Best Sailing Books

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BruceJ

New Member
I have been sailing a MacGregor 22 for the last few years and just recently purchased a Laser. I just joined the formum and have learned a lot about our great little boats. I like the more intimate feeling with the boat, the wind, and the water. I would also like to get into racing. What are the best books out there that focus on tactics, technique, etc. for sailing and racing a small dinghy?
 
I liked Dick Tillman's book "The complete Book of Laser Sailing"... I say I liked it because I left it on a plane... which is somewhat akin to dropping it into burnning lava... it's just gone...
 
Campaigning a Laser by Ben Ainsley (sp?) looks to be good from flipping through it, but I've yet to purchase it.
 
One of if not the best book for tactics and racing would have to be "Winning In One Design" By Dave Perry, i personally love this book and its great to just pick up every now and then and read up on a few subjects. it has everything from how to practice and prepare to the lee-bow affect.
 
Here's my top three:
1. Thoughts on Small Boat Racing (Stanley Ogilvy, sp? out of print?). This book is mostly about the mental side of racing, and it gave me a completely different outlook.
2. Advanced Racing Tactics (Stuart Walker, in it's 4th or 5th printing). Stuart Walker has been at the top end of international racing for decades, his most notable achievements being in the Star class. His books (he also has one on weather) are almost like college textbooks, but if you can decipher them, they're invaluble.
3. High Performance Sailing (Frank Bethwaite). Frank Bethwaite and his son Julian are essentially the designers of the famed "Auzzie 18" 18-foot skiff as we know it. His book doesn't have as much directly applicable material as the other two books mentioned, but the whole book, especially the section on the physics involved, ratios, etc., gives a background knowledge that more than makes up for it.
 
I have Ben Ainslie's 'Laser Campaign Manual'. It really helped me learn the techniques and has lots of pictures to show you if your not doing it right.
It also comes with a short dvd which has starting, reaching,running etc....
 
If performance following reading the book has anything to do with it I suppose Howard Stern's Private parts must be pretty good. Eric Faust read the thing while we were traveling to nationals a few years ago and he placed third that year. I don't know that he ever made the top ten other than that.
 
I like 'Helming To Win' by Ian Pinnell and Lawrie Smith. I think it more focuses on two-up sailing but it's got some great tactics and tips.
 
The Laser campaign manual by Ben Ainslie is a good read with lots of simply put, sound advice, although the CD that comes with it could be better (small. low res footage).

May be worth trying the book etailers, they often have secondhand copies or new stock at a good discount.
 
BruceJ said:
I have been sailing a MacGregor 22 for the last few years and just recently purchased a Laser. I just joined the formum and have learned a lot about our great little boats. I like the more intimate feeling with the boat, the wind, and the water. I would also like to get into racing. What are the best books out there that focus on tactics, technique, etc. for sailing and racing a small dinghy?
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Considering Bruce's background, Tillman's book seems most appropriate. Ainslie's book is a bit more advanced; geared towards those who have Laser experience and want to better their racing skills.
 
computeroman2 said:
3. High Performance Sailing (Frank Bethwaite). Frank Bethwaite and his son Julian are essentially the designers of the famed "Auzzie 18" 18-foot skiff as we know it. .
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IMHO the best book ever written on sailing is Eric Twiname's "Sail Race and Win" which is not just another book telling you what to do, but a book about how to do it. Many of us know what we should do, actually doing it is the hard part and this is the book that counts in learning that.

Whatever you get for tactics etc should be read alongside Twiname.

PS - Without wanting to be either pedantic, or harsh on Frank and Julian, they were NOT "essentially the designers of the famed "Aussie 18" 18-foot skiff as we know it. Most of the elements in the class were well and truly established by other people before they did their first designs, and they never won a major championship until new designs were banned and restrictions were changed (with good reason) that disadvantaged other designs.

They have done great work in rigs, 2 handers, fining up entries and reducing drag etc and both are great sailors and fine people, but they are merely two of a string of other designers or sailors including Brown, Murray, Lidgard, Court, Farr etc who created the modern 18.
 
Thank you everyone for the overwhelming reply. I hadn't expected quite that much. I am currently reading Dick Tillman's "Laser Sailing for the 1990's" and was wondering what a good book would be to follow that one. I now have a large list of "to read" books. I will start looking around for a few of them used online. Thanks again for the leads.
 
mmm, I found called "the complete introduction to laser racing" by Ben tan, I find it's great and covers alot of different things from fitness to tactics to boat rigging and sailing.... "so much content and all the important points are covered" Ben ainslies's quote on the back of the book. it's a bit old, no colour photos and old sail controls but there is still alot of good stuff
 
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