Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #39011 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-30
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Practical Boat Owner, 1st August 2008
"An illuminating read."

Boat Mart (May 2006)
'Suitable for all levels of sailor, this thorough and practical
book brings together all the essentials of modern cruising in one volume.'

Multihull Review (September/October 2006)
'The beauty of it is that in one book you have the "essential"
knowledge from which to learn and to which to refer... Tom writes with an
easy style that makes this a good book for the eager student and for the
rusty sailor intending to stretch to new horizons. Highly recommended.'

Customer Reviews

Excellent learning tool, informative and interesting
Tom Cunliffe has a certain writing style that some have not taken to but I have to disagree. From a sailing novice to a now yachtmaster I have learned much from his books and frequently commend it to other keen-to-learn sailors.

I find his style of writing, with personal anecdotes both interesting and, crucially, memorable. Learning can be rather "dry" but when subjects are brought to light and illustrated with personal examples then I, for one, find that my learning is more effective.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone wishing to improve their sailing and skippering abilities.

Self-promoting gloss - may offend
Cunliffe, yet again promoting himself with one personal photograph after another. How annoying it is to find you've wasted money on such a potentially useful book - Cunliffe constantly embellishes his methodology with personal politics that most often offend if not bore the reader. He dedicates a whole page to a mid-chapter portrait of himself, others of friends or students, smiling from the galley, Cunliffe, smiling from the chart table/hauling an anchor. In another of Cunliffe's photos, entitled "keeping the crew informed helps build moral" a well-tanned Cunliffe is holding a black box (possibly a GPS) in front of two students who smile with no relevance. One of his paragraphs begins with a patronising tale about beginners "In my years as Yachtmaster Examiner...." before making fun about how they can't tack yet attempt to follow a traditional style laid down by no-one more than Cunliffe. In another paragraph he insults women with a blunderingly uncomfortable proclamation that they may not be the strongest to haul an anchor... Unfortunately, I too bought Cunliffe's book over Alison Noice - Yachtmaster for sail and Power as I had never heard of her. Noice's book has the clarity of Tim Bartlett's Navigation Handbook but is far clearer whilst in depth, accessible and focussed on the real subject. Even if you are at the very beginning of navigation or the Cruising Scheme, buy Noice's Yachtmaster for your Dayskipper - it's so well laid-out you'll need nothing else and it will serve you right into your Yachtmaster. You'll fly through your theory with the right book, and, when you get to Yachtmaster Ocean, you can get everything from Langley-Price and Ouvry's Ocean Yachtmaster - all authors whose agenda is to demystify a subject others attempt to scare you by.

Just add experience...
Tom Cunliffe is a well known yachting author, and will be well known to anyone who reads the sailing press as he is a regular columnist in a number of the magazines, and South Coast sailors will know him through his invaluable Channel Pilot. While Cunliffe is the first to say in his introduction that this book isn't intended to be complete (there's nothing on maintenance for example), it covers everything you need to get through the Yachtmaster exam (and be a better skipper).

Cunliffe has an informal style of delivery and I can understand why some reviewers dislike it. Personally I'd find a dry and anonymous text on the subject very dull to work through, and it's Cunliffe's salty phrases, rich way with anecdotes, and humour that in my opinion make the key lessons much more memorable.

To address a couple of specific points mentioned in other reviews: I had no problem with the illustrations or graphics. To say that the publisher/author assumes far too much of its potential readers rather misses the point that the RYA/MCA Yachtmaster ticket is the pinnacle of UK sailing qualifications. This book is for already experienced skippers who want to make sure they're ready for the exam. While the basics are covered in this volume it's done quickly, and beginners or intermediate sailors might be better off with a book aimed at their level.

In summary a rare book that entertains as much as it informs, and is highly recommended.