The best way to learn about sailing is by getting on the water. And some of the best lessons come from casual conversations with other cruisers. But books are a great primer to prepare you for the next step in your sailing career, whether you want to advance from local short-distance trips to longer bluewater cruising voyages or take your first foray into solo circumnavigation.
We have compiled a list ranging from non-fiction handbooks to help scrub up on seamanship to classic literary gems, including first-hand accounts of some of the most treacherous voyages ever made. Read on, and you should find something to whet your salty appetite.
Above: woman reading on a yacht. Image via Jairph/Unplash
1 -‘Fifty Places To Sail Before You Die’ by Chris Santella
This book is ideal if you need some inspiration for your sailing destination bucket list. It features stunning photos and history and includes travel tips. Champion racers and celebrated adventurers share their favorite must-see sailing spots. The beauty of this book is that you don’t have to read it cover to cover, pick it up, and put it down whenever you feel like it.
2 -‘Green Ghost, Blue Ocean’ by Jennifer Smith
This award-winning book is a candid tale by Canadian couple Jennifer and Nick about their circumnavigation adventures. They embark on a 40,000 nautical mile adventure that spans seventeen years. With no fixed address, the couple redefine themselves in way they never imagined.
3 – ‘The Voyager’s Handbook: The Essential Guide to Blue Water Cruising’ by Beth A. Leonard
A comprehensive handbook for anybody planning on sailing for a few months. Learn about how to plan, prepare, and execute a cruise. If you want to If you are serious about that extended voyage, this is an excellent choice.
4 – ‘Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual’ by Nigel Calder
A DIY manual for novice and experienced boat owners. This book takes you through minor and major repairs of electrical systems, engines, electronics, steering systems, generators, pumps, cookers, spares, and rigging.
5 – ‘Sailing Alone Around the World’ by Joshua Slocum
What could be better than getting lost in the excitement of being the first man to sail around the world alone in a small boat? This epic tale is witty, observant, and packed with personal anecdotes and 67 hand-drawn illustrations.
6 – ‘Storm Tactics. Modern Methods of Heaving-to for Survival in Extreme Conditions’ by Lynn & Larry Pardey.
This helpful guide prepares sailors for an encounter with their first storms at sea. Lin and Larry Pardey are among America’s two most knowledgeable and recognized cruising sailors, hailed as “America’s first couple of cruising.” Lin and Larry have sailed over 200,000 miles together, including two circumnavigations.
7 – ‘The Annapolis Book of Seamanship’ by John Rousmaniere
This book, hailed as a “sailing bible” among the sailing community, covers all aspects of seamanship, including navigation, gear maintenance, electronic, pleasure cruising, and heavy-weather sailing. It is straightforward and is a valuable book to keep on board.
8 – ‘Typhoon’ by Joseph Conrad
Based on real-life events, this book is about a captain who sets sail and discovers at sea that a storm is brewing, but rather than passing around it, and he sails straight through it. Typhoon is renowned for Conrad’s masterful literary prose.
9 – ‘World Cruising Routes’ by Jimmy Cornell
World Cruising Routes is an ideal book for experienced sailors looking to embark on a new adventure. With over 1,000 sailing routes in all the world’s oceans, from the high latitudes of the Arctic and Antarctic to the Tropics, Jimmy provides a wealth of information on winds, currents, regional and seasonal weather, and prime times to execute individual passages.9
10 – ‘The Boat Galley Cookbook’ by Carolyn Shearlock
Onboard, you get into a bit of a food rut, repeatedly cooking the same trusted recipes. Without modern conveniences and comforts to hand, it can be challenging to cook in a tight space. Experienced sailor Carolyn provides 800 everyday recipes by adapting well-known favorites to suit the liveaboard life.
11 – ‘Gipsy Moth Circles the World’ by Sir Francis Chichester
First published in 1967, just after completing Chichester’s historical journey, Gipsy Moth Circles the World was an international best-seller. At sixty-seven years old, Francis Chichester’s single-handed circumnavigation set a record for speed, completing the voyage with just one stop and 226 days at sea.
12 – ‘Voyage for Madmen’ by Peter Nichols
In 1968, nine men – six Englishmen, two Frenchmen, and an Italian – set out to race each other around the world. One didn’t even know how to sail! After ten months at sea, only one made it back home. An incredible true story that, despite the fatalities, morphed into the Vendée Globe, which takes place every four years.
13 – ‘Dove’ by Robin Lee Graham
An extraordinary account of 16-year-old Robin Lee Graham’s solo voyage around the world in a 24-foot sloop in 1965. After departing from San Pedro, California, he returns five years, and 33,000 miles later, he finally returns home to port with a wife and daughter.
14 – ‘Song of the Sirens’ by Ernest Gann
Ernest K. Gann’s was born from his experience as a master of a commercial fishing vessel as he chronicles his ocean crossings and storms at sea. Focusing on his favorites (his 17 sirens), he refers to his ships as seductresses which tempt him into dark waters and danger.
15 – ‘Why Didn’t I Think of That?: 1,198 Tips from 222 Sailors on 120 Boats from 9 Countries’
More than 200 sailors from around the world. One thousand two hundred tips on everything from anchors to bilge pumps, refrigeration to communication, food preparation to handy gadgets. This helpful book is a great general reference point for all things sailing.
16 – ‘Time on Ice: Overwinter Voyage to Antarctica’ by Deborah Shapiro and Rolf Bjelke
Time on Ice is an insight into a couple’s two-year voyage from Sweden to Antarctica aboard their 40-foot sailboat. Frozen into an isolated Antarctic Peninsula anchorage, they stay through the winter for a year. Explore the Antarctic winter through their account of the sights, sounds, and stunning imagery.
17 – ‘How to Sail Around the World’ by Hal Roth
This book is a testament to Hal Roth’s 37 years of experience in long-distance sailing. There is lots of helpful information about how to deal with heavy weather and storms at sea.
18 – ‘Two years Before the Mast’ by Richard Henry Dana
A first-hand account was written by Richard Henry Dana, Jr.after a two-year sea voyage starting in 1834. This book combines the early American West (before it became American) and provides insight into how trade was undertaken before roads were built. If you read books that combine history and sailing, you will enjoy this book.
19 – ‘Chapman: Piloting. Seamanship and Small Boat Handling’ by Elbert S Maloney
A straightforward, informative book that surveys the latest developments in safety control systems, marine electronics, radar, and communications, as well as information on tides, currents, weather, and navigation.
20 – ‘Sailboat Maintenance Complete Illustrated Sailboat Maintenance Manual’ by Don Casey
Keep your boat and its components spick and span by referring to Casey’s ‘maintenance bible. This manual consolidates six core volumes into a single dependable resource that answers boat owners’ more common questions, helping you to understand every major system. With more than 2,500 clear and detailed illustrations guide you step-by-step through every repair and improvement. Casey teaches you to effectively assess the condition of a boat, mend sails, and to put a finish on your boats hull, alongside plenty of other useful guides.
21 – ‘Casting Off’ by Emma Bamford
Feeling stuck in a the rat race living in London, journalist Emma Bamford need a far-flung adventure. She bought a one-way ticket to Borneo to work as crew on a yacht with a man she’d never met and his cat. If you enjoy this, you should read its sequel, Untie the Lines, which cover her sailing adventures in South East Asia and the Caribbean.
Storing Books On Board A Yacht
Most sailors aim to carry a few books on board due to the limited space. If you want to read more books than you have room for on board, find libraries and participate in book swaps at marinas or wherever cruisers gather. Or, alternatively you could invest in a Kindle.
If you are interested in the best sailing movies, read our guide, Sailing Movies: The 33 Top Boating Films To Watch.
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