Katy Stickland chooses her pick of the latest sailing books that will keep sailors entertained
Sailing books: best new releases to read
Sailing books are an ideal gift for the sailor in your life. I read dozens of sailing books every year, but these are the ones that stood out.
Here is my list of the best books for sailors to read. I hope you enjoy them!
Finding My Sea Legs by Craig Wood and Amy Willis
Few of us could imagine rebuilding our lives, but add in trauma from war and life-changing injuries which required four years of operations and rehabilitation, and many might think the first part of Craig Wood’s memoir would be a tough read; it is in parts, but he has a gift for turning the bleakest outlooks into positives, and this optimism comes through in waves throughout the book.
Sailing, and those he meets along the way, become his means of recovery.
He aims for the Paralympic Games, but when sailing is dropped from the games after years of training and campaigning, he decides to sail around the world, refitting his 38ft Colvic Victor himself.
On his voyage, Craig learns much about boat handling and seamanship, as well as how to skipper and build a crew; his mistakes are candidly told, and his triumphs leave you with a smile on your face.
This is an inspirational and, at times, humorous and thoroughly recommended memoir.
Buy Finding My Sea Legs at Amazon
Buy Finding My Sea Legs at Waterstones
Buy Finding My Sea Legs at TG Jones
Scapa Ferry by Anthony Bridges
Wartime leads people to carry out extraordinary acts of courage and often their stories remain untold, which is why reading any books from Golden Duck’s Yachtsman Volunteers Collection leaves you with a sense of awe at the depths people will go to serve their country.
Scapa Ferry rightly deserves its place in this collection, shining a spotlight on the war work of Anthony Bridges and Margaret Townsend.
Unable to serve due to an injury and gender, Anthony and Margaret instead do their bit by playing a pivotal role in helping to reestablish the naval base on Scapa Flow during World War II, ferrying explosives from mainland Scotland to Orkney aboard the 40ft pilot cutter, Mermaid, a Belgian steel trawler, Briarbank, and the Fife, Harvester.
Anthony Bridge is a gifted writer, and there are some wonderful descriptions of transiting Pentland Firth, as well as rich descriptions of the people they met, and poignant reflections on the war.
But it is their humility about the work they did that long remains with you after reading the final page, and of the nerve of those who put their lives at risk to do the right thing.
Buy Scapa Ferry at Waterstones
Reeds PBO Small Craft Almanac 2026 by Perrin Towler & Simon Jolland
Practical, handy and laid out in an easy-to-use format, this is the essential navigational guide to the UK and Ireland and the coastline of northern Europe from the Gironde in south-western France to Denmark.
This 400-page almanac has been thoroughly updated by Perrin Towler and Simon Jolland, and is divided into sections: navigation, weather, communications, safety and tides, along with a full-colour guide to flags, lights, channel markers, contact details for the local emergency services, marinas and harbour authorities; there is also a comprehensive section on first aid, too.
Some might wonder why an alamanc remains important in these days of electronic navigation and reliance on chartplotters and multifunction displays (MFDs).
As always, you need a backup when you sail, and few sources bring together all of the information you need in such a concise and useful way. It thoroughly deserves its place on your boat’s bookshelf.
Buy Reeds PBO Small Craft Almanac 2026 at Amazon
Buy Reeds PBO Small Craft Almanac 2026 at Waterstones
Zoonie Sails Home by Barbara White
Boats have a way of weaving their way into your soul, and Barbara White’s 40ft Oyster, Zoonie is no different, having faithfully carried her and husband, Rob half way around the world to New Zealand.
White’s first book, A Tale of Two Yachts, covered this voyage, and Zoonie Sails Home opens with their beloved yacht sinking north of Auckland during Cyclone Debbie.
The couple spend months making Zoonie seaworthy again before leaving to sail home to Falmouth, but it is not without difficulties, with ill health and forced stays on land due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
White has a real gift of observation and weaves this into her narrative, sharing stories and the history of the places she visits and giving a real sense of the people who live there.
If you have ever had a wish to sail to far-flung places but haven’t been able to do so, this book will go some way towards slaking your thirst for adventure…or maybe make you dream harder.
Buy Zoonie Sail Home at Amazon
Buy Zoonie Sail Home at Waterstones
Buy Zoonie Sail Home at Barnes & Noble
Skipper’s Pocketbook (4th edition) by Sara Hopkinson and Basic Mosenthal
This is a handy aide-memoire to have on board your boat or in your jacket pocket, but should not be considered a beginner sailor’s guide, as it simply covers the essentials and acts as a nudge for those moments when you might need a quick reminder.
It is divided into eight parts covering preparing for sea, safety equipment and procedures, navigation and pilotage, collision regulations, meteorology, flags, seamanship, maintenance and troubleshooting (covering the hull and engine) and skippering.
I particularly liked the checklist for preparing to go to sea, tools and spares, laying up and fitting out, when it is possible to forget that vital piece of kit or step in the heat of the moment.
The engine troubleshooting section clearly explains the problem and the solution. The book’s text is complemented by clear colour illustrations which add much.
This would be ideal for those planning to complete their RYA Day Skipper or Yachtmaster, and a good investment given it costs less than £10.
Buy The Skipper’s Pocketbook at Amazon
Buy The Skipper’s Pocketbook at TG Jones
Buy The Skipper’s Pocketbook at Waterstones
The Tuesday Boys by Rozelle Raynes
If you don’t remember your first sail, then reading The Tuesday Boys will bring all those emotions and feelings flooding back; every word conveys the thrill of first stepping on board a boat.
It is an uplifting read as you follow Lady Rozelle Raynes as she teaches seamanship, boat handling and navigation aboard her Folkboat Martha McGilda, to eight boys from a Forest Gate care home.
Their two worlds could not be more different, but as you turn the pages, you see the real difference sailing is making to the lives of children whose parents have abandoned them.
But, it is not all smooth sailing, and Raynes is refreshingly honest about the difficulties in looking after, at times, challenging children, but she perseveres, providing the boys with opportunities to cross the Channel, visit new places and develop maritime careers.
The changes she brings to their lives warm the heart and highlight how sailing really can transform lives.
This Golden Duck edition of The Tuesday Boys also has additional chapters about where some of the boys are now and the fate of Martha McGilda.
Buy The Tuesday Boys at Amazon
Buy The Tuesday Boys at TG Jones
Buy The Tuesday Boys at Waterstones
Hurricane Force by Tom Cunliffe
For those, like me, who love nautical thrillers penned by the likes of Sam Llewellyn and Bernard Cornwell, Tom Cunliffe’s new book will feel like returning to your favourite port.
The narrative follows a familiar wake – hero skipper (an ex-merchant seaman) washes up on a Caribbean island and is drawn into the seamier side of island life before being faced with a dangerous moral dilemma.
The opening chapter immediately draws you in, with plenty of drama and absorbing descriptions of seamanship.
Tom’s storytelling is well-known in yachting circles, and the pace deftly propels the narrative forward, but it is the final third of the book that really shone for me, leaving me turning page after page and staying up late into the night, absorbing every word to find out if the hero would sail off into the sunset or not.
A romping good sea thriller.
From the Devil to the Deep Blue Sea by Clare Allcard
Harper Lee famously wrote that if you want to know someone, you should climb into their skin and walk around in it.
Reading Clare Allcard’s deeply personal account of her early life feels like that, giving real insight into this gifted writer and sailor.
This memoir is not an easy read, covering her rape in London while she was a 19-year-old student nurse, how she buried the memory to such an extent that she hid it from herself and her subsequent suicide attempts before non-consensual treatment in mental hospitals.
But as Clare herself notes, speaking openly about such taboos puts the blame where it should lie – with the perpetrator.
The honesty of the raw prose is moving and brave, but this is a book that is also full of hope.
After reading about Edward Allcard’s solo circumnavigation around the world, Clare realises that sailing could offer the personal freedom she needs. She takes a chance and writes to the yachtsman, asking to sail with him. He replies, they become friends and just weeks later, the couple are driving a Land Rover from the UK to Singapore.
Life aboard Sea Wanderer with their daughter, Katy, follows; sailing and life with Edward allow Clare to “give life a chance”. Truly uplifting. Five stars.
Buy From the Devil to the Deep Blue Sea at Amazon
Buy From the Devil to the Deep Blue Sea at Waterstones
Buy From the Devil to the Deep Blue Sea at TG Jones
Understanding Boat Plumbing and Water Systems (2nd edition) by John C Payne
Many sailors do not give the plumbing on their boat a second thought until something goes wrong.
This second edition of John Payne’s easy-to-understand guide to boat plumbing is essential onboard reading, especially for those who have not delved into the intricacies of these systems before.
The book covers fresh and salt water systems, hot water systems, galley plumbing, watermakers, bilge pumps, shower (grey) water systems, sewage (black water) systems and marine sanitation devices.
This volume is part of the US’s Sheridan House guides to boat maintenance, but is equally applicable to boat owners in the UK and Europe.
The illustrations help unravel the complexities of each of these systems, and each chapter is written in bite-sized chunks, which greatly aids understanding for the novice.
Each chapter has a troubleshooting section, which I have personally bookmarked for future use, as each one covers most eventualities and is a useful starting point if something goes wrong onboard.
Buy Understanding Boat Plumbing and Water Systems at Amazon
Buy Understanding Boat Plumbing and Water Systems at Waterstones
Buy Understanding Boat Plumbing and Water Systems at TG Jones
Passage from Goodbye by Adrienne Howley
Relationships at sea can often be complex; after all, there are not many people who can live harmoniously together in a 36-foot-long space for extended periods, battling the elements.
Australian sailor Adrienne Howley is one of them, although even she was the first to admit that her relationship with Harry Gilbert sometimes defied logic.
He owned the 36ft Colin Archer-inspired gaff-rigged cutter, Kelasa, the “beautiful pea-green boat” that she fell in love with while recuperating from surgery in Sydney.
Her motivation for signing on as first mate came after being told she did not have long to live. Kelasa slipped lines in 1968, and what followed was a four-and-a-half-year adventure sailing through the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans.
Adrienne kept journals throughout this time, and the book is a compilation of these entries edited by her son, David Matzenik and friend, Graham Cox.
It is a fascinating record of an era of offshore sailing with little technology, and a sailing partnership pushed to breaking point. A compelling read.
Buy Passage from Goodbye at Amazon
Sailing the Shallows by Roger Barnes
This is a real gem; Roger Barnes’ love letter to small boat coastal cruising, packed full of his own voyages up creeks and into forgotten harbours, along with so many handy practical and seamanship tips for sailing dinghies.
The hand-drawn illustrations and charts really add to the book’s folksy charm, and I was lost in its pages for hours.
Roger writes beautifully, really drawing you into every adventure in the UK, France and Venice, whether it is with his wife, Helen, with friend Richard or on Dinghy Cruising Association rallies.
His passion for dinghy cruising is in every word and cements the ethos that this uncomplicated way of sailing has so much to offer and is accessible to nearly everyone.
Once you pick this book up, you won’t want to put it down, and you will return to these pages again and again. Five stars.
Buy Sailing the Shallows at Amazon
Buy Sailing the Shallows at Waterstones
The Boat Life Manual by Nick Fabbri and Terysa Vanderloo
If you are planning or have ever dreamed about becoming a permanent liveaboard and running away to sea, then The Boat Life Manual makes an excellent starting point.
For over eight years, Nick Fabbri and Terysa Vanderloo, who run the successful Sailing Ruby Rose brand, have been sailing the world’s oceans, and this book distils all of their hard-won knowledge earned by every mile sailed and every broken piece of gear fixed.
Chapters range from how to choose and buy the boat, financing and matching these two things with your cruising plans, to the gear you need for fitting out the boat for cruising, passage planning, safety, boat and engine maintenance (there is a good maintenance schedule), power management and the reality and joys of living permanently on board (less is more).
This is a great read, inspirational as well as practical, and it will help you realise your liveaboard dream.
Buy The Boat Life Manual at Amazon
Buy The Boat Life Manual at Google Play
Solent Cruising Companion (4th edition) by Derek Aslett
Stretching around 30 miles from Hurst Point to Chichester Harbour, the Solent is one of the (if not the) busiest cruising grounds in the UK, and this is your essential companion for getting the most out of your cruise here.
This long-overdue update is well thought out with detailed pilotage information, over 100 new photographs and 40 updated charts.
I really liked the QR code printed at the start of each harbour or marina section, which links you directly to the relevant harbour or marina website; a very useful addition to this guide.
There are also details of nearby places of interest, facilities ashore, where to eat out and transport links for those who want to explore further inland.
The chapters covering the history of the Solent and Racing help put all that you see into context and will add to your experience.
Buy Solent Cruising Companion (2nd edition) from Amazon
Buy Solent Cruising Companion (2nd edition) from Waterstones
The Great Museum of the Sea by James P. Delgado
Shipwrecks have always fascinated, and sailors, most especially given our intimate relationship with the sea, but their watery graves give an insight into the lives of those who commanded and crewed these vessels, and often, more importantly, safety and seamanship lessons.
James Delgado does not just look at the wrecks with cold, clinical analysis; this is a more personal journey – his 50+ year adventure with shipwrecks, from the Titanic to the Clotilda, the stories of these wrecks, and why they remain important for all manner of reasons, and are not just sites of historic interest.
Delago also examines the impact of technology, which provides instant public access to these wreck sites (who can forget the media coverage of the discovery of HMS Endeavour), fuelling curiosity as well as questions about what happened.
A truly fascinating book about the human history of shipwrecks. I would thoroughly recommend.
Buy The Great Museum of the Sea from Amazon
Buy The Great Museum of the Sea from Waterstones
Cruising Guide to The Netherlands & Belgium by Kieran Flatt & Hilary Keatinge
This first edition of the Cruising Guide to The Netherlands & Belgium has long been missing from the range of pilotage books published by Imray and the Royal Cruising Club Pilotage Foundation, especially by English-speaking sailors who struggle with the Dutch-only information available online, but the wait has been worth it.
These waterways can be daunting for many a hapless sailor, but Kieran Flatt and Hilary Keatinge cut through the noise and present the clear, concise information you need to safely and confidently navigate through this rewarding cruising ground.
The full colour detailed chartlets, signs and light information for bridges and international waterway signals, along with the practical information at the front of the guide, provide an excellent overview; the book is then divided into the key North Sea and Inland ports of Belgium and the nine areas of the Netherlands, which makes you realise just how vast this cruising area is.
With this new guide, you can be sure you won’t miss all it has to offer.
Buy Cruising Guide to The Netherlands & Belgium at Amazon
Buy Cruising Guide to The Netherlands & Belgium at Waterstones
Astro Navigation from Home (2nd edition) by Andy Johnson
This is a novel book; it allows you to learn celestial navigation without needing to leave the comfort of your home, by using planetarium apps rather than a sextant, writes Gilbert Park.
This makes not only planning and doing the sights easier, but it also means that the calculations can be done at a table or desk.
Once you’ve learnt the basics, then you will be able to venture out at dusk and dawn to take real sights.
I was fortunate to review the first edition of this book in 2022. Since then, it has been improved, with some parts of the text made clearer and worked examples from 2025.
The supporting website has all the information needed for you to do the exercises in the book and for real-time navigation with a sextant.
At a cost of £10 (or three cups of coffee in a cafe), it’s a bargain – highly recommended.
Harbours and Their Masters by Mark Ashley-Miller
This is a very engaging and entertaining read about the lives of the people who run the harbours in Britain and Ireland, as well as the history of each area, intercut with local stories.
The narrative follows Mark’s five-year voyage aboard his Nauticat 331, Good Dog, around the UK and Ireland, starting in Western England, Wales and the Isle of Man, then Scotland, Eastern and Southern England and the Channel Islands, and finally Ireland.
Each section provides an overview of the area, examining the influences (mostly connected to the local industry) which have shaped each harbour, as well as highlights of Mark’s passage, before a focus on individual harbours and harbour masters.
The snapshots at the end, packed with quirky facts about the places and people, are not to be skipped!.
This is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the UK and Ireland’s maritime heritage or who sails the British or Irish coastlines.
Your voyage will be enriched after reading Mark’s book.
Buy Harbours and Their Masters at Amazon
Buy Harbours and Their Masters at Waterstones
Reeds Crew Handbook by Bill Johnson
The second edition of this handy pocket-sized handbook is a well-thought-out resource for those new to sailing, sailors who just want to brush up on their skills or for explaining different techniques to crew.
I particularly like the step-by-step instructions, as they are clearly explained; many of them have useful colour illustrations too; there are also tips based on hard-won seamanship.
The topics cover most of the main crew jobs, such as rope handling and tying knots, sail handling, berthing, mooring, rafting and anchoring, as well as emergency procedures such as man overboard, which is succinctly explained.
New to this edition are chapters on how to use a spinnaker or cruising chute, developing your skippering skills and advanced sail trimming and racing techniques, which will provide valuable information for those looking to take their sailing to the next level.
Each chapter will help build your confidence and that of your crew.
Buy Reeds Crew Handbook at Amazon
Buy Reeds Crew Handbook at Waterstones
Buy Reed Crew Handbook at Google Play
Rope by Tim Queeney
Without rope, we couldn’t sail.
But rope has made much more of a contribution to human development than just allowing us to control sails.
Tim Queeney’s new book looks at how rope has been essential to human civilisation and social progress, from Neanderthal man tying spear heads to sticks and Egyptian boatbuilders lashing boats, to Columbus’ crew pulling lines on their voyage to the Americas, and the parachuting and safe landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars.
This book is extremely well researched; experts include a parachute designer, a caver, a rodeo cowboy, a bosun, a lobster fisherman and even the president of the USA’s National Double Dutch League.
Queeney is gifted at bringing this information and history together, and I found it hard to put Rope down at times. Highly recommended.
UK and Ireland Circumanvigator’s Guide by Sam Steele
If you plan to sail or motor around the UK and Ireland, this excellent and well-written guide should be your constant companion and go-to resource.
Sam Steele wrote the original book, having been disappointed with the lack of information available when she did the voyage in her Rustler 42.
Now in its third edition, it covers every practical aspect of undertaking a circumnavigation from route planning, provisioning, costs and engine maintenance to hazards, safety and – new to this edition – how to complete the adventure in the greenest way possible.
To help maximise your voyage, there are also comprehensive ‘ten of the best’ lists covering challenging tidal races, and iconic lighthouses to castle anchorages and wildlife encounters, all packed to the gunwales with stunning colour photography.
The appendices are also invaluable, sharing details on marinas, fuel, pilot books, sailing directions and further books and websites.
Buy UK and Ireland Circumanvigator’s Guide at Amazon
Buy UK and Ireland Circumnavigator’s Guide at Waterstones
The Last Voyage of Asteria by Tapio Lehtinen and Paul Trammell
Tapio Lehtinen’s absorbing, at times poetic and philosophical, narrative connects with the reader immediately, so you feel that you are on the boat with him during his 2022 Golden Globe Race journey.
Whilst many readers might want to skip immediately to learn more about the sinking of Asteria, Tapio’s subsequent rescue and the exceptionally informative lessons learned and conclusions about why the Gaia 36 sank, as welll as details about Asteria’s design, it is worth taking your time and enjoying every morsel the book has to offer.
Lehtinen is honest about the daily trials of a round-the-world yacht race with no modern equipment, especially his near miss close to the cliffs off Fuerteventura, and there is much for the sailor to glean from his wisdom on sail handling and seamanship, as well as the bonus chapter on celestial navigation.
His happiness at being at sea and the wildlife encounters he experiences are uplifting.
An absolute page-turner which holds you to the very end.
Buy The Last Voyage of Asteria at Amazon
West Country Cruising Companion by Mark Fishwick
If you have sailed the West Country in the last 30-plus years, the chances are you would have reached for Mark Fishwick’s words of wisdom for passage planning and for making the most of your cruise.
Having spent a lifetime sailing the waters from Portland Bill to Padstow and the Isles of Scilly, there are few sailors with the in-depth knowledge that he has, and this is reflected in the detailed pilotage and cruising information.
Following Mark’s retirement, this new 10th edition has been fully updated by Topsham-based sailor Kate Brodie, but still contains Fishwick’s comprehensive insights, with excellent colour charts, clear, useful photos to help with the pilotage of harbours and anchorages, and comprehensive port information.
New for this edition is the introduction of very useful QR codes, which you can scan for the main harbour and marina websites in the region.
A valuable resource to have onboard, whether you are visiting or based in the south west.
Buy West Country Cruising Companion at Amazon
Buy West Country Cruising Companion at Waterstones
The Knot Bible by Nic Compton
I have a confession to make: when I started sailing, I always struggled to remember knots and which ones were the best to use for a specific task on board.
I only wish Nic Compton’s The Knot Bible had been around then, as it is perfect for new sailors, with clear explanations about terminology, types of ropes, tools, rope care, plus a comprehensive list of the best knots for the job, like tying an anchor snubber or joining two mooring lines.
This second edition is packed with full colour photos and clear, easy-to-follow diagrams and instructions to ensure you get it right first time.
It also covers lashings, coils, whippings, seizings and splices with the same attention to detail, as well as decorative knots for those who want to explore further. There is also new material on splicing double braid rope.
This is one of the most comprehensive guides available, and I would recommend it to any beginner sailor or seasoned seafarer.
Buy The Knot Bible at Waterstones
The Untold Voyage by Roger D. Taylor
A new book by Roger D. Taylor is always a treat, partly because his writing is sublime, engaging, and so realistic. The Untold Voyage did not disappoint.
This latest in the canon is unlike his other accounts of Arctic voyaging; the whole book focuses on a single incident which overshadows and defines this particular voyage, and resulted in him throwing his logbooks overboard, and even rubbing out any trace of his route on his charts.
This incident is the discovery of an unconscious woman adrift in a Russian liferaft after crossing 78° north, and his subsequent attempts to get her to medical aid.
The narrative is sensitive, at times fearless, and deeply moving; your emotions lurch and are tossed like his boat Mingming on the storm-swept Greenland Sea.
The bleakness of Taylor’s and Larochka’s situation and the difficult decisions he has to make mean you want to look away, but you can’t; the writing draws you in further as the voyage stretches the bounds of credulity.
His analysis of his actions reflects the trauma of the voyage, his writing a way of purging himself of the horror, but also to lay to bed old ghosts.
A compelling read; I couldn’t put it down until I knew the ending.
Buy The Untold Voyage at Amazon
Stars to Steer By: Celebrating the 20th century women who went to sea by Julia Jones
Stars to Steer By is a long overdue celebration of the spirit of women’s independence through sailing, shining a spotlight on achievements which, all too often, have been wiped from the sailing record; it advocates what all women sailors want – normalisation and a sense of fairness on the water.
Julia’s writing brings each of her subjects vividly to life, giving a voice to many pioneers whose success and trailblazing have been overshadowed by the achievements of men, just on the basis of gender. This book is the start of the correction of the record.
All of those featured had to fight against convention – and, at times, even the law – to achieve what they loved.
The barriers facing them included exclusion from yacht clubs and, subsequently, the training and facilities open to their male counterparts, intimate examinations after stowing away on boats, their race wins never recorded (instead the winner was recorded as the male owner of the boat) and accusations of being a bad mother for taking their children to sea or leaving them behind.
Male sailors are never subjected to these things.
While it is tempting to think these barriers are in the past tense – and strides have been made – parity in sailing has still not been achieved.
This book is a must read; every page uncovers the life of another woman who defied the odds, and you are richer for learning about them.
Buy Stars to Steer by at Amazon
Buy Stars to Steer by at Waterstones
Buy Stars to Steer by at Google Play
Marine Electrical and Electronics Bible (4th edition)
Boat electrics can be disconcerting, especially if you are a new boat owner trying to make sense of all those wires, switches, fuses etc.
John C Payne’s Marine Electrical and Electronics Bible is a practical guide which has been the go-to book for cruising sailors for decades, given it is concise and so easy to follow, and covers every aspect of a boat’s electrical and electronics system, from choosing the right system, installation, maintenance and troubleshooting, illustrated with clear and concise charts, graphs and wiring diagrams.
While most of us might not attempt the rewiring of our boat, problems can occur offshore, where we have no option but to roll up our sleeves, diagnose the problem and fix it; it is this part of the book which is most valuable, especially the troubleshooting tables.
This fourth edition has been updated to cover the growing use of lithium batteries and renewable energy on board, new developments in AIS, GMDSS and radar as well as new chapters on marine diesel engines and mobile phone boating apps and electric propulsion (including inboard and outboard engines), although this latter chapter does not have troubleshooting, which would have been useful.
Do not set sail without it.
Buy Marine Electrical and Electronics Bible from Amazon
Splicing Modern Ropes: A Practical Handbook
Splicing should be in every sailor’s armoury, given that it makes strong and smooth connections in rope, can be adapted to meet your needs on board and is more reliable than tying a knot.
This updated second edition of Jan-Willem Polman’s book is aimed at the beginner and the experienced splicer, and is split into two parts – the first looks at the materials you need, including the types of rope, which is best for different uses onboard, how to calculate breaking loads, and splicing tools and techniques such as tapering and how to remove the rope’s core from the cover.
The second half of the book breaks down each splice step-by-step, from an eye splice in double braid rope and Dyneema, to splicing in an extra cover to help prevent chafe and splicing in an extra core to reduce rope slippage in a clutch.
There are also chapters on whipping, continuous loops, Dyneema shackles and reeving of new halyards.
Each splice is fully illustrated with easy-to-follow colour photographs and clear instructions.
Buy Splicing Modern Ropes from Amazon
Navigation: A Newcomer’s Guide (4th edition)
When you start to sail, learning to navigate can be daunting.
RYA Yachtmaster examiner Sara Hopkinson cuts through the jargon and delivers an easy-to-digest guide with plenty of diagrams and photos to help cement the basics – from using tidal heights and determining a course to steer, to taking a fix and plotting a position from a waypoint.
In these days of chartplotters and electronic charts, some might dismiss the need for such a guide and, in doing so, fail to understand that there is no substitute for learning navigation which is vital for safe seamanship.
This 4th edition of the best-selling book has been updated to reflect changes in Admiralty charts.
It really deserves a place on your boat’s bookshelf, whether you are new to sailing, preparing for your Day Skipper exam or just need to brush up if you haven’t been sailing for a while.
Buy Navigation: A Newcomer’s Guide at Amazon
In My Element by Pip Hare
Pip Hare’s journey to compete in the 2020 Vendée Globe and her determination to race solo around the world, despite the odds being stacked against her, is a compelling and uplifting read (anyone who has ever seen Hare’s race videos will know what to expect).
Her brutal honesty about the mistakes she makes and the lessons learned, as well as how she manages the mental and physical grind of the race is refreshing, and a reminder to us all that we never stop learning.
The narrative is intercut with extracts from Hare’s race blog, giving a real insight into the hurdles she had to overcome to become the 79th sailor and 8th woman to finish the race.
As her IMOCA 60 was 21 years old and had no foils (unlike many of her competitors), Hare was on a rolling boat maintenance programme throughout the race to keep the IMOCA 60 racing.
Her background as a liveaboard cruiser and years of experience running low-budget race programmes meant she managed this endless maintenance cycle (actual sailing was left to the autopilot most of the time).
This story of courage and grit is inspiring, whether you are a sailor or not, and it will leave you grinning and punching the air when Hare crosses the finish line.
Buy In My Element at Waterstones
Buy In My Element at Google Play
Last Days of the Slocum Era, Volumes One and Two by Graham L Cox
For anyone like me who loves “simple” sailing, volumes one and two of the Last Days of the Slocum Era will not disappoint.
Part memoir, part sailing history, it covers Graham L Cox’s lifelong love affair with sailing which began when he was a teenager on Durban’s International Jetty in South Africa, and the influence of the eclectic famous and not-so-famous characters he meets along the way including ocean voyagers like Dr David Lewis, Rod and Di Beech, Robin Lee Graham and Keith Kibler.
Through these encounters, his dream to build a small, seaworthy yacht to cruise the world’s oceans was firmly cemented.
Cox moves to Australia where he re-meets David Lewis, and helps him prepare Ice Bird ahead of the steel yacht’s groundbreaking voyage to Antarctica.
Cox continues on his search to find a true ocean voyaging boat, while crewing and helping to deliver yachts, including Ice Bird, and meeting more voyaging characters.
Eventually, he refits the 22ft Mushark, and at the age of 42, sets off on his first extended solo cruise.
But he still hankers after the perfect boat, preferably junk-rigged and ten years later, he buys the steel-hulled Bermudan-rigged Tom Thumb 24, Arion.
Finally, he has found the sailing life he has craved and the writing is joyous and reflective.
He converts Arion to a junk rig, delighting in the ease of handling: he has found his authentic sailing life; his authentic self.
These two volumes are destined to become classics and richly deserve a place on every sailor’s bookcase. Highly recommended.
Buy Last Days of the Slocum Era Vol 1 and 2 at Amazon
The Last Sea Dog by Jean-Luc Van Den Heede
Based around his 2018-2019 Golden Globe Race (GGR) campaign, this English translation of Jean-Luc Van Den Heede’s autobiography delves into the French sailor’s life, his early days working as a teacher, cruising with his family and racing in regattas to the start of his single-handed racing career from the Mini Transat to the Vendée Globe, and his win in the GGR at the age of 73 (his first win in a round the world yacht race).
It is an honest, very readable and absorbing account (I struggled to put it down, inhaling the words from the page!), particularly the details of his Golden Globe Race (full disclosure: I covered both the 2018 and 2022 GGR for Yachting Monthly): his preparations (Van Den Heede timed the lifespan of a gas bottle so he would bring enough bottles to always eat hot food) and the details of the voyage; how he constantly fine-tuned his Rustler 36 to ensure he could keep his lead, the pitchpole which almost cost him the race and, his loneliness at being not able to make contact with the other competitors as the fleet was so spread out.
This is an absolute page-turner.
Buy The Last Sea Dog at Amazon
Buy The Last Sea Dog at WH Smith
The Half Bird by Susan Smillie
From the moment I picked up The Half Bird, I couldn’t put it down and found I had to ration myself, reading a few chapters a day so I could really savour every word.
Susan Smillie’s writing captivated me (few books do that), as she shared her odyssey, sailing her Nicholson 26, Isean from the UK to Greece.
With little solo experience, she initially planned to sail around Britain, but instead, chose to turn left at Land’s End and sail to France, down the Atlantic coast of Europe and into the Mediterranean.
Most of her voyage is solo, and as she sails further south, she develops an affinity for life at sea, one that many sailors will recognise.
Her words knit a narrative of adventure, loss, joy, and, ultimately, freedom and a richer life.
It is a love story between a woman and her boat, and how Susan finds strength and courage through sailing.
Sam Smillie (Susan’s dad) comments that coming to the end of a book can be like “losing a friend”, and while reading the last few pages of The Half Bird, I was reminded of this, so absorbing and subtly life-affirming were the words on the page.
Once I finished it, I wanted to start reading it all over again.
Buy The Half Bird at Waterstones
Buy The Half Bird at Google Play
My Way Around the World by Saša Fegić
“The only way to really learn how to sail is to go out and do it,” writes Saša Fegić.
And that is exactly what this remarkable Croatian sailor has done throughout his life, culminating in sailing around the world via the three Great Capes.
My Way Around the World is the story of a boy who falls in love with sailing and spends decades honing his skills in seamanship and boat craft by working as a paid deckhand, charter and delivery skipper, sailing school operator and boatbuilder.
He then buys his dream boat, HIR 3, which he spends months renovating, before sailing her along the route of the great Clipper ships.
It is a voyage many of us are not brave enough to do, but Saša’s desire to see the Southern Royal Albatross, experience the Roaring Forties, visit Yacht Club Micalvi in Chile and round Cape Horn pushes him at every turn, and the result is a compelling story of adventure and determination.
My Way Around the World is reminiscent of the records of sailing voyages penned by the likes of Sir Francis Chichester and Naomi James; engaging, well written and rich with knowledge, Saša draws the reader in at every word. Highly recommended.
Buy My Way Around the World at Amazon
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