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Grant McNamara
- Advantages
At around 118,000 words it’s easy to read in short bursts. The chapters are brief, broken into tidy sections, and the occasional diagram helps. You can read it cover to cover or dip into specific topics as needed.
- Disadvantages
As I read, I couldn’t decide whether this was meant to be a manual, a buying guide, a supplement to a training course, or an attempt to update the classic cruising texts — the Dashews, Hiscock, Don Street, and the like. I’m not convinced the author knew either.
- Comment
Take the section on vessel architecture. Keel types are reduced to two categories — encapsulated or bolted — with only a couple of sentences on keel shapes. There’s no depth, and the section doesn’t genuinely inform the reader. I found this typical of most of the technical material: broad, superficial, and lacking rigour.
There are good moments. The section on crew selection shows James at his best: straightforward, pragmatic, and grounded in real experience. The material on the first days of a voyage is also genuinely useful.
If I were editing, I’d drop Section 2 (The Boat), Section 3 (Rigs and Sails), and Section 5 (Anchoring). They could form the basis of a separate, more focused book.
There are also gaps. James has a young family, yet there’s only a single page on sailing with children. He does offer a free e book on that topic, but this only reinforces the sense that the main book lacks a clear audience or purpose. It’s a mish mash, and for me a disappointing purchase. As an avid follower of Sailing Zingaro, I expected much more.
