Sailing Smart: Winning Techniques, Tactics, and Strategies

by Buddy Melges, Ted Brennan (Illustrator), Charles Mason

Sailing Smart is for every sailor who wants to increase his or her knowledge, understanding, and sailing the local day-sailor who wants a firmer grasp of the fundamentals, as well as the serious competitor who wants to be up on the latest, most innovative sailing techniques and racing strategies.

Buddy Melges, one of the world's best-known sailors, has at last set down his highly original thoughts on how to sail well . He covers the full range of sailing experience, from the general to the specific, the basic to the highly sophisticated. Melges's message is delivered in a bright, uncluttered manner by way of applications from his own sailing experience and through step-by-step instructions on everything from basic boat handling to expert on-the-course tactics and maneuvers.

This book is expertly illustrated by the noted sailing artist Ted Brennan, and each drawing is accompanied by a cogent, in-depth explanatory caption.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

Published April 15, 1987

About the author

Harry C. "Buddy" Melges Jr. was an American competitive sailor. He earned national and international championships in several classes in conventional sailing and ice-boating and is widely regarded as one of the top racing sailors of all time.

Reviews

[Moses · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great stuff. I don't think there are many books about racing small keelboats, which is what I'm currently doing, and even fewer are written by worldwide sailing legends like Buddy Melges, who at the time he wrote this was about 15 years past his Olympic gold(s) and 5 years before his America's Cup helming win. So the man knows what he's talking about.

If I have a criticism, it would be that it talks a lot about keeping in front. As a new racer, that is not my problem. But hopefully, I'll improve and return to Melges' book and learn more. More approachable, easy to read books like this, please.

I did particularly like how Melges avoids getting too tied down in sailing jargon, which is a fault of sailors generally and sailing manuals in particular.