Sailing, Yachts and Yarns

Tom Cunliffe is Britain's best known yachting writer. He has written more than 35 titles. Tom writes for Yachting Monthly, Yachting World and SAIL magazine in the US. He is a leading adviser to the sailing organisations and has the highest level sailing qualifications. Tom has sailed from Brazil to Greenland, often in traditional vessels with no engines, navigating by the stars. He recently presented The Boats That Built Britain, a six-part series on BBC TV.

'Nobody captures the magic of sail or conveys the lessons of seamanship like Tom. He's one of sailing's great raconteurs.' DAVID GLENN, EDITOR, YACHTING WORLD, 'Each piece has its merits, each is a wonderful mix of entertainment, humour and outspoken wisdoms as Tom delves into the endless fund of stories on a huge variety of boating-related subjects. By the book's end I felt I'd got to know the man better. Most certainly he is very, very talented both as a sailor and scribe.' (Sailing Magazine, December 2015)

• Foreword. Introduction. Holy cow! Passing it on. Uncharted territory. On watch for eddies. Cunliffe's law of diminishing returns. Together in the end. Jonah and the wave. Lessons learnt from a puffin. In the drink. Here's hoping. Glad to be trad. Fight for the Wight. Join the club. The clock is ticking. Life is looking up. Good, becoming poor. Winged wonders. Good, bad, or just unlucky? The sacred sound of silence. Testing times. Always read the label. Where's Wallander? Weather or not. Wrestling the python of modernity. Touching the bottom. Dead cert. Spring fever. Strike a light. Russian away from freedom. All suggestions welcome. Spirits of the sea. Skipping with joy. The ability for stability. Sheer delight. The big bang. A wise investment? Centenary celebrations. Under pressure. Trials and tribulations. Troublesome seagulls. Skip it skipper. Feeling the pinch. Reckoning with doubt. For your comfort and safety. Grief relief. Put your money away. Going sideways fast. A life of luxury? Don't neglect your bottom. What a stitch up! Don't read all about it. Owning or bemoaning? Fail safe. Fearing for steering. Eastern delights. Turning on technology. A break in the weather. Signs of the times. If in drought... The perfect platform. Don't forget your old friends. Music to my ears. Size matters. The power and the glory. Sailing through red tape. Resisting the rising tide. The right sort of customs. Too much of a good thing? A thousand miles from land. When plastic's not fantastic. No cause for alarm. The boating backbone of Britain. Cheap and cheerful around the world. Hearing voices. The plastic revolution. Clearing the pipes. The pierhead jumper.