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Sailing Fundamentals
With over 150 line drawings and photographs, and clear, detailed coursework covering every aspect of beginning sailing—from hoisting sail to docking and anchoring— Sailing Fundamentals is the authoritative text designed to prepare the learning sailor for certification according to international standards.
Written by America’s foremost instructional authority, the new edition of Sailing Fundamentals is the official learn-to-sail manual of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. Sailing Fundamentals is also used in the programs of yacht clubs, colleges, and sailing groups around the country. Unlike many sailing books, which can reflect the biases and idiosyncrasies of their authors, this book has been extensively pretested to ensure that it offers the fastest, easiest, most systematic way to learn basic sailing and coastal cruising.
Widely acclaimed author Gary Jobson has won several major races, including the 1977 America’s Cup victory as tactician aboard Courageous. He was head sailing coach at the US Naval Academy, and has conducted sailing clinics across the country.
Written by America’s foremost instructional authority, the new edition of Sailing Fundamentals is the official learn-to-sail manual of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. Sailing Fundamentals is also used in the programs of yacht clubs, colleges, and sailing groups around the country. Unlike many sailing books, which can reflect the biases and idiosyncrasies of their authors, this book has been extensively pretested to ensure that it offers the fastest, easiest, most systematic way to learn basic sailing and coastal cruising.
Widely acclaimed author Gary Jobson has won several major races, including the 1977 America’s Cup victory as tactician aboard Courageous. He was head sailing coach at the US Naval Academy, and has conducted sailing clinics across the country.
220 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
106 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
Gary Jobson
32 books3 followersGary Jobson is a former sailor, television commentator and author based in Annapolis, Maryland, and a former Vice President of the International Sailing Federation. Jobson has authored 19 sailing books and is Editor-at-Large of Sailing World and Cruising World magazines. He is currently President of the National Sailing Hall of Fame.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 19, 2009
I've read many books about the fundamentals of sailing but none as good as this. Sailing Fundamentals is the book I used to get my ASA (American Sailing Association) certification, and I make sure to share it with new sailors. I would recommend that anyone who is interested in learning to sail read this book.
January 22, 2010
A gift from my favorite uncle, Uncle Jack, who introduced me to sailing when I was a late teen and shared with me his love of the sea, sailing, sky and all things nautical. I love you Uncle Jack and miss you each time we push off from the dock and start anew another sail, just wish you could be aboard.
October 2, 2019
I recently started taking sailing lessons. The husband of a friend is retiring and considering using his passion for sailing and teaching to build a side gig offering sailing lessons. He offered several people the opportunity to be beta testers for his plan. The lessons are rigorous if a bit ad hoc. Our role is to help him formalize his approach. We meet once a week for 3-5 hours. We sail from late afternoon until just after sundown. I’m really enjoying myself. Unfortunately, a week has started to feel like a really long time. So the day after lessons about two weeks ago I picked up this book at a local used book seller as a means to scratch an itch.
Prior to picking up this book, I had been watching sailing videos on youtube. One of the channels features a couple that I believe used to be from my area, central Texas. Now they seem to be living aboard a sizable catamaran cruising the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic coast, and the Caribbean. I wouldn’t specifically recommend their channel, it skews toward the entertainment end of info-tainment, but they did review an ASA course they took. In it they mentioned the text they used for their class. This is not that book. It does, however look like the book they used and that seemed as good a criterion as any for buying a $8 used stopgap for my sailing fix.
The book itself is pretty much what you might expect from an intro book. The first third of the book is very information dense and is flush with new terms and diagrams illustrating fundamental concepts. One downside is the odd chapters are sailing knowledge oriented and deal conceptually with sailing while the even chapters outline exercises to practice targeted sailing skills…the one thing I can’t do….
As the book moves on from the core elements of sailing, the chapters deal with critical, but tangential, issues in decreasingly informative ways. The two pages for troubleshooting outboard gas engines and inboard marine diesels was nothing more than a list of possible problems…no explanations of what the list meant, how to troubleshoot the problem, or what the remedy may be.
This is understandable. With any skill, as you get into the details, it gets progressively harder to speak informatively in generalities. The view from 30,000 feet is always simpler. But just because a problem is understandable does not mean it is fun to wade through.
Upshot, this book was informative for me, a neophyte, however, I found the later chapters frustrating to wade through and more like heads up about problems I cannot yet appreciate or prepare for but will one day face should I end up owning a boat of my own.
An interesting addendum, the guy teaching my lessons is doing a great job. He is patterning our lessons on a course he took some years back. After reading this book, I would not be surprised at all if this very book, if not one very similar, was the text used for his class.
Prior to picking up this book, I had been watching sailing videos on youtube. One of the channels features a couple that I believe used to be from my area, central Texas. Now they seem to be living aboard a sizable catamaran cruising the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic coast, and the Caribbean. I wouldn’t specifically recommend their channel, it skews toward the entertainment end of info-tainment, but they did review an ASA course they took. In it they mentioned the text they used for their class. This is not that book. It does, however look like the book they used and that seemed as good a criterion as any for buying a $8 used stopgap for my sailing fix.
The book itself is pretty much what you might expect from an intro book. The first third of the book is very information dense and is flush with new terms and diagrams illustrating fundamental concepts. One downside is the odd chapters are sailing knowledge oriented and deal conceptually with sailing while the even chapters outline exercises to practice targeted sailing skills…the one thing I can’t do….
As the book moves on from the core elements of sailing, the chapters deal with critical, but tangential, issues in decreasingly informative ways. The two pages for troubleshooting outboard gas engines and inboard marine diesels was nothing more than a list of possible problems…no explanations of what the list meant, how to troubleshoot the problem, or what the remedy may be.
This is understandable. With any skill, as you get into the details, it gets progressively harder to speak informatively in generalities. The view from 30,000 feet is always simpler. But just because a problem is understandable does not mean it is fun to wade through.
Upshot, this book was informative for me, a neophyte, however, I found the later chapters frustrating to wade through and more like heads up about problems I cannot yet appreciate or prepare for but will one day face should I end up owning a boat of my own.
An interesting addendum, the guy teaching my lessons is doing a great job. He is patterning our lessons on a course he took some years back. After reading this book, I would not be surprised at all if this very book, if not one very similar, was the text used for his class.
June 7, 2021
It's been many years since I was on a sailboat.
My current plan is to join a local sailing club and get out on the water.
With the pandemic currently easing its grip, and summer officially here, I thought it would be a good idea to read up! So, I checked this book out (along with a couple of others) from our local library.
Man, was I rusty! Fortunately, this book is easy-to-read and features several "test yourself" sections. Reading Sailing Fundamentals, I now am more confident--and better prepared for future sails.
My current plan is to join a local sailing club and get out on the water.
With the pandemic currently easing its grip, and summer officially here, I thought it would be a good idea to read up! So, I checked this book out (along with a couple of others) from our local library.
Man, was I rusty! Fortunately, this book is easy-to-read and features several "test yourself" sections. Reading Sailing Fundamentals, I now am more confident--and better prepared for future sails.
May 12, 2021
Good book to the beginner sailor. At the start it gives a good but not too comprehensive explanation on the parts of the boat, how they work and basic sailing. Then it discuses safety and general seamanship. After that it starts to briefly describe a lot of things of coastal cruising, and finally the book talks about specifically about boats.
July 23, 2023
A textbook approach to sailing.
October 19, 2020
Sailing is sort of a hobby I keep in a corner of the mind for when the opportunity arises. The book could have been better.
Read
April 28, 2008So far, so good! -- Good illustrations for 1st-timers..
Want to read
November 23, 2008going to take sailing lessons this summer and I should probably know more than absolutely nothing about it before i do
July 22, 2009
book is ok, a bit dry, it was free with my sailing class. Like "The Complete Sailor" better.
Want to read
February 21, 2015I have learned that I don't know anything about knots.
Read
January 28, 2011Would you hop in a plane with a wannabe pilot who read "Flying Fundamentals"?
I would to.
Wanna go sailing?
I would to.
Wanna go sailing?
June 3, 2015
Excellent book for beginning sailors!
September 9, 2015
Lousy. New edition 100% improved.
July 15, 2012
Tells you what you really need to know...fundamentally. Get it when you take the ASA 101 class.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews