Nautical Tales by Lloyd Corkum

Sailing for Everyone
A practical guide to the sailing of small boats for the novice of any age
By Simon Watts
Wooden Boat Books
ISBN: 1-934-982-01-6
6 x 9, 88 pages with colour illustrations
Paperback, $12.95

With a summer home on Middle Island, near Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Sailing for Everyone began as a guide for family members and friends, but gradually evolved into a basic primer on small-boat sailing. As author Simon Watts writes, the book is a “product of the adventures and misadventures we have had over the years.” Because of that, the book is written with Nova Scotia conditions as background, so tailored for us in this region, which is ideal.

Watts begins with the basics. To learn to sail you obviously need a sailboat, 10 to 16 feet in length with two sails, a mainsail and a jib. The style of boat is not important, however, it should be equipped with both sails and oars, so you can take the sail down and row home if you find yourself in difficulty. He explains basic boat vocabulary, which he suggests you memorize. Not knowing what to call parts of a boat is not only not helpful, but downright dangerous in an emergency situation.

Chapters include About the Wind; Too Much Wind – reefing and other heavy-weather tactics; Arrivals and Departures – landing on docks and beaches, picking up moorings, dropping anchors and all that; Securing Boats – making boats fast to fixed and floating docks, moorings, anchors, piers and other craft; When Things Go Wrong ¬– safety afloat, running aground, capsizing, broken gear and other misadventures; Rules of the Maritime Road – rights-of-way, charts, aids to navigation, tides and fog; Knots, Splices and Whippings; Language of the Sea –¬ words and phrases used by sea folk, ancient and modern; and Sources – books, magazines, charts, tide tables and more, including good reads for young people.

There’s also a quiz, “What would you do if…?” with 21 different scenarios you may encounter while sailing. This is useful as it makes you think and apply your learnings. For example, you are sailing on a broad reach and overtaking a small powerboat. They haven’t seen you. Should you yell at them to get out of the way, or what? Not difficult to answer if you’re a seasoned sailor, but a good question for a novice to consider.

A furniture maker, boat builder, sailor and teacher, Watts’ patience and experience come through in the text. The style is clear, friendly, easy to read and understand, with all sections well explained for the novice of any age. Simple, yet effective illustrations (many drawn by the author himself) accompany the text, illustrating techniques and objects. Sailing for Everyone is very much a practical guide to learning to sail, explaining the basics to get you out on the water and back to the dock, safely, while putting you at ease doing so.

May you always have a fair wind have and a following sea.