Royce's Sailing Illustrated, Vol. 1: Tall Ship Edition

• #36 in Best Sailing Books

18 Reviews

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I have shelf after shelf of books on sailing and boating, but only Royce's Sailing Illustrated is essentially worn out. This and the accompanying workbook are the only books of which I have two copies; one set at home and one set the boat. If you want an excellent introduction to sailing, buy, borrow, or steal this book. It's still no substitute for actually spending time at the tiller (and making your own mistakes), but Royce, through this little book, will teach you more than a boat-load of much more expensive volumes (or most sailing "schools", for that matter).

This compact work is not only a very good distillation of the ways of a modern sailor, but is arguably the most essential book to keep on board one's small boat for reference by the captain or the most novice of crew. It's keys to success are it's clarity of explanation and ease of reading. Of the 50 or so boat-related books in my library I rank this one among my top five in frequency of use.

"Vol.I" is the 1993 edition of "The Sailor's Bible" that's been often updated & refined since 1956 and it shows. (There's also a Vol. II in a larger format and written for classroom use; it's said to cover the same material in more depth--but with half the pages?) Vol. II may be a better choice for home than this Vol. I which is now called the "on-the-water" version. Vol. I, this book, is very encyclopedic, useful for beginners through advanced levels. All sailing topics are covered and some (e.g., hull speed) are treated in more detail than most other books. The author, a sailor-artist, provides 1000s of helpful simple pictures & diagrams. It's comprehensive covering hulls, keels, rigging, sailing rigs, etc., from caravel to ULDB, OD dinghies to inboard cruisers. Sprinkled throughout are little gems of history or experience that enliven the reading. Many detailed pictures, some cutaways & parts are labeled, of 22 popular OD dinghies & cats plus 9 cruising boats (1 cat). A glossary of 38 pages covers about 1500 terms. Topics include splicing, first aid, recovering from capsizes, groundings, etc,; it has the practical advice that can keep some mishaps from becoming disasters. Good coverage of reefing, hull forms & high seas, broaching, pitch-poling, getting pooped, heaving to, etc. It's not perfect: All print is in blue (non-photo?) ink. The index is so-so but not great. Since it's intended as a reference, the writing is usually brief, in sound bites; when topics have a longer treatment (e.g., hull speed) the style remains so the bites feel pasted together. And some of the charts (e.g., avoiding collisions) have been photo-reduced to the point they're hard to read. But still, at the price, it probably has more facts per buck than any other sailing book.

I certainly agree that "The process of puzzlement and Gestalt will occur in repeated iterations" when reading Royce and I also believe it is "arguably the most essential book to keep on board one's small boat for reference by the captain or the most novice of crew".

However, high performance sailboat design has created the need for a new sailboat primer and Royce's work is badly in need of update. The fall of the American sailor in world competitions such as the Americas Cup and Around Alone is directly related to the popularity of Royce whose work even in 2003 results in the manufacturing of new pocket cruisers that sail like those illustrated.

There has been a revolution in sailboat
thinking and today this book should be viewed for historical interest rather than as a primer for learning how to sail because boats designed for high performance are sailed much differently than the style advocated in Royce.

This book is a must for any sailing enthsiast. It not only provides useful information on all aspects of sailing, sail boat design by does so with numerous sketches and pictures. A wonderful book for a reference amnual.

Patrick Royce packs more bits of information onto a page than any other writer of any genre. Unfortunately his mastery of paragraph construction and linear thinking leave something to be desired. Nonetheless, this is THE best book from which to learn about sailing. The beginner will often find himself thinking, "I don't know what the hell he's talking about." After spending some time aboard he'll return and exclaim, "Ah-Ha! That's what he meant." This process of puzzlement and Gestalt will occur in repeated iterations.

My wife took a sailing class in 1984 and I glanced at this book when she wasn't using it...I STOLE it from her and read it religiously...It was so basic, yet so damn informative that it made a profound impact on me...THIS IS THE BOOK to give the beginner...I am sure that this book is what made me successful with boating for the last 15 years...I am recommending it to EVERYONE I know...I am a USCG licensed Master with sailing endorsement and have been a US Navy DIver since 1974...I have been on the water a long time and this book is A KEEPER!!!!!!!!!

This book is the best book I have seen on sailing. It has all the information you will ever need to know, and more. Anything you can think of, it's there. A must have for sailors.

I've never sailed, but bought this to understand what was going on in the rigging as I read Two Years Before the Mast, and have since found it an invaluable companion in reading such books as In the Heart of the Sea, The Loss of the Ship Essex, the Patrick O'Brian Aubrey/Maturin books and others. Much to my surprise, the book included diagrams of the Pilgrim in which Dana sailed and some of the other ships mentioned in Dana's book, and of the Essex as well. Many of the wide variety of sailing ships mentioned in O'Brian are also shown. Fascinating reference to deepen the understanding of this literature.

Only telepathy could have provided a faster & more pleasant experience.

Having spent six years in the United States Coast Guard, and being an able-bodied Merchant Marine, and now the owner of three sail boats, I have found this book to be invaluable & right on the money. What Chapmans & The Blue Jackets Manual don't cover Mr. Royce does with down to the second of arc accuracy. It is a thoughly enjoyable reference that no boat should venture into the water without.

When learning any new skill, the first order of business is learning the jargon or terminology. Sail boating is rich in traditional jargon, and helps the beginner to understand, not just the words but basic concepts and theory of sailing.Royce's Sailing Illustrated, Vol. 1: The Sailors Bible Since '56 is truely the Bible of sailing, teaching the jargon with wonderful illustrations that are easy to understand. Aboard Sail Holy Grail in Kona Hawaii, we use this as our beginning textbook. See www.konasail.com for more information.

I had the opportunity to sail Pink Cloud through Newport (CA) harbor with Pat Royce in 1978. He gave me a signed copy of his book which I will forever cherish; I started sailing International 14's a couple years later and had a chuckle when I looked to see Pat included the 14 in his book. A wonderfully illustrated and narrated book. Buy one for yourself and give as gifts to your friends who want to learn about sailing.

Great book - have the one from the 70's but just wanted an update and to give one away to a new sailor friend who is taking sailing courses.
Wooo hoooo!!

Great resource book to take out of the water with you, assuming you still have adequate eye-sight to locate a sailing vessel at several nautical miles.

This is a classic. It used to sit on the shelves of beach and lake houses everywhere, I think. It is fully of interesting information, some useful for sailing and some useful for bar bets (you can stump a LOT of people by asking about the difference between ketch and a yawl, and this is the book that will end the argument). Its a fun "browse."

The print is a bit small, and it is somewhat dated in its presentation. Its not meant to teach you to sail, but as a reference guide. I learn something or other every time I pick it up.

Dunno what happened to the copy I bought many years ago, however it was a delight to revisit Royce's book. Even after 35 years of sailing, I learn a few more tidbits of sailing thanks to this book. There is a lot of information to absorb so I find the book most enjoyable by reading maybe just one or two pages at a sitting, similar to eating fine chocolates, leaving some goodness for later. For the most part, the book is a fantastic reference. I found one annoyance and I cannot understand why the content of a book would be printed with a light blue colored text. I find the lightly colored text difficult to read, too little contrast. Also, I would rather have seen contemporary sailing expounded upon rather than digressing back to the tall ships, trivia, though some people might find this to be of interest. Still, a must book for all who enjoy sailing.

This is the book for beginning sailors. It covers the art of being on the water in a clear, complete and very interesting way. If you're interesting in more than just "going boating," this book is for you.