Overview
Main description
"Doris Colgate knows what women want. Well-known as a sailing role model and a confident yet gentle teacher, she writes with clarity on even the most complex sailing concepts, as well as answering often-asked questions on the safety, comfort, and social sides of sailing. Sailing: A Woman's Guide pulls it all together for the beginning sailor. Finally, an excellent book for women that both teaches and motivates. Bravo, Doris. You've opened up the sport."
--Bernadette Peters, editorial director, Cruising World
"It took a person with her fingers on the pulse of women aspiring to sail to write this book, and that person is clearly Doris Colgate. Sailing: A Woman's Guide is as much a source book as empowerment to women the world over desiring to become sailors."
--Micca Leffingwell Hutchins, editor of SailNet
"An excellent introduction to the sport of sailing. It will undoubtedly encourage many women to try this challenging, noncontact activity while enjoying the great outdoors."--Betsy Alison, Four-time Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year
"This new series is designed to teach outdoor skills to women in the way they learn. . . . Women of all ages describe how they overcame obstacles, what they enjoyed most, or just how they felt about undertaking a new activity . . . extremely well done and appealing."
--Library Journal (starred review)
Table of contents
AcknowledgmentsIntroductionChapter 1: Women and SailingA great fit for womenWhy are women drawn to sailing?Women who sailChapter 2: How to Get StartedChoose a sailing schoolWhat to expect on your first dayNormal apprehensionStep aboardHow does it feel?Chapter 3: Getting Comfortable with SailingSailor talkHow a sailboat is measuredWhat makes a sailboat stable?How sails are held up and controlledHow to talk about sailsBasic sailboat movesTaking a sailboat through its pacesChapter 4: How to Sail Away and Return with EaseRig and hoist the sailsGetting underwaySailing at lastHomeward boundChapter 5: Using the WindIdentifying wind directionSetting your sails upwind and downwindMaking the boat react to youPowering down for comfort and controlWhen you go agroundCrew-overboard recoveryChapter 6: Preparing Yourself and the BoatClothing for comfortable sailingDiet and sailingLifesaving equipmentCommunication with other boats and with shoreElectrical hazardsWhen a shroud or stay breaksKnots and line handlingChapter 7: Smart SailingWhy sail shape is importantThe shape of speedWeather and windWind shifts and how to use themUse of crew weight and placementChapter 8: Navigation Rules and TechniquesKnow the rulesThe basic steps of navigationTides and currentsChapter 9: Tips for Sailing with EasePractice, practice, practiceExercises for sailingPersonal mattersKeep on sailingChapter 10: ResourcesIndex
Author comments
Doris Colgage has been a sailor for over 30 years. She is president of Offshore Sailing School and of the National Women's Sailing Association. Besides thousands of miles of worldwide bluewater cruising experience, she has sailed in many international races, including the Bermuda Race, Antigua Race Weeks, Cowes Weeks, and the Fastnet Race. She also produced the video Take the Helm: Women and the Sailing Lifestyle.
Back cover copy
"Doris Colgate takes as a premise that most women approach learning to sail differently from men, and I think she's right. In Sailing: A Woman's Guide, Doris uses her considerable experience to encourage, excite and educate women in sailing and to show them how their
inherent female qualities are those sailors need. Written in clear, but accessible language, Doris's book will help women to start sailing or to hone the skills they already have."
--Patience Wales, Editor, SAIL
A Woman's Guide to Sailing--by one of the preeminent women sailors on the water
"When I started this book, the women I talked with said, "Wow, that's great! Finally someone is talking to us." So says Doris Colgate, author of this unique guide for women.
For women who want a calm, thorough introduction to sailing, Colgate offers the key. She'll teach you the skills and tricks of seasoned women sailors. Contrary to nautical myth, you needn't be an onboard gorilla or a
22-year-old. Mechanical advantage and woman-smart sailing skills will do the job.
The key to becoming confident, comfortable, and in control of your boat is learning how to handle the boat in every situation. Sailing: A Woman's Guide makes the elements of this exhilarating sport clear and comprehensible:
Sail handling--make the boat go where you want it to go, not where it wants to go. Wind and weather--recognize, anticipate, and handle different conditions. Dealing with healing, seasickness, and other challenges. Crewing for others--what to expect, what not to put up with. Navigation and piloting basics, knots, and safety rules. Handle your crew--family or friends--with the confidence of command. Take it to the next level--racing and getting the last knot of speed out of your sails, and cruising the world under sail.
This book is packed with photos, clear instructions and diagrams, and sea advice from other women sailors. Colgate loves sailing, and her years of conducting sailing courses for women give her keen insight into the learning styles that work best for women. Says Colgate: "Go sailing, however you choose to do it. You'll discover a new world--and a new you!
