Books

The first book with over 75 specific exercises organized by category and difficulty to serve as a guideline and inspiration for coaches and trainers at clubs. The book Written by Pim Stumpel & Ben Koppelaar both award winning Dutch dinghy coaches. Pim & Ben have written down all the exercises they use to train and coach sailors. With the support of Huub Lambriex (1984 Olympic Tornado sailor and mental coach) they have created tools to help coaches, program-managers and sailors set goals and structurally train to become better sailors.

Language: English

Optimist racing coach Attila Hodacs reveals 20 years of his coaching experience in this 85 page book. Topics included: The phases of development, how to lead optimist sailors to international level racing, setting up training sessions with different exercises, how to improve boathandling skills, strategy and how to minimize mistakes.

A must have for every trainer, coach or interested parent.

The 130-page history, illustrated by almost as many photos mostly in colour, tells the story of how an ‘Orange Crate’ from Florida became the junior boat in over 120 countries.

It includes an 18-page supplement by Clifford McKay Jr., the first boy to sail the Optimist, with some fabulous photos of the early days. The story is taken up by Robert Wilkes who worked with the Optimist Class for over 35 years and had access to it’s archives. Young people tend to ask why things are the way they are. This history gives the answer for their beloved little boat..

Written by Robert Wilkes and Clifford McKay Jr.

Olympic gold medallist and multiple world champion, Paul Goodison, explains why this book is important if you want to win races. He says: “To win sailboat races you need to sail the boat fast. This comes down to hours on the water training and tuning – there are few shortcuts to hours of practising on the water.

Team racing is fast and furious. It places a great deal of emphasis on teamwork, boat handling and rules knowledge. It is a fun sport in its own right and a great way of learning to become a future champion.

Packed full with diagrams to illustrate the text, this companion describes the most useful moves around the race course, and the key rules that govern such moves. There are then sections on how to slow and how to overtake; how to win the start and how to control the final beat; the best routines for practising; how to develop as a team, from beginner to champion; the process for umpired sailing; and team roles, and how to make sure everyone enjoys playing a full part in the team.

Targeted at the club sailor, The Laser Book covers the techniques and skills needed to succeed in Laser sailing, for those starting out through to those striving to win their Club Championship. 

Optimist Racing is written for those sailors, parents and coaches who are looking for success in this competitive class. In it you will learn what it takes to win, including how to achieve blistering boatspeed through technique and tuning, perfect boat handling and tactics as well as covering the mental and physical requirements for success. There is also a section for parents and coaches describing how they can best support their young sailors.

Out of all the explanations for why a sailor has lost out on a race, an unforeseen change in the wind and the weather is by far one of the most frequent. Whether a bad windshift; the non-occurrence of a sea breeze; or being becalmed, the weather has a huge impact on racing. However, it is not hard to turn these problems around. This handy guide has all you need to work out the best way to use the wind to your advantage and boost you up the fleet.

Rules in Practice has been the best-selling guide to the racing rules for the last 40 years. Now, in its 10th edition, it has been updated for (and contains in full) the 2021-2024 Racing Rules of Sailing and features a brand new chapter on the luffing rules and how they are being applied. The latest rule changes are also described, along with their impact on you as a sailor.

A compact, handy summary of the key things you need to know to start racing or refresh your knowledge: the perfect quick reference guide to keep in your kit bag.

The book covers all the racing essentials: courses, rules, the start, beat, reach, downwind, mark rounding, finish, protests and flags in a highly illustrated format making it easy to understand at a glance – ideal for those moments when you need an answer, and you need it fast!

Splash-proof and spiral bound, this little companion stands up to frequent use and serves as a great aide-memoire that will fit into your pocket or kit bag.

Bryan Willis’ Racing Rules Companion is the invaluable pocket reference guide to the essentials of the racing rules, updated for the latest 2021-2024 Racing Rules of Sailing.