This book is appropriate for beginners, those who need a refresher or the more experienced sailor who wants to have it as a reference. It covers the basics to safely skipper a medium-sized keelboat (20-30 feet).
Those familiar with American Sailing Association’s Sailing Made Easy may want to read this book to deepen their sailing knowledge. This book expands on the basic information provided in the earlier book and includes tides and currents, weather, forecasting and more advanced seamanship skills.
This book is a definitive work on navigation, including the latest advances in electronic navigation and digital charting technology as well as non-electronic navigation such as celestial, plotting and dead reckoning.
This book has been a go-to guide for sailors for more than 75 years. It covers all phases of surface navigation from traditional navigation techniques to today’s hi-tech options that leverage modern technological advances.
Tom Garrison takes you on a journey of the ocean covering submarine canyons to zooplankton, the changing coastlines to the growing concerns regarding plastic in the ocean and more.
If you choose to get only one book on sailing, I would recommend this comprehensive reference that combines best traditions of seamanship with cutting-edge practices, gear and technology.
According to Lin and Larry Pardey, sailors who have a plan have the most luck during a storm at sea. In this book, they describe the classic methods used to bring sailing vessels of all sizes – from tiny yachts to vast clipper ships – through strong winds and heavy seas.
In this book, Hervey Garrett Smith provides more than 100 illustrations to help the reader grasp the fundamentals of handling a ship along with a detailed description of a sailor’s tools, basic knots, useful hitches and more.
This book, updated regularly, is often referred to as the mariner’s bible. It gives boaters valuable information on GPS and electronic navigation, navigation rules, coastal piloting tips, marine weather, federal regulations and emergency first aid.
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The Firebird, pictured far right, is resting gently in the marina. Noumea, New Caledonia, August, 1976.
Richard Bode looks back on his childhood and the important life lessons that sailing has taught him, especially about making choices, adapting to change and becoming his own person.
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Chichester F. The Lonely Sea and the Sky. West Sussex, UK: Summersdale Publishing Ltd; 2012 (first published in 1964).
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The adventurer Sir Francis Chichester recounts his greatest successes and failures from his solo sail around the world in 1967.
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★ Heyerdahl T. Fatu-Hiva: Back to Nature. George Allen & Unwin: London, England; 1974 (first publication).
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A classic book by Thor Heyerdahl, describing his time on Fatu Hiva and his side trip to Hivaoa and Mohotani.
This book tells the story of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton and how he survived on the ice-bound Antarctic seas for over a year. According to New York Times Book Review this saga is “one of the greatest adventure stories of our time.”
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Michener James. Tales of the South Pacific. New York, NY: Random House Publishing Group; 2014 (first edition 1946).
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This Pulitzer Prize-winning book contains a collection of WWII stories set in the beautiful South Pacific.
Graham Morse, the previous owner of Double X when it sailed under the name of Moonraker, describes his sailing journey in the South Pacific. It’s a gem of a book if you are interested in finding out more about sailing life and about Double X.
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★ Mottessier B. The Long Way. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Sheridan House; 1995.
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A must-read for anyone interested in sailing. Veteran sailor Bernard Moitessier recounts his incredible solo journey of over 37,000 miles around the world without touching land.
According to Sports Illustrated, Sailing Alone Around the World is “One of the most readable books in the whole library of adventure.” It is a classic sea adventure that conveys all the excitement of being the first man to sail around the world, alone, in a small boat—pirates, perils, witty observations and more.
In this classic book, first published 75 years ago, Johnny Wray writes about his grand adventure sailing around the South Pacific in the late 1930s. It’s an inspirational, often funny, read that continues to inspire readers today.
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Check back often, more resources on the sailing life coming soon!
