Facebook

Login

Support Sailonline

If you haven't already - join the SAILONLINE YACHT CLUB!

Please also consider making a donation - all amounts are greatly appreciated!

Board » General Discussion » Sailing Books

Posted by
AGage


Users avatar

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


Users avatar

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


Users avatar

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


Users avatar

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


Users avatar

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


Users avatar

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... __/)/)_/)__

Please login to post a reply.

Races

Next Race: 00d 00h 00m

Current Races:

Sinbad by Balloon 2025 - Toamasina to Baia de l'Oiseau


You may recall that when last we visited Madagascar in the company of Sinbad, the Sultan commanded our intrepid inspirator to seek out fabled islands where in Summer the sun barely set. We did and we returned but the Sultan wasn’t happy with Sinbad’s report, so here we go again, now by SOL Balloon instead of sailing vessel. Expect to be in the air for at least 2100nm and depending on how the wind brings us, anything between two weeks and two months before we shall descend at the Sultan’s given coordinates!
Race #1884
INFOby brainaid.de
SOL Balloon PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC - SBB
Race starts: Apr 09th 11:00 Registration will open soon
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Valparaiso to San Francisco 2025

Get ready for an exhilarating new challenge as we set sail on the fourth leg of the 2025 Ocean Championship Series! Following in the 19th century footsteps of Isabel Allende's heroine, Eliza Sommers, 'Daughter of Fortune', this all-new route takes us across the vast eastern Pacific, from Valparaíso, Chile, to San Francisco, California - a 3500nm journey of endurance, strategy, and pure sailing adrenaline. This leg will be raced aboard the powerful Rapido 60, pushing sailors to their limits as they navigate the open ocean. Do you have what it takes to conquer the Pacific? Join us and put your skills to the ultimate test!
PRIZE: SMPF
Race #1900
INFO by brainaid.de
Rapido 60 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: OCQ2 - OCCH - SUPSOL - SYC
Race starts: Apr 07th 11:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Red Eye - Round White Island 2025

We remain in New Zealand for our second “Red Eye Special” and another IRL Kiwi classic - the Round White Island! IRL still “currently on hiatus” following the island’s eruption of 2019, this race was last raced on SOL in 2020. It’s about 300nm there - out the Hauraki Gulf and south down to the island in the Bay of Plenty - and back to Auckland. This year we’ll be racing in our ever-popular take on the TP-52. Hau tika!
Race #1844
INFOby brainaid.de
TP-52 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC - RED
Race starts: Apr 06th 12:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Moheli PYOC 2025


For our first sprint of Q2, we will re-visit the African archipelago nation, L’Union des Comoros, and its most southern island, Moheli, in the Mozambique Channel. Created by MustangMark in 2014 this is a “Pick Your Own Course” round the island, approximately 20nm in our First 27. Expect winds to be light and variable; we are in the Tropics.
Race 1907
INFO by brainaid.de
First 27 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
SPRQ2 - SPRCH - SUPSOL – SYC
Race starts: Apr 05th 09:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Africa by Sea - Tangier to Abidjan


Whatever about pharaoh Necho II’s Phoenician expedition of the 7th C BCE, the Carthaginian Hanno the Navigator with more certainty sailed south from Tangier to explore the West African coast two centuries later, but how far he got is a matter of more conjecture. However, if he did the 2300nm to today’s Ivory Coast he would have found little there other than good shelter in the vast lagoons behind the dunes, much the same as today, excepting the highly industrialized port of Abidjan. Not a great haven for a stop-over but let’s take the 90ft Monohull anyway.
Race #1855
INFOby brainaid.de
90ft Monohull PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC - ABC
RACE CLOSE: Thursday,
April 10 at 2300 UTC.
Race starts: Mar 26th 17:00 Registration Closed
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Sea Lion TIMED Race 2025

Come on down South for long days of sunlight and strong bracing winds to race our Finngulf 43 as many times as you like - 117nm as the albatross flies - through some of the islands of the Falklands archipelago. This is a TIMED race, so you may RE-REGISTER HERE to try again, after finishing a run. You will have 13 days and 11 hours to test your skill and decision making after the race opens.
Race #1903
INFO by brainaid.de
Finngulf 43 PARTICULARS
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking:
TRQ1 - TRCH - SUPSOL - SYC
RACE CLOSE: Saturday,
05 April at 23:00 UTC
Race starts: Mar 23rd 12:00 Registration Open!
▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Melbourne Osaka Cup Double-Handed Yacht Race 2025

Welcome once again to what these days is Sailonline’s almost annual virtual Melbourne to Osaka Yacht Race. In real life, this double-handed 5500 nm race between these two sister cities, one deep in the southern hemisphere, the other high in the northern hemisphere, is run every four to five years, and this year is such a year. So, this year’s online version is in sync with the Melbourne Osaka Cup 2025 organised by the Ocean Racing Club of Victoria (ORCV), and the Sandringham (SYC) and Osaka Hokko (OHYC) yacht clubs. We’ll be racing the well-known First 40, a popular size of boat which should be a good match for many of the boats entered in the real race. With the doldrums unavoidably lying across our course, you can expect to be at virtual sea for at least a month!
Race #1669
INFO by brainaid.de
First 40 Particulars
WX Updates:
0430 / 1030 / 1630 / 2230
Ranking: SYC
Race starts: Mar 16th 06:00 Registration Closed

▶ Flash
GO TO RACE

Go to race archive

SYC Ranking

  1. Sailonline Yacht Club Member WRmirekd
  2. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Patrick70119
  3. Sailonline Yacht Club Member CriticalHippo
  4. Sailonline Yacht Club Member vida
  5. Sailonline Yacht Club Member KaSToR
  6. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rafa
  7. Sailonline Yacht Club Member FreyjaUSA
  8. Sailonline Yacht Club Member Kipper1258
  9. Sailonline Yacht Club Member bonknhoot
  10. Sailonline Yacht Club Member rumskib

View full list

Series

Mobile Client

SYC members have the benefit of access to our mobile/lightweight web client!

The mobile client