Rating: 
Summary: This Book does not "Assume"! And you know what happens...
Review: Sailing is filled with intricacies of terms and techniques. The more knowledgeable I become of sailing, the more questions I seem to have. Wish I had found this book when I started sailing. Now, as a sailor of some experience, I find this book re-teaching me the basics in a way that answers more questions than it creates. Other books leave out explanation of terms and/or subjects and otherwise assume reader knowledge. This book covers sailing in a way that is thorough yet concise. The drawings and diagrams are extremely successful in deploying the author's subject. The information is complete without being textbook. It is enjoyable. If I had to rebuild my sailing library today, this would be the first but on the self!
Rating: 
Summary: A learn-to-sail book with heart.
Review: There is a small host of learn-to-sail books available today, and most of them are good, but most take a utilitarian, launch-'er-and-drive-'er, insert-tab A-in-slot B approach to sailing. They'll get you sailing, but without any real understanding of why things are done as they are or any appreciation of how sailing has developed and where it can take you. The Complete Sailor will teach you not only how to sail, but how to be a sailor. It treats sailing as a pursuit for a lifetime, not a casual watersport. It also goes further than other learn-to-sail books, covering boat design, navigation, anchoring, reading the weather, ropework, and other intermediate to advanced topics with the help of hundreds of pen-and-ink illustrations. WoodenBoat Magazine called it "A learn-to-sail book with heart," Cruising World Magazine said it is "Quite simply a great primer on sailing and the world of boats for readers of all ages," and The Herald, of Everett, Washington, said that its "explanation of wind and sailing is a work of art."
Rating: 
Summary: For beginners
Review: This book covers a wide area in sailing. Some things aren't relevent to the learning to sail. The author tried to fill the pages with words. I was unable to pick up much valuable knowledge from the book. This book is only suitable for beginners or people who want to know a little about sailing.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific intro
Review: This is it, your basic instructions for small boat sailing. It covers what you need to know for your first crewing, training course, or rental boat. Written with straight talk and without condescension, this slim book is suitable for all ages of beginning sailor. Opening with a photo of a complicated sail rig, by the end of this short sweet book you will know the function of every line visible (only practice will train you how to USE them). Chapters are organized in practical order, from preparation and unmooring, through sailing against and before the wind, to mooring or anchoring again, just like your first voyage. Although the beginner will want to keep this booklet handy, it is far too large to be carried aboard in a pocket. George is very good at gently telling you how to avoid doing something stupid, cracking your skull, or capsizing. He is particularly adamant that sailing with wind astern--what seems easiest of all--carries great danger in boats, due to the potential for accidental jibing, or disastrous boom-swing, if you don't pay minute attention to the wind. If you are a lubber who only knows the difference between starboard and port as fixed directions, pay close attention to the opposite sense when tacking, for this controls rights of way (and "road rage") on the water. What George says in the chapter about sailing and sail trim is of special interest for model sailboaters, who have much less control and timely adjustment available. Numerous well chosen b/w illustrations are provided, although several photos are too dark to see the detail to which attention is drawn. The book concludes with useful sections on law, equipment, reading the wind, and a glossary of terms. You will soon want to learn more knots, rules of right away, racing tactics, or larger boats than covered here, although George includes only one suggestion for further study.
Rating: 
Summary: Basic Sailing by M. B. George
Review: We operate a sailing school (Women In The Wind) here in Minnesota. Because of how this book is written, for the past two years we've selected it to be included in a packet of information we present to our students. Our classes are taught "hands on". That is that the studnets learn by doing. Therefore we don't use a "text book" as such. We do, however, encourage our students to read The Complete Sailor, at their leisure; to use it to refresh their memories of what they experienced and learned; but most of all, to ensure their view of sailing remains always challenging, and always positive. It's as if this book were written for us. Perhaps it was.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent, well thought out book.
Review: We operate a sailing school (Women In The Wind) here in Minnesota. Because of how this book is written, for the past two years we've selected it to be included in a packet of information we present to our students. Our classes are taught "hands on". That is that the studnets learn by doing. Therefore we don't use a "text book" as such. We do, however, encourage our students to read The Complete Sailor, at their leisure; to use it to refresh their memories of what they experienced and learned; but most of all, to ensure their view of sailing remains always challenging, and always positive. It's as if this book were written for us. Perhaps it was.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Introduction to Sailing
Review: With superb illustrations and minimal text, this superb primer is the basic text for our sailing school (Orca Sailing). We emphasize key concepts, and this book is perfectly aligned with that intention. There are a few historical sections and small boat pages we ignore in our larger boat cruising classes, but after 10 years of reading everything about sailing (and often feeling disappointed), this is the one!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Introduction to Sailing
Review: With superb illustrations and minimal text, this superb primer is the basic text for our sailing school (Orca Sailing). We emphasize key concepts, and this book is perfectly aligned with that intention. There are a few historical sections and small boat pages we ignore in our larger boat cruising classes, but after 10 years of reading everything about sailing (and often feeling disappointed), this is the one!
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