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I've read a lot of sailing books and this is one of my favorites. it is not the most technically detailed. It won't tell you how to use a sextant or rig your boat, but it has a frank perspective that no other sailing books give you. It's written in a great conversational manner and focuses on the most useful items that only experience can offer.
Bought this book as a beginning skipper with 2000 miles experience, and who always looking for something to get more knowledge. But this book is chaotic and EMPTY, author trashing around with advices for coastail sailing and ocean sailing, there is nothing useful for any sailor, except those who want put this book in WC library. Do not wast your money on this book.
If only. How many times have you wished that you had known about some part of sailing--before ending up in knots and tangles. With a great wit and clever technique, this book will inform, amaze, and have you chuckling all at the same time. A great addition to the libraries of old salts or sailing neophytes.
John Vigor writes abut sailing and sailors with great wit, compassion and understanding. His knowledge of sailing is deep and broad his language and style are a joy. The wisdom contained in this book extends beyond the realm of sailing lending insight into navigating the rigors of daily life. This is a wonderful, funny, readable book.Oded Kishony
This is not bad, but it is quirky. This is a strange book. The title is a bit odd too, as you might reasonably think it is information intended for beginning sailors or landlubbers thinking about sailing, and that's not at all right. Vigor has collected about 200 "observations" on sailing, each one a short item of a page or less in length. Each one is amusing, but it is not primarily a humorous book, although you might get that idea from the cover illustration.The information is sound and contains many useful tips about many aspects of sailing, but the book is also not really intended as a "serious" guidebook.It reads like a collection of short magazine articles that were written over a period of time, probably whilst actually cruising, and probably inspired by whatever he had been doing that day. It is the sort of information that would be most of interest or humorous to those who already have some sailing experience.I gave it 4 stars as there is nothing really wrong with the book, but it was not quite what I was expecting. Having read it I wouldn't read it a second time and I'll probably give it away or sell it second hand.
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