Nautical Pocketbooks – serie

A pocket database containing everything a busy skipper needs to know but might find hard to remember. It is easy to take for granted how much a skipper needs to know : Navigation, how to pilot the boat into a new harbour, using the radio, checking the engine, keeping an eye out for things that need repair, monitoring the weather, feeding the crew and much, much more! This pocketbook is designed as an aide-memoire with checklists to make life easier for busy skippers and a must-have reference for first-time skippers. It should also prove an invaluable reference book for the RYA Yachtmaster syllabus. The book has been helping skippers for nearly 20 years and has now been edited and thoroughly updated by Yachtmaster Instructor and Examiner, Sara Hopkinson. (RYA and Yachtmaster are registered trademarks of the Royal yachting Association.)

Going aboard a sailing yacht for the first time is an exciting experience, but it can be a bit daunting. It introduces you to many unknowns: terra firma is left behind, the boat is propelled by something you can’t see (the wind), there are ropes everywhere and a whole new vocabulary opens up!Your skipper will brief you on the key things you need to know, but this book is a great opportunity to learn a bit beforehand which will give you the basic knowledge to work the boat, be safe, have fun… and be asked back for more!Written in a friendly and approachable way, it assumes no nautical knowledge and uses diagrams and photographs to demystify the art of sailing. Devised to be read by new crew before they arrive at the boat, it is also great to keep on board as a quick and easy reference guide. Ideal for skippers to give to anyone joining them on board for the first time. As soon as a person steps aboard they are crewing: drawn into casting off, hoisting sails, winching and even steering. It’s impossible to cover everything in your briefing, so any knowledge they can gain beforehand is a blessing and will make your yacht a happier, safer place for everyone.