The Complete Sailor

David Seidman (Oak Beach, NY) has spent a good portion of his life finding his way around the world. He's crossed oceans, toured central Asia and Mongolia without a map or the ability to speak the language, and found a Mayan ruin in Guatemala. He is the author of The Essential Sea Kayaker and The Complete Sailor and is an editor at Boating magazine.

Wind Sense Direction Words of the Wind Land and the Wind True & Apparent Winds Wind Speed Tables Wind Strength Working Winds With the Wind Across the Wind Working the Wind Into the Wind Getting Underway Bending Sail Steering Making Sail Leaving a Mooring, or a Dock Reaching Keeping a Course Close-hauled Tacking Other Tacks In Irons Downwind Jibing Heaving To Capsized! Heavy Weather Returning to a Mooring, or a Dock Beach Sailing Dock Work Leaving Her The Boat Form Comparing Boats Lines Stability Heeling Resistance Preventing Leeway Wooden Boats Fiberglass Boats Metal Boats Buoyancy Boats! Rigging Standing Rigging Running Rigging Sail Controls Mechanical Advantage Rigs Balance Self-Steering Sails Sail Shape Telltales Fault Finder Reefing The Genoa The Spinnaker Sail Care Under Power Inboards Outboards Oars Rules of the Road Right of Way Avoiding Collisions Sound Signals Lights & Ships Anchoring Ground Tackle The Anchorage Anchoring Under Sail A Second Anchor Weighing Anchor Moorings Marlinspike Seamanship Rope The Ditty Bag Knots Cleats Eye Splice Going Aloft Chafe Coiling Heaving Lines Emergencies Avoiding Trouble Personal Safety Aground Man Overboard Towing Signaling for Help Sea and Sky Weather Fog Squalls Currents Tide Navigation Language of the Chart Aids to Navigation Lights Visibility Sound Plotting a Course The Compass Steering a Course Deviation Lines of Position Danger LOPs Distance Off A Fix Dead Reckoning Distance Run Speed Running Fix Correcting for Currents Trailering The Trailer On the Road Backing Up Launching & Retrieving Index