Learn to Sail

Rating:
Summary: A good book if you ignore the "bragging".
Review: I'm a sailor and recently purchased this book as a refernce for my wife who is just getting into the sport.

We've found the book an excellent "learn to sail" guide. The text is well thought out and the diagrams are good. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in learning to sail.

The drawback to the book is Dennis Connor's constant references to his own sailing victories (there's one every few pages). He even brags about the shamefull incident where he found that the only way he could win back the Americas Cup from the Kiwis was to use a catamaran and a courtroom.

This aside, this is still a book worth buying.

Rating:
Summary: good beginners book without a lot of sailing jargon
Review: If you are starting from the beginning, this is a good book. Sailing can be intimidating for the beginner because sailing jargon is almost a whole new language. Connor describes things in simple and understandable terms. It doesn't matter that almost all of the ropes on a boat are not called ropes. Connor clearly knows his business and effectively teaches in a very understandable way. I did not get to read his book until after I had already become a reasonably proficient sailor. I wish it had been available in the beginning

Rating:
Summary: Has everything for the beginning sailor.
Review: This text was great for the beginner. It teaches how to sail small boats in protected waters very well. It teaches how sailboats work in simple accurate terms. Topics such as: types of boats, types of rigs, parts of a boat, directions, types of sails, and sailing angles are covered. It teaches: how sailboats work, safety, hoisting sails, knots and sailing effectively at all angles to the wind. It teaches how to launch and put your boat away. I learned everything I needed to sail my small sailboat in protected waters with this book. Whenever I had some difficulties out on the water, I was able to refer to this book for accurate assistance. I feel that this is one of the best books for the beginning sailor.