Singlehanded sailing, tip of the day.

Andy Evans wrote a very comprehensive book about singlehanded sailing, thoughts, tips, techniques and tactics. The Singlehanded Sailing Society has published this book in pdf format on their website. Click in this link or the picture below to download your free copy.  A great way of sharing experiences through the Internet !

Despite of being written by a leadswinger adept 😉
Highly Recommended !

The Case for the Cruising Trimaran

Fram’s website has a tracker. Except that it counts visitors it can also see where the visitors come from, especially through which external link. This is often my starting point when surfing the Internet and brings me to unexpected but very interesting places. There are thousands of forums on the Internet, but if they are talking about me and incorperate a link it is usually visible through the tracker and I can secretly read along where the discussions go, at least when I can understand the language (which is sometimes impossible with the Asian, Russian or East European languages).  I can assure you this is a very nice time passing.

Some time ago in one of these forum discussions there was a reference to an old book called “The Case for the Cruising Trimaran” by Jim Brown. This classic book is now back in print. Since this book was first published in 1979 I thought it would be much too old fashioned, nothing for me. However, when reading the author’s preface to this third edition I thought it is maybe worth to have a look at it and the price for the paperback is very reasonable so I ordered a copy at Amazone.

How wrong one can be!  This is a must read for every multihull aficionado and certainly the one with serious off shore ambitions. Jim Brown blends personal stories with technical information about these fast vessels, and shows why multihull pioneers in the 20th century were sometimes referred to as the “Hells Angels of the Sea” and their boats called “Anti-yachts”.  Much of the book is dedicated to the subject of “capsizing,” and offers timeless wisdom on how it can be prevented. There is even a chapter about “self-rescue,” and a technique for how a capsized vessel can be righted. Multihullers in general (and trimaran lovers in particular) will discover Jim Brown’s sailing philosophy and walk away with a thorough understanding of the features and benefits offered in well-designed and properly handled cruising trimarans.

Highly recommended !! I’ve read this book in one breath, despite the fact that there are some new insights nowadays. With the timeframe in mind that can’t be a problem and makes the author even more charming.