More than just a cruising narrative, this is an entertaining, inspiring and instructive book invaluable to anyone planning a long distance cruise.

A hippy Sell Up and Sail, this entertaining and inspiring book is more than just a cruising narrative - it is an instructive account showing how anyone can circumnavigate (or even sail for an extended period) without huge funds. Lars Hassler originally set off intending to sail for three years, but by judiciously using his funds, and topping them up by taking charter guests on cruises, he sailed around the world for ten years. Woven into the book is advice on costs, distances, timing, power needs, food and medication - in other words, the practicalities that everyone who sails needs to know about. And at the end, there is a forward-looking chapter providing advice on 'After the Circumnavigation - What Next?' With a Foreword by Jimmy Cornell and a gorgeous photo section, this is an enjoyable and useful read for anyone thinking, or dreaming, about making an extended cruise. 'Lars, the modern day Odysseus...is in many respects an extraordinary person, a man who had the guts to chuck it all in and opt for a lifestyle that others dream of their entire lives... Any reader planning to follow the author's example will find many useful tips on how to earn a living while cruising. Thank you Lasse!' From the Foreword by Jimmy Cornell

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.

A comprehensive profile of every cruising destination in the world by the guru of long distance sailing.