Hand, Reef And Steer [Paperback]

Tom Cunliffe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 2005

In Hand, Reef and Steer - winner of the Best Book of the Sea Award - Tom explains the different sailing characteristics of classic craft and shares his grasp of the special skills required to handle them. Specifically, he shares step by step advice on setting up the rig; sail handling skills - hoisting, setting and reefing working sails; heavy and light air sailing; maneuvering a long-keel boat and dealing with heavy displacement; losing way, scandalizing and steering with sails; topsails, watersails, single-luff spinnakers and fisherman staysails and much, much more. Hand, Reef and Steer with its wonderful watercolor drawings and atmospheric photos will delight all who love the unique character and grace of classic craft.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Author Tom Cunliffe has run his own gaffers all over the world, and his Hand, Reef & Steer: Traditional Sailing Skills For Classic Boats is one of the best guides to handling the classic sailboat. From handling sails and adjusting for heavy and light air sailing to different types of sails and their special requirements, Hand, Reef and Steer is packed with specific advice based on decades of experience. --Midwest Book Review

If you're fascinated with traditional vessels, this is the book for you. It describes in great detail the different characteristics of classic craft and the skills required to handle them. Step by step advice includes setting up the rig, sail handling, maneuvering and much more. --Latitudes & Attitudes

If you dream of sailing a classically rigged vessel, let author Tom Cunliffe guide you through the intricacies...ith delightful watercolors and photographs that evoke the grace of classic sailing, Hand, Reef and Steer is a joyful step back in time. --The Ensign

About the Author

Tom Cunliffe has voyaged in his own gaffers all over the world. He now owns a 20-ton gaff cutter, WESTERMAN, built in 1997, which he sails with his family. He writes regularly for Cruising World and other magazines, and has written 22 books, including Topsail and Battleaxe, Cunliffe on Cruising, and The Complete Yachtsmaster, now in its fourth edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 174 pages
• Publisher: Sheridan House; Reprint edition (January 30, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574092030
• ISBN-13: 978-1574092035
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #493,332 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A source for how-to and review of the gaff rig. Very good., October 21, 1998

By 

Wayne Saewyc ([e-mail]) (Viking, MN, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hand, Reef and Steer: Traditional Sailing Skills for Classic Boats (Hardcover)

Mr. Cunliffe is a good writer, and spins a fine yarn. In _Hand, Reef, and Steer_ he does a fine job of explaining the theory of the gaff rig, and most importantly he gives a hands-on review of how to make the rig work.

To say he's written the final word, a perfect work, would be stretching things a lot. This book deals almost exclusively with East-Coast English vessels, with only minor nods to Scandinavian and American developments and variations and none to other rigs. A personal plaint is the short shrift given to the una, cat, rig. The book concentrates on the cutter rig, for very good reasons, but the cat has some special considerations which are not discussed.

Over all, I have not found any other book with as good a description of how to get the rig up and pulling.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get it while you can, December 4, 2003

By 

Ryan McNabb (Ooltewah, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hand Reef and Steer (Paperback)

This and the other great book on gaff rig, Leather's "Gaff Rig Handbook" seem to take turns being unobtainable. Grab both while you have the chance. Cunliffe's is the easier of the two to read, with more modern illustrations and color photographs. The text is not so dense, not so richly detailed, but don't sell it short - it contains a tremendous amount of information. Cunliffe covers all the bases, explaining why gaff rig is so incredibly practical, efficient, and safe, why it was so highly thought of, what led to its demise. He covers all aspects of sailing, sail handling, heavy weather tactics, all in a highly readable and enjoyable style. This is a user's manual for working gaff rig, one that will make you ache to be out there. Plus, hopefully, it will lead to the building or restoration of more gaff rigged sailboats, which can only make the world a better place.

If you are new to gaff rig and want to rapidly become a hopeless devotee, then get Cunliffe. Once you are a lost soul and there's no hope for you, get Leather to fill in all the detail you'll be thirsting for.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A valuable source for gaff rig..., August 11, 2000

By 

Yalcin Savas (FOCA, IZMIR Turkey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hand, Reef and Steer: Traditional Sailing Skills for Classic Boats (Hardcover)

I was traying to design a gaff rig for my boat and seeking for sources which were very few about gaff rig. Then, on the "spartalk" of Brion Toss's web page, Brion has advised me this book including a couple of others indicating the Cunliffe's book as the best. About two weeks later following my order through the Amazon's web page, a sac containing the book delivered to me and it was one of the happiest days in my life. It was the first book I had on gaff rig and I used it a lot for designnig the sail plan and rigging of my boat. It does not only provide the gaf rig details on the running and standing rigging, spars and sails, it also gives many valuable technics on how to handle a gaff rigged boat. I can only criticise that the book is mainly depended on cutter though the other sail plans are briefly given and even about cutter, alternatives arrangements are not discussed. On the other hand, given drawings are very well prepared and very detailed. I can advice this book to every one who seek information about gaff rig and sailing with a gaff rigged boat. But if you have to invest only one book you may find more variable information on Letter's Gaff Rig Hand Book.