Short-Handed Sailing

Alastair Buchan

Fernhurst

£16.99

Alastair Buchan’s ‘broad church’ concept of short-handed sailing includes the single competent crew member in a boatload of seasick novices and the half of a couple whose attention is not devoted to childcare as well as the inveterate ocean loner. He focuses on the practical issues of passage planning and boat handling, including many useful checklists and inculcating an outlook ‘where safety depends on paying attention to small risks’. These include malnutrition, hypothermia and fatigue. Buchan’s section on sleep management is especially interesting and his explanation of circadian rhythms illuminates his incisive discussion of watch-keeping: ‘Staying on watch for 24 hours is possible but it is not clever.’ An articulate, well-written guide with plenty of tips gleaned from experience.