Pass Your Yachtmaster

David Fairhall has enjoyed sailing for more than half a century in everything from Dragons to Thames barges. He has raced offshore, including skippering a boat in the Fastnet Race, and made transatlantic ocean deliveries. He sails from Maldon on the East Coast, where he lives.Mike Peyton was the world's best known nautical cartoonist. He wrote several books, illustrated many more, and produced thousands of cartoons for yachting magazines.Peter Rodgers has sailed his own cruising boats for many years, and has done three Fastnet Races, two as navigator. He passed his Yachtmaster Offshore before electronics took over the chart table, but has a keen interest in the benefits and limitations of the latest navigation technology.

It is a slim book, but the size belies the amount of information within its covers. It is a 'cram course' - but it overlooks nothing, and is laid out to make studying or revising easier.

• IntroductionNavigationCharts The IALA buoyage system The compass The log Depth sounding GNSSRadar Tides Chartwork GNSS positionsPassage planning Electronic chartsLearning to use electronic charts Types of electronic chart AIS and radar on electronic chartsOther software for chartplotters ‘Not to be used for navigation’ Low risks, big impactWeatherBasic weather systemClouds Depressions Anticyclones Local weather Fog The Beaufort wind scale Sources of weather information Safety and seagoing practiceThe Rule of the Road International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972Anchoring Communications Distress signals Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Life saving signalsSafety equipmentStability and buoyancy of yachts Coping with bad weather Environmental awarenessIndex