Modern Cruising Under Sail
by Don DoddsPerhaps the most critical lesson Don Dodds tries to make clear in his new book is the importance of educated decision-making when operating voyaging craft. Accepting what the pundits declare as proper and necessary might, upon evaluation, prove doubtful and possibly false.
The book, which has chapters that take a would-be or experienced sailor from choosing and outfitting a boat for sea to training and personal preparation, is a more technical how-to book than most, betraying the author’s occupation as a research scientist. For example, the author apparently cannot restrain himself from providing useful formulas for figuring shroud dimensions, measuring cockpit volume, and determining the prismatic coefficient of various hulls.
The Lyons Press, New York, N.Y.; 800-836-0510; 384 pages; $33.
