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

Become an instinctive sailor

Beneath the vast surface details and nuances of sailing are 22 elements. Understand these core principles and you are on your way to sailing mastery. For example:

• It's easier to master the nine ways of shaping a mainsail when you understand the principles of sail shape.
• It's easier to master a sailor's knots when you understand what makes a good one.
• It's easier to diagnose sluggish performance when you know how lift is developed by the rig and keel.
• You'll sail faster and with less effort when you understand the principles of helm balance and can steer with the sails alone.
• And it's easier to take the helm of any boat, no matter how unfamiliar, when you can judge its sailing qualities by its appearance.

The Blue Book of Sailing grounds its lessons in the timeless traditions and romance of sail while illustrating them with contemporary boats, rigs, and stories. This is the book that delves beneath the what's and how's to explore the why's. When you understand these 22 essentials, you will have exchanged the memorized responses of rote learning for the effortless mastery of an instinctive sailor. You will always be in tune with your boat.

Adam Cort is a contributing editor to Sailing magazine and a lifelong sailor. He has raced in everything from El Toro dinghies to Tartan-Tens and Santa Cruz 70s. He is a former merchant seaman, having worked aboard freighters on the Great Lakes and in the Gulf of Mexico. He learned to sail in Marblehead, Massachusetts. HOMETOWN: Chicago, IL

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