Looking for a new adventure, Patricia Vellinga and her husband buy a boat-a big boat that turns out to be more a yacht kit than a yacht. Their simple plan is to cruise Europe and the Mediterranean for one year. Their journey, however, is far from routine. As Pat and Ray motor through the canals of Holland, Belgium, and France, then sail to Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Spain, they find beauty and danger, towering locks, salty characters, peaceful anchorages, treacherous winds-and even a forest fire. Forced at gunpoint to cast off into the raging Sane River, they struggle to safety. Even so, they get hooked on a cruising lifestyle that takes them well beyond their one-year plan. Sailing There, Cruising Across Europe and the Mediterranean is a rich and entertaining tale of a couple's lively voyage with the wind through ancient ports and history."

Quickly and easily master the sailing fundamentals you'll need to get out on the water.

Sailing Made Easy is the first step in a voyage that will last you the rest of your life. It is a gift from a group of dedicated sailing professionals who have committed their lives to sharing their art, their skill, and their passion for this wonderful activity. This book, which Sailing Magazine called "best in class" upon its release in 2010, is the most comprehensive education and boating safety learn-to-sail guide to date. It is also the official textbook for the ASA Basic Keelboat Standard (ASA 101). Incorporated in the textbook are useful illustrations and exceptional photographs of complex sailing concepts. The text’s most distinguishing feature is its user friendly "spreads" in which instructional topics are self-contained on opposing pages throughout the book. There are also chapter end quizzes and a glossary to help those new to sailing to navigate their way through the extensive nautical terminology.

The only sailing manual you will ever need, covering everything from sailing basics to making repairs and mastering navigation. The undisputed market leader in sailing guides, this fully revised and updated sailing manual, with a foreword by quadruple Olympic gold medallist Sir Ben Ainslie, answers questions about any sailing situation, with thorough coverage of all aspects of sailing and boat ownership. In DK's The Complete Sailing Manual, former British national champion Steve Sleight offers a wealth of expert advice and guidance in the form of a complete course on seamanship, which is brought to life with breathtaking action photography and clear instructions. Fully revised, this new edition features all of the latest developments in sailing--including foiling, long-distance cruising, and high-speed apparent-wind sailing--and navigation, with technology such as modern performance systems and electronic navigation. It also highlights the latest rules, regulations, and best practices necessary for every avid sailor, from the novice to the seasoned seaperson. Includes essential information, handy diagrams, and step-by-step illustrations, The Complete Sailing Manual is the ultimate sailing ebook to keep by your side when you're out on the waves.

For thousands of years, we have set out sailing for all kinds of reasons—for battle, for infinite wealth, for the excitement of exploring the unknown, and for escape from the mundane. We have always had a primal relationship with the sea—even those who have never been to sea remain fascinated by the seafaring life and tales of salty adventure. Now in a brand-new series collection, The Best Sailing Stories Ever Told brings together such diverse authors as Charles Dickens, Jack London, John Masefield, Stephen Crane, Herman Melville, and dozens more. Many of the writers featured here are instantly recognizable and have achieved deserved fame; others who are lesser known and rarely featured in print take their rightful place on the shelves of sailing literature. Lovers of the seascape will certainly get their fill with this shimmering sample of sea tales that range from the ancient epic and biblical stories to contemporary captains of literature. Whether you’re itching for a sailor’s peaceful life at sea, his epic conquest of the azure blue, or his own private descent into madness, this collection touches on the many aspects of life at sea. Each story is illustrated with black-and-white line art that makes this book a true classic. Even if you are enjoying The Best Sailing Stories Ever Told from the warm, dry comfort of your own living room, you are sure to be inspired by the colorful and stirring stories in this timeless collection.

Bob Bitchin has a unique perspective from which to describe The Sailing Life. As founder and editor of the highly successful magazine Latitudes & Attitudes, he surveys and comments on the good and the bad, the funny and the sad, the practical and the theoretical of the sailing scene. This collection of his editorials and other writings is full of useful advice, keen observations and, yes, some outrageous comments as only Bob can put them on paper. Readers of his bestseller, Letters from the LOST SOUL, will be delighted with this unique guide to the Sailing Life. Like Latitudes & Attitudes, Captain Bob is down to earth, irreverent, and always entertaining

This book explores the sociology of sailing and yachting. Drawing on original research, and employing a theoretical framework based on the work of Pierre Bourdieu, the book argues that sailing is, still, an upper-middle-class activity that has much to tell us about the wider sociology of leisure and sport. The book examines the historical foundations of blue-water sailing as established by naval and colonial shipping, to trace the roots of contemporary sailing and yachting culture. It also examines archives of sailing narratives and cruising guides, as well as the children’s books of Arthur Ransome, arguing that this archival material offers a social rather than a psychological interpretation of the ‘bodily investment’ in sailing. The book uses Bourdieu’s concepts of ‘illusio’ – an investment of time, emotion and body into a worthwhile activity – and ‘habitus’, or lifeworld, alongside contemporary data sets, to examine the yacht club as a social institution, including why many boats never go out on the water, the relationship between yacht clubs and the state, and social issues as manifested in yacht clubs, such as sexism, racism and homophobia. Offering a vigorous sociological critique of yachting and sailing, this book is fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in the sociology of leisure and sport, subcultures, social theory, or social issues in wider society.

Want to learn to sail in a small boat? This book will be the foundation of your sailing life forever. Featuring extraordinary images, and written by best-selling author Peter Isler, this book brings the sport of sailing alive. Peter believes that learning to sail a small boat is fundamentally the same regardless of what type of boat you are sailing and takes you through the ABCs of learning to sail using both catamarans and monohulls. Discover why the wind and its direction are the center of every sailor’s universe. Find out how to prepare yourself and your boat for some fun on the water. Learn how to drive, trim sails and crew in any small boat – on any point of sail.

Editor Ken Textor is a writer and sailing enthusiast.