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Board » General Discussion » Sailing Books

Posted by AGage Posts 411 Registered at 2008-12-27 10:31:57	2012-01-26 08:31:00 - Sailing Books
	I thought it would be good to start a list of books people have found helpful - for any kind of yacht racing. I help develop the client interface for the best online ocean racing sim there is... __/)/)_/)__
Posted by AGage Posts 411 Registered at 2008-12-27 10:31:57	2012-01-26 08:40:56 - Re: Sailing Books
	IMHO an absolute must on any sailors bookshelf is 'High Performance Sailing' by Frank Bethwaite. He has also now published his 2nd book "Higher Performance Sailing" with some chapters by his son Julian. Some info on Frank and co: Frank and his family have include three Olympic competitors, four World Championships, as well as several Grand Masters (over age 60) World Championships by Frank himself. Frank has been a coach on the Australian Olympic Team since 1972 and also pursued pastimes with model gliders (twice open world endurance record holder) and full size sailplanes. and Frank Bethwaite and his son Julian are probably best known for their role in developing the Australian 18' skiffs and the 49er. However, Mr. Bethwaite's background as a meteorologist, engineer, and pilot gives him a unique perspective in analysing the sailor's wind and how to maximize performance. His studies of hull drag, sail drag, and sail drive give the serious racing sailor valuable new information on how to maximize performance in a variety of conditions. This book focuses on high-performance sailcraft, but the lessons are applicable to almost any racing boat. Mr. Bethwaite provides many charts, graphs, and illustrations to support his observations on maximizing performance. Although this is a technical book, it is written for the layman. Whats in the books: High Performance Sailing ========================== Part One Wind ------------------------------- The Racing Helmsman's Wind 1 The Gradient Wind 5 The Two Surface Winds 10 Light Airs 20 The Breeze Over A Cool Surface 32 Friction And The Wind/Wave Boundaries 41 Heat And Thermal Patterns 52 Winds Near Clouds 64 Winds Near Shores 73 Wind Appraisal And The Stability Index 92 Race Preparation [Ie Predicting Wind For The Race] 102 Sailing The Wind Patterns 119 Part Two Water ------------------------------- Waves 147 Depth And The Warm Surface Layer 154 Currents And Tidal Stream 158 Part Three The Boat ------------------------------- The Quest For Speed 164 Sails 188 Rigs 220 Foils 232 Hulls 247 Part 4 Handling ------------------------------- Scope 277 Handling To Windward 279 Kinetics 320 Sailing Crosswind 333 Sailing Downwind 362 Index 409 Higher Performance Sailing ========================== Part 1 Perspective, ------------------------------- The Origins Of High Performance 7 The State Of The Extreme Arts 41 Part Two Wind ------------------------------- Review Of Wind Dynamics 62 The Spectrum Of The Wind 98 The Quick Gust Peaks 101 Surges And Fades 108 Part Three The Boat ------------------------------- The Drive To Sail Faster 121 Hulls - The Material Revolution 129 Hulls - The Design Response 134 Hulls That Don't Baulk 146 More Power - Trapezes And Wings 163 Handicaps. Performance Equalisation And Turns Per Mile 169 Sail Forces In Steady Airflows 176 Part 4 Performance Advances 1991 - 2008 ------------------------------- Evolution Of The B-18 Mark 201 Design Refinement For Long Course Speed 218 (by Julian) Design Refinement For Short Course Manoeuverability 239 The 49er 243 Transition Years 257 The 29er 261 The Critical Ratios 269 Part 5 The Automatic Rig ------------------------------- The Evolution Of Manual Adjustment 281 The Automatic Rig 291 Part 6 The Sailing Simulator ------------------------------- The Evolution Of The Sailing Simulator 301 A New Way Of Thinking 306 The Simulator Printout 329 Part 7 Handling ------------------------------- Fast Handling Technique 333 Handling An Apparent Wind Skiff 374 Sailing The Foil Moth (By Rohan Veal) 399 Part 8 Racing At A Higher Level ------------------------------- Racing With Speed: 'Connecting The Dots' 407 Index 428 ========================== 1st book has been on my shelf for 8 years and I must have read it 10 times virtually cover to cover, getting many new things out of it each time (it is also a great reference to take to the boat park with you!) 2nd is on its way in the mail (and I can't wait!) --- Last Edited by Aaron Gage at 2012-01-26 08:42:52 --- I help develop the client interface for the best online ocean racing sim there is... __/)/)_/)__
Posted by A2 Posts 347 Registered at 2009-10-26 00:39:42	2012-01-26 16:28:23 - Re: Sailing Books
	--- Last Edited by A2R at 2012-02-17 17:38:48 --- None so blind
Posted by rumskib Posts 5 Registered at 2010-07-15 19:27:38	2012-02-12 20:40:25 - Re: Sailing Books
	I recommend the book "Championship Tactics - How anyone can sail faster, smarter, and win races" written by Gary Jobson and Tom Whidden with Adam Loory- ISBN 0-321-04278-7 St Martin's Press, New York, 1990 It is written in a narrative style that I found easy to follow (much easier than Bethwaite's book). It also has a pew pages on polars, VMG, and VMC that should get anyone started who is unfamiliar with those concepts. Fritz
Posted by Arthur Posts 32 Registered at 2008-12-23 14:43:47	2012-02-13 18:51:00 - Re: Sailing Books
	What really helped me in understanding the behaviour of our source of energy is "Wind Strategy" by David Houghton/Fiona Campbell. This book claims (and proves) to "achieve an immediate advantage over competitors who rely on local weather lore and undigested statistics". Fernhurst, ISBN 1 904475 12 4 After having read this book, the meaning of "Fair winds" is all clear Cheers, Arthur If you're still in control, you're not going fast enough.
Posted by AGage Posts 411 Registered at 2008-12-27 10:31:57	2012-03-03 17:25:43 - Re: Sailing Books
	Yes that is an excellent book Arthur, and some of his methods are repeated in the Wind sections of Bethwaite's book. (Quadrant method for determining likelihood of a sea breeze developing most notably) I help develop the client interface for the best online ocean racing sim there is... __/)/)_/)__

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