communicates volumes of information. The Complete Sailor goes beyond other learn-to-sail books to cover navigation, boat design, and seamanship. Encyclopedic in scope yet warm in style, it conveys the magic as well as the techniques of sailing. Among the other topics covered: anchoring, ropework, rigging, weather, fog, squalls, currents and tides, rules of the road, trailering, and working the winds. The book is a gentle introduction for those just starting out, and a guide to new horizons for those who already sail.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22773 in Books
• Published on: 1995-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780070571310
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"A real winner... A masterful blend of straightforward text with delightful and instructive illustrations. Quite simply a great primer on sailing and the world of boats for readers of all ages." -- Cruising World

"An introductory book with heart; i.e., the traditional arts of the sailor are emphasized over 'launch her and drive her'; excellent illustrations." -- WoodenBoat

Review
``A real winner.#.#.A masterful blend of straightforward text with delightful and instructive illustrations. Quite simply a great primer on sailing and the world of boats for readers of all ages.'' (Cruising World )

About the Author
David Seidman (Oak Beach, NY) has spent a good portion of his life finding his way around the world. He has crossed oceans, toured central Asia and Mongolia without a map or the ability to speak the language, and found a Mayan ruin in Guatemala. He is the author of The Essential Sea Kayaker, The Essential Wilderness Navigator, and The Complete Sailor and a former editor of Boating magazine.

Customer Reviews

Fantastic book for beginner through intermediate
After sailing for 30 years, I was looking for a book for my children to use to give them a solid foundation. I ordered another 5 star book recommended by sailing schools, but ran across this one at the library.

This book is head and shoulders above the other. It covers all the basics in an easy to read style, and the huge number of detailed drawings are both beautiful and incredibly informative.
In addition to the basic stuff you need to know to sail a small boat, it also has a wealth of deeper information, about everything from bouyancy and balance, to boat construction and history.

I'm buying a copy for each of my kids, and recommending it to my sailing friends. As for the other books, I will probably either return them, or leave them to gather dust on a shelf.

Better than Sailing For Dummies for dummies like me.
I wish I had gotten this before I bought Sailing For Dummies. Sailing For Dummies somehow left me with a lot of unanswered basic questions about sailing. Complete Sailor answered those questions. Complete Sailor also has more illustrations that provide a clearer understanding of just what the heck the author's talking about.

Not the best book for a "true" beginner.
I bought this book, as well as "Sailing for Dummies" and "Learning to Sail - the Annapolis sailing school guide for all ages", and I have to say, the Complete Sailor is the worst of the three, at least for someone who has no previous knowledge of sailing. It was an interesting book with a wide variety of topics covered, but I think it would be better suited to someone with at least a basic knowledge of how to sail. If you truly want to LEARN to sail, the Annapolis book is the best and simplest of the three, particularly if you're learning on a dinghy like me.