The Annapolis Book of Seamanship: Third Edition, Completely Revised, Expanded and Updated

I reviewed "Annapolis" for Good Old Boat magazine. The review, and an excerpt from the book is in the July/August issue. The book stands as the yardstick by which other sailing references must be judged. For this new edition, Rousmaniere did an excellent job of gender neutralizing the language without any awkwardness. He talks about "forehandedness", a state of being prepared for whatever the sea throws at one. This book is the best written resource to help one obtain that state. The book will be instantly accessible to the beginner. It will remain a good reference for the most experienced sea dog. Rousmaniere uses a lot of little tricks to help the reader retain the information in the book. While the book is chock full of facts, his love for sailing and the romance of the sea shows through as well. If you want to improve your sailing skills and knowledge, buy this book!

Have you forgotten some of the terminology or manovers you learned in a sailing course last year? Are you an experienced sailor but would like more detailed information on a subject?This book has all the answers to the questions many novice sailors have; from parts of the boat, commands, moanovering in a harbour to sailor terminology. Themes also go into great detail on the subject matter accompanied with excellent illustrations to re-enforce your learning of a subject. It doesn't matter if your are a seasoned salt or new to the world of cruising. It belongs on every sailors book shelf.

This is simply the best book on sailing you can buy. The illustrations are fabulous and the writing is clear and to the point. Buy it if you don't have it. Better yet, buy two copies and give one someone starting out in sailing. If this is the only sailing book on your bookshelf, you have choosen wisely. Perfect for the beginner and essential for all sailors.

John Rousmaniere once again sets the standard for clear, concise descriptions of a frequently complicated topic: sailing and seamanship. Technically perfect (at least I can't complain about anything), and superbly illustrated, Annapolis covers all critical topics: rigging, heavy weather, navigation, anchoring, etc. This newest version expands are several areas, and is brought up to date with recent safety at sea findings and marine trends. Highly recommended for any sailor's library (and cruising powerboaters will find helpful information as well).

John Rousmaniere has created a comprehensive text on the sport of sailing and seamanship which is enjoyable to read and very authoritative. By their nature, sailors have strongly held opinions on most subjects, but virtually every sailor I know of who has read John's book holds it in very high regard. The illustrations are clear and not too busy to get in the way of showing the frequently complicated topics which are inherent in the sport. I also find that Seamanship is not just a repeat of tired old sailing methods of 30 years ago, but rather integrates the classic techniques (storm tactics, navigation) with the modern (Crew Overboard Recovery, modern anchors and electronics).

I highly recommend this book, and encourage anyone to buy it if they want to improve their sailing skills.