Learning to Sail

One of the first things I learned about sailing is that each sailor has an opinion about everything and does not seem to be afraid to share it with you. Ha! So when I first wanted to learn how to sail, I was confronted with many different opinions about the best process.

I am an engineer by education and profession, so I have a preference to obtaining some level of formal instruction as background and basis for further learning. I have concerns with attempting to learn anything by going directly to a hands-on experience, and question people who suggest that you should just jump on a sailboat and figure it out.

After being a casual observer on others' boats, I only knew some of the very rudimentary basics. I felt that I needed to learn more, even before pursuing personal instruction. The perfect method for me was to turn to reading, and I found the best possible text in Sailing for Dummies.

Don't let the title fool you or insult your intelligence. I found that Sailing for Dummies provided a very well written, easy to read, introduction to sailing. It was also a valuable reference while I continued my sailing education and it continues to be a handy book to have on hand to answer questions or refresh my memory. This book will always have a home in my library.

Authors Jennifer and Peter Isler are experienced, professional sailors. They have a unique writing style that communicates critical technical information in an entertaining fashion. This book was a great way for me to begin my formal sailing education.