by JJ and Peter Isler Sailing FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2ND EDITION 01_791431 ffirs.qxp 4/28/06 7:25 PM Page i 01_791431 ffirs.qxp 4/28/06 7:25 PM Page i by JJ and Peter Isler Sailing FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2ND EDITION 01_791431 ffirs.qxp 4/28/06 7:25 PM Page i Sailing For Dummies®, 2nd Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 www.wiley.com Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permit- ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600. 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Library of Congress Control Number: 2006922471 ISBN-13: 978-0-471-79143-0 ISBN-10: 0-471-79143-1 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 2B/RX/QV/QW/IN 01_791431 ffirs.qxp 4/28/06 7:25 PM Page ii About the Authors JJ and Peter Isler have been sailing for most of their lives. JJ grew up around boats in San Diego, California, learning to sail in a little 7-foot dinghy called a Sabot. Peter started out loving powerboats and fishing (boys can be so strange!), but took up sailing after his family moved to Connecticut when he was 13 years old. The Islers are well known throughout the world of sailing as top competitors and teachers. They both have taught sailing to people of all ages and experi- ences. Peter played an important, early role in developing US Sailing’s educa- tional program. He also coached at the Olympic level and helped found the American Sailing Association, which accredits sailing schools and certifies sailors and instructors. Peter has twice won the America’s Cup, serving as navigator aboard Stars & Stripes with Dennis Conner in 1987 and 1988. An accomplished small-boat sailor, Peter was Intercollegiate Sailor of the Year while at Yale University. He was the top-ranked U.S. sailor on the professional match-racing circuit for five years and has won many of the world’s major ocean races, including the Bermuda Race and the Transpac (where he navigated Morning Glory to an elapsed time record in 2005). Peter has also been very active in the media. In the 1990s, he shifted his America’s Cup energies to television, where he was a featured analyst in ESPN’s Emmy Award–winning Cup coverage in 1992 and 1995. More recently, he covered sailing for the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), including its coverage of the 2003 America’s Cup. He is the author of several books on the sport and is presently Editor at Large of Sailing World magazine. In his spare time, Peter enjoys playing guitar and keyboard with his band, The Water Brothers. JJ is the only American female (so far) to have won two Olympic medals in sailing, and she is the first female inductee in the Sailing World Hall of Fame. With crew member Pamela Healy, JJ won the Bronze Medal in the Women’s 470 class in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. In the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, she and crew member Pease Glaser won the Silver. JJ is a four-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year (in 1986, 1991, 1997, and 2000) and has won three World Championships and numerous national titles. She was the first female to compete in a number of events on the international match- racing circuit. And in 1995 she was the tactician and starting helmsman for the America3 Women’s America’s Cup team. She graduated from Yale University where she was captain of the sailing team and a collegiate All- American. The Islers reside in San Diego with their two daughters, Marly and Megan, their two cats, two chickens, five fish, eight boats, numerous sailboards, and a lot of miscellaneous sailboat parts that Peter plans on using someday. 01_791431 ffirs.qxp 4/28/06 7:25 PM Page iii Dedication To our daughters, Marly and Megan. Authors’ Acknowledgments We first want to thank our two daughters who were so patient (and helpful) through this revision — and thanks to the wonderful Francis Parker School that is teaching them to enjoying learning about so many things. Our friend (and famous author of several For Dummies titles and lead guitarist in Peter’s band) Peter Economy encouraged us to do this second edition revision and provided plenty of advice along the way. Josh Adams and John Burnham helped us find our great illustrator, Michael Boardman. Mike Dorgan provided his experience and insight in the process of buying a boat (see Chapter 20). And Urban Miyares shared his expertise on sailing with disabilities. Harry Munns stepped up to provide his services as technical editor. Harry has the qualifications to write any book about sailing, so we’re really lucky to have his help here. And our friends at IMG Literary have remained consistently professional and ever helpful since day one, when we wrote the proposal for the first edition. We are very proud of the first edition of Sailing For Dummies and the success it achieved, but we want to thank Tracy Boggier, Joyce Pepple, our project editor Chad Sievers, and the rest of the Wiley’s For Dummies team that worked so hard on helping us produce this new-and-improved second edition. One of the things we’re most pleased of in this second edition is the new art- work and photographs. And we definitely needed a little help from our friends to get the photos that we wanted. So in no particular order, our heartfelt thanks go to Mike Boardman of Boardman Designs (for the updated illustra- tions); Andy Burdick and the team at Melges Performance Boats; Tim Wilkes, Keith and Nigel Musto, and their team at Musto Performance Clothing; Glenn Bourke and his team running the Volvo Ocean Race; Tom Carruthers and Whit Batchelor of J World San Diego; Lew Newlands and Offshore Challenges; Craig Leweck of Scuttlebutt (for loaning his camera to Peter when the perfect shot appeared one day while they were out sailing); Christine DeSimone and Sunsail; Nick White and his Expedition Software; and last but not least, up- and-coming sailing star, Emily Bohl. And finally, this book (and especially the first edition) never would have happened (at least not anywhere close to deadline) without the carpool and childcare support from JJ’s parents and our next-door neighbors, Jane and Tom Fetter. 01_791431 ffirs.qxp 4/28/06 7:25 PM Page iv We still appreciate the efforts of many people whose help with the first edi- tion still shines through in this edition, including Brad Dellenbaugh; Sally Samins, who shot the photos (and helped us find the ones we couldn’t shoot); and Jeff Johnson, who helped immensely, as did our neighbor Aine McLean (a great capsizing-photo model). Other people and organizations who helped with the first edition are Pat Healy, Doug Ament at H&S Yacht Sales, Geri Conser (for that great aerial photo of JJ and Pam), Billy Black, Kristen Lawton, Doug Skidmore, and Matt Miller — the folks at Hobie Cat, Jason Campbell, Tom Leweck, Cam Lewis, Skip Novak, Mark Reiter, Marty Ehrlich, Rich Roberts, Katie Poe, Dennis Conner, the San Diego Yacht Club, and the American Sailing Association. People who have played a key role in Peter’s education as a sailor and a teacher include his mother, Marilyn Isler Brunger; Ted Jones, who bent some rules at Norwalk (Connecticut) Yacht Club so Peter could join the junior sail- ing program; Kendrick Wilson; Tyler Keys; Tom Whidden; Richard Hokin; Stan Honey; Steve Benjamin; Dave Perry; Lenny Shabes; Robert Hopkins; Gary Jobson; and John Rousmaniere. JJ would like to thank her sailing instructors — Jack Wood, Mark and DeAnn Reynolds, and Dave Perry — for instilling an early and lasting love of the sport. Also, thanks to Pease Glaser, Pamela Healy, the U.S. Olympic Sailing Committee and her Olympic coaches, and Bill Koch for giving her the oppor- tunity to take her sailing to a higher level. Finally, we would like to thank you for your interest in “our” sport. May the wind always be at your back, and if it must come from ahead, may your sails be well shaped and trimmed in tight! Peter and JJ Isler La Jolla, California 01_791431 ffirs.qxp 4/28/06 7:25 PM Page v Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Project Editor: Chad R. Sievers (Previous Edition: Rev Mengle) Acquisitions Editor: Tracy Boggier Copy Editor: Melissa Wiley (Previous Edition: Christine Beck and Michael Simsic) Editorial Program Coordinator: Hanna K. Scott Technical Editor: Harry Munns Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker Editorial Assistant: Erin Calligan Cover Photos: © Southern Stock/Getty Images Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Illustrations: Mike Boardman (www.boardmandesign.com) Production Project Coordinator: Tera Knapp Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, Andrea Dahl, Stephanie D. Jumper, Lynsey Osborn, Alicia B. South, Julie Trippetti Proofreaders: Leeann Harney, Christy Pingleton, Techbooks Indexer: Techbooks Photo Credits: All photos by Sally Samins, except for the following: J World, San Diego, Figure 2-2 Tim Wilkes, www.timwilkes.com, Figures 11-4(b) and 13-3 Oskar Kihlborg/Volvo Ocean Race, Figures 7-2 and 13-5 Rich Roberts, Figure 13-4 Sunsail Sailing Vacations, www.sunsail. com, Figures 17-1 and 17-2 Benoit Stichelbaut/DPPI/Offshore Challenges Sailing Team, sidebar in Ch. 13 Peter Isler, Figures 3-1(c), 5-6, 8-7, 8-9, 9-5, sidebar in Ch. 9, 11-5, 15-6, 21-1, 21-2 Skip Novak, Figure 10-9 Hobie Cat Co., Figures 11-9 and 11-10 Geri Conser, Figure 13-2 Bob Grieser, sidebar in Ch. 16 Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services 01_791431 ffirs.qxp 4/28/06 7:25 PM Page vi Contents at a Glance Introduction .................................................................1 Part I: Before You Get Your Feet Wet .............................7 Chapter 1: Ready, Set, Go: Time to Start Sailing.............................................................9 Chapter 2: Knowing Where You Can Learn: Classes and Sailing Schools .................23 Chapter 3: Planning Ahead: What to Wear and What to Bring ...................................37 Chapter 4: Before You Leave the Dock ..........................................................................49 Part II: Casting Off and Sailing Away..........................77 Chapter 5: Going Sailing: Just the Basics, Please .........................................................79 Chapter 6: Leaving the Dock (And Coming Back)......................................................105 Chapter 7: Safety: One Hand for the Boat, One Hand for Yourself...........................125 Chapter 8: All about Weather: Red Sky at Night.........................................................153 Chapter 9: Navigation: Holding Your Course..............................................................171 Chapter 10: Anchors Away: Anchoring Your Boat .....................................................201 Part III: Sailing Fast: Taking Your Sailing to the Next Level ......................................................221 Chapter 11: The Need for Speed: Sailing Fast.............................................................223 Chapter 12: Trimming Your Sails for Speed ................................................................243 Chapter 13: Racing Sailboats: Going for the Gold ......................................................265 Part IV: Sailing Away for a Year and a Day................285 Chapter 14: Encountering Sailing Emergencies (And How to Handle Them).........287 Chapter 15: Caring for Your Craft.................................................................................305 Chapter 16: Cruising with Children..............................................................................323 Chapter 17: Chartering: Changes in Latitude..............................................................337 Chapter 18: Sailing Sailboards ......................................................................................347 Part V: The Part of Tens ............................................363 Chapter 19: Ten Nautical Knots and How to Tie Them .............................................365 Chapter 20: Ten Questions to Ask Yourself When Buying a Sailboat ......................375 Part VI: The Appendixes ............................................381 Index .......................................................................401 02_791431 ftoc.qxp 4/28/06 7:25 PM Page vii 02_791431 ftoc.qxp 4/28/06 7:25 PM Page viii