How Sails Are Made and Handled — With a Chapter on Racing Kinks

by Charles G. Davis

As a student of naval architecture and design, as well as being both a long distance and racing sailor, Charles Davis gathered a wealth of knowledge of how boats and sails are made and how they work in all wind conditions.

In this book he covers the sail materials of his day, the care of sails, the various sail designs and how they differ. His comments on jib and mainsail shapes and methods of trimming for best performance are as valuable today as they were a hundred years ago. His superb advice on reacting to weather, wind patterns, and land forms as they affect racing could make the difference between winning a regatta and dragging in with the last half.

Smyth-sewn softcover, 4 3/4" × 6", 155 pages. First published in 1922. Reprinted in 2006 as part of our Classic Reprint Series.