Start Sailing Right!: The National Standard for Quality Sailing Instruction (US Sailing Small Boat Certification)

• #4 in Best Sailing Books

13 Reviews

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If sailing is a new sport for you then this is a "must-have" book. I have reviewed several how-to-sail books/pamplets and this book is by far the best. The illustrations are excellent (the best I've seen) and plentiful. The book is also very comprehensive. If you are an experienced sailor and are looking for a book to improve your racing skills, then this is not the a book for you. The book also has videos that go along with the text.

I have been a sailor for 12 years, and I'm only 18 right now! This book is the standard for beginning sailors, endorsed and associated with the US Sailing Association. I started out with it when I was 6 yeasr old, and I still reference it today. One doesn't learn to sail per se, he becomes a sailor. The only way to do that is to have a sequential education and gain years of experience. Buy this book, find a competent instructor (who will probably insist you have this book) and give it a few years, and you WILL be a sailor.

This book was recommended by my YMCA sailing instructor. It has just about the right level of information for an introduction, and does not overwhelm the reader with subtle details that can only be appreciated with a certain amount of hands-on experience. The only reason I did not give it five stars was because it needs a wee bit more editing for wording and grammar, and it refers to some things that it does not fully explain, e.g., how one may determine wind direction within a few degrees.

I'm new to dinghy sailing and I just didn't have the time to take a sailing class. This book was just the right size and speed to get me going. You're not going to learn the history of sailing and you're not going to learn about rigging a twenty five foot sloop. Instead, it just focuses on the mechanics of dinghy sailing and also covers material that falls into FAQ type stuff like "How do I launch from a dock?" and "What's the best time to raise the mainsail?". The sketches are well done and they really go a long way towards helping make the text clear. I'd say this book teaches about as much as you'll need to know without ever having stepped in a boat.

I was obliged to buy this book for a sailing course I planned to take, and I found that I did like this book more than I expected. It's thorough and clear with many thoughtful and helpful illustrations. However, be sure you buy the video supplement that can accompany it. They did not come automatically with the second hand editions of the book I bought. I don't know if they come with the new one either, but they are referred to repeatedly throughout the book and they ARE important for technical aspects of sailing like tacking and jibing, and working with wind direction. Those will be the most challenging elements of sailing that must be practiced, and I don't think they are sufficiently clear with illustrative drawings for a novice like myself. The role and purpose of the videos/"tapes" are explained in the introduction. In closing, although this book is very good, it is intended to be accompanied by sailing lessons, and the book itself explicitly says it should not be used as a substitute for lessons. Not sure if tapes are available through Amazon but they are available through the US Sailing Association.

I am involved with a very active Girl Scout sailing program. For quite some time, the program has used this book as the textbook for the basic sailing class taught on Sunfish. Many, many girls use this text each year in our program.

In our program girls may enter the sailing program as early as 11 years old. The text may challenge some 11 year olds a bit, but girls only a year or two older seem to have no trouble with it at all.

I used the book myself when I took the same class offered for adults. I found the book worked for me too as an adult who had no prior sailing experience at all. The book is entirely suitable for programs aimed at either kids or adults.

In our program, the emphasis is on Sunfish sailing. Although the illustrations are for slightly larger boats, the illustrations are plentiful, well done and add to the usefulness of the book as a teaching text.

I am diving back into the book now, as I will soon be part of a team teaching a new group of Girl Scouts to sail. Great book, highly recommended.

The companion videos are also very useful, and we use them sprinkled throughout our classes.

start sailing right is a book that covers all the subjects pertaining to starting sail-loving adults and youngsters. Its educative as reading but lacks the video disks which would help a great deal in understanding more the mechanism of sailing.

This item arrived in a timely manner and in excellent condition with a reasonable price.

Amazon delivered this product on a timely fashion and in excellent shape. Thank you.

The book came as advertised or better and quickly, I would definately buy from this company again.

This was the text used in the sailing course I took 10 years ago. I wanted to get back into sailing this summer and this will serve as good refresher material.

I learned a lot from this book! There are helpful charts and pictures as well.

The US Red Cross and The US Sailing Association use this book as the newly revised mainstay of their program which is probably the most advanced in the world. I want to link this book to my "Learn to Sail" website, because it's the main book we use too. So where's the picture?

Peter Capotosto Commodore Taal Lake Yacht Club