Table of Contents

GETTING STARTED; BASIC PRINCIPLES: Parts of the boat, The rig, The science of sailing, Points of sail, Choosing a dinghy, Transporting dinghies, Knots, ropes and running rigging, Essential gear; PREPARING TO SAIL: What to wear, Rigging the boat, Launching, Rules of the road, Wind and tides, Telltale signs of the weather; FIRST SAIL: Balance, sail, trim, Tacking, Trim, Sailing downwind, Gybing, Capsize and recovery, Returning to shore; ADVANCED SAILING: Trapezing, Tacking, Spinnaker handling, Asymmetric spinnakers, Catamarans, Tuning, Heavy weather sailing; BASICS OF RACING: The start, Around the course; Glossary of terms; Acknowledgements

About the Author

Barry Pickthall is a respected sportswriter and photographer and has been covering all aspects of sailing and boating for the past 35 years, 20 of them as a yachting correspondent to The Times newspaper. He has been covering the international stage for the past 4 decades from the Olympics to America's Cup and Round the World Races. Barry is also a qualified sailing instructor – having graduated from one of the first courses held at the UKSA.