Start to Win

Price: £16.99

Though aimed at the racing dinghy sailor, the cruising yachtsman, even if he races only occasionally if at all, cannot fail to sail faster by reading at least parts of this book. First published in 1973 this is apparently a classic in the field and the foreword to this edition is by no less than Ben Ainslie. However I can only surmise that the photos were better in the previous editions: in this one they are dreadful. If they were good to start with, they are ruined to the extent of adding nothing to the text by being indistinctly printed in a light shade of green-grey. The sketches are good on the whole and the text is straightforward. The book ends with an abridged set of the racing rules which appear up-to-date, with a reference to “The Rules Book.....2009-12”.

Would I buy this book? No, mainly because of the photos but I am also put off by the unnecessary and dated typographic gimmicks which will irritate most readers. There must be innumerable other books on this subject which handle it at least as competently and certainly more enjoyably. - RHR