High Performance Sailing: Faster Racing Techniques

Bethwaite is extremely knowledgeable. The book explains what, how, why, where and when certain weather patterns occur in detail that the reader can understand. Then continues to give tips to the helmsman and crew what to do in these conditions. I haven't gotten to part 2 yet where he talks about how to handle the boat for maximum VMG around the race course in the different conditions. A little background in fluid dynamics is helpful but not necessary.I would very highly recommend this book to any sailboat racer, at any level, who would want to advance their skills and knowledge on and off the racecourse!

Incredible book for learning about weather and high speed sailing. Not for beginners by any means, but extremely interesting if you've been sailing for years and want to take you sail trim and racing to the next level

Concise, but covers a broad range of topics. Well worth reading for racers at any level. I highly recommend it.

This was a gift to my son who is a sailor. It was on his wish list. He started reading it the moment he opened it up. I guess good tips on how to be a better, and faster sailor.

Great update to an already great book

First things first... This is not a book for beginners. There is precisely nothing in here that will teach you how to sail a boat. This is meant for people who want to race, but it's also a treasure trove of information for anyone who wants to improve their sailing game.The breadth of this book borders on biblical. It covers ALL of the topics that are relevant to sailing and racing in exhaustive detail, and it back it up with decades of collaborative research that have developed: How to read the wind and how to predict it, racing strategy, how sails work, how sails are trimmed, the slow speed aerodynamics of sails and foils, etc, etc, etc...On the downside, it's not easy to read and requires a lot of flipping back and forth between pages to reference very busy graphics in order to understand the concepts being explained. But to be fair, I can't think of another way this could be done in book format.If you're serious about sailing, this book is a must-have. Most of the information here just isn't available anywhere else, much less cross-referenced with other topics.

the book is great for a person who has never been on a boat before.

Dry, somewhat disorganized, but if you stick with it, it provides some incredible insights. Think of it as getting your masters in sailboat racing -- not easy, but worth it.

Bethwaite's voice is clear and direct. His anecdotes are brilliant and instructive. His experiments are clever and well-thought out. I am only a third of the way through this book, but I have already expanded my understanding by an order of magnitude.

Selten hat mich ein Buch über's Segeln so fasziniert ... und selten habe ich so viel Neues gelernt. Wer wirklich verstehen will, wie schnelle Boote funktionieren und wie man sie optimal segelt, ist mit dem Buch bestens bedient. Es ist allerdings keine einfache Lektüre - eher ein faszinierendes Fachbuch.

For the student of yacht racing not the quick fix. Incredibly detailed. This is degree level education: the wiring diagram not the user manual. But once the head is round it all I have noticed a distinct improvment in boatspeed due to better appreciation of sail setting.

Great! The definitive book on the science of sailing. Perhaps a little too technical for initiates but great for those who already sail and want to do it faster and better.

In-depth and technical. This is not a light read but covers areas the average sailor doesn't even start to think about.