A guide for racing yachtsman that is as useful today as when it was first published. Teaching the fundamentals of the start line, beating to windward, rounding a mark, wind abeam, before the wind. This book is a wonderful collection of anecdotes, tactics and case studies. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

'Monumental!' - Bob Ross, Australian Sailing High Performance Sailing is now regarded as the bible of racing sailors and carries a string of endorsements from high achievers. Since its publication in 1984, racing yachts and dinghies have developed out of all recognition - a new high-tech breed of 'apparent wind' fast racers has claimed the water and so far no-one has applied themselves seriously to analysing what makes these boats sail fast (and what will make them faster). This is Frank Bethwaite's ground-breaking achievement in Higher Performance Sailing. By means of extensive research, and working with sailors of different racing calibre, Bethwaite analyses how to harness the apparent wind for increased speed and better position on your rivals. Higher Performance Sailing will provide the key to racing sailors' dreams. Praise for Bethwaite's High Performance Sailing: 'It represents a breakthrough...It is a book that my Olympic squad will benefit from.' Rod Carr, former British Olympic Sailing Team Manager 'Allowed only one "if only" in yacht racing, it would have been to have read Higher Performance Sailing years ago.' Bob Fisher, journalist, broadcaster and international championship winner

The groundbreaking reference on high speed racing techniques--the bible for racing sailors of all levels and abilities from dinghies to the America's Cup. High Performance Sailing has become the standard reference work on high speed racing techniques. Groundbreaking in its thinking on boat speed, strategy and tactics, and timeless in its application, this second edition has been brought right up to date with new information, the discoveries from new boat testing and new developments. Some people like to sail. Some people like to sail fast. This is a book about sailing faster. During the past few decades there has been a revolution in the way some boat designers and sailors have thought about, designed, built and sailed their boats. This book is about the new ideas which have led to these greater speeds and the faster sailing techniques which have been developed to achieve them. "It is the cheapest bit of go-faster gear you can buy..."--Robert Lloyd, Island Sailing Club "One of the most readable books on the complex subject of sailing faster, and without doubt, a must for every racing sailor"--Yachts and Yachting

Start to Win is Eric Twiname's sailing classic. Out of print for over 20 years, it has nevertheless retained its position as the book on simple racing principles. Considered unequalled by its many fans, it is the only book that sets out the techniques of sailing in such a clear, understandable and straightforward manner. By the same author as The Rules Book, Start to Win will be welcomed back by its many followers, and read for the first time by many more. With an updated section on the Racing Rules, this classic is set to help sailors achieve their racing best for many years to come. 'An extraordinarily valuable book...Twiname manages to remove the mystique from the art of winning' Yachting World 'One of the best books on tactics' Yachting & Boating 'A first class book for the racing dinghy helmsman' Yachts and Yachting

‘The inventions, the innovations, the stories, the surprises. A combination of history, reference and entertainment – something for every seafarer and many others too.’ - Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence. People have been sailing for thousands of years, but we’ve come some distance from longboats and clippers. How did we arrive here? In fifty tales of inventors and innovations, Sails, Skippers and Sextants looks at the history of one of our most enjoyable pastimes, from the monarch who pioneered English yachting to the engineer who invented sailboards. The stories are sometimes inspiring, usually amusing and often intriguing – so grab your lifejacket, it’s going to be quite an adventure.

From the author of the bestselling High Performance Sailing and Higher Performance Sailing comes the first scientific analysis of what makes fast sailors fast. Eschewing the idea that luck or innate talent are the keys to success, Frank Bethwaite shows how knowledge truly is power. Making use of video cameras aligned to GPS read-outs to track the fastest racers, he meticulously analyses what winners do and how they do it, to show the rest of us how to get the best out of a racing craft. Frank Bethwaite's previous books were groundbreaking bibles that applied scientific theories to how sails and hulls interact with wind and water to influence boat speed. But whilst they applied scientific theories to boat construction, they didn't apply science to practical boat handling. This book fills that gap, and then goes further. Budding racers of all levels will welcomethis unique book as a godsend. It will inform, instruct and enable them toemploy the techniques (and timing) of the most successful racers, and make racingmore competitive for participants, and more exciting for those of us watching.