Around the Buoys: A Manual of Sailboat Racing Tactics and Strategy (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The first step in a successful racing program is a close look at your equipment, and for the sailor, the basic piece of equipment is..." (more)
Key Phrases: clearing tack, jibe mark, favored tack, America's Cup, Lake Geneva (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

No other recreation combines so many elements--speed, tactics, strategy, timing, execution--and penalizes a failure in any one of these so brutally as sailboat racing. Successful racing depends on putting all elements together, and the winning mix changes with each new leg of the race. Around the Buoys looks at the racecourse leg by leg, buoy rounding by buoy rounding, gathering together the relevant strategic, tactical, boatspeed, and rule considerations where they apply, and showing how they interrelate. Each chapter ends with a question-and-answer section that targets the concerns of beginners. This logically and holistically organized manual is both a primer and a refresher for racing sailors that covers both one-design and handicap racing.

About the Author

McGraw-Hill authors represent the leading experts in their fields and are dedicated to improving the lives, careers, and interests of readers worldwide

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition (April 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070308179
• ISBN-13: 978-0070308176
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,086,081 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Basic does not have to mean "little content", January 9, 2001

By	Christopher W. Kennedy (Charlottesville, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Around the Buoys" intends to be a primer on basic racing tactics.

It is written as a narrative. I think that a more succinct format with diagrams and bullet point lists of tactical considerations and options would be more helpful for learning. Certainly nothing would be lost. A narrative format seems more appropriate for Walker, Melges, and Perry as they are covering advanced tactics, competitive psychology, and tuning.

It does not have very much content. Even if one were to distill the tactical knowledge from the book, there would not be much.

"Performance Racing Tactics" by Bill Gladstone offered by North Sails is superior in its presentation and content for beginner racers. It also covers some more advanced topics, and would be valuable even to an accomplished racer.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ideal for one-design racers in need of solid fundamentals., October 18, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Long Island Sound) - See all my reviews

This is the book Walker should have written. Huck takes you through a day's race in orderly and intellignet steps. I've been racing one-designs for many years and found this to be a very good reminder and tactical and strategic piece that has helped me quite a bit. A definite buy.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars some confusion, October 1, 2000

By	Doug Goldenberg (OR USA) - See all my reviews

Pretty good, but there are some concepts that are not explained in a very clear way. Particularly, wind shifts. There are various explanations of playing the shifts throughout the book, based on the idea of predictiing shifts and acting accordingly, but they are often rather mysterious. Also, some ideas are outdated due to rules changes. A new, improved edition would be great.