A word from the Editor
I’ve been lucky enough to read some fabulous sailing books in my time. My father’s bookshelves were lined with many classics from the likes of Slocum, Chichester and Knox-Johnston. These are epic tales of heroism on the high seas – of ocean pioneers who set sail while those on the dockside shook their heads and stroked their beards. They are part of a wonderful canon of sailing literature, but they are not the books I return to again and again. The category that does it for me is another kind of pioneer, but with more modest ambitions. I love to read the exploits of cruising sailors who went to sea in small boats with no loftier ambition than to go cruising.
The periods immediately after both wars were particularly fertile for this sort of modest tale. Francis B Cooke ‘s Practical Yachting Hints is a wonderful collection of letters as if from a godfather to godson, guiding him on his first East Coast cruises. George Millar is another great from this era.
These were the days when you’d leave the City on a Friday night, take the train to wherever your boat was moored, sail for the weekend, leave the boat entrusted to a local boatman and catch the train back to the City for another working week. The boats were small and simple, but often had sweet lines and a sensible sail plan.
There were no Yachtmaster courses and sailors learned the hard way. Going aground was de rigeur and the occasional sinking was all part of the fun. There was an innocence and a joy that we have lost in the age of VHF, GPS and GRP.
At Wiley Nautical we take pride in sharing a little of the ocean pioneers’ heritage. The collection of Sir Robin’s best writing – Knox-Johnston On Sailing – was published last year and was a Christmas bestseller. Gipsy Moth Sails Again is a fascinating tale of how a national icon was saved from the scrap heap, sailed round the world once more and almost lost on a Pacific reef.
One title that captures the best of all types of nautical writing is Amazing Sailing Stories. It’s a wonderfully eclectic selection of sailing stories compiled by Dick Durham. There’s a tale to suit all tastes, with the range covering tall ships and pocket cruisers, epic races and tales of ghostly goings on at sea.
From creek crawling to world girdling, there’s a book and a boat for us all.
Miles Kendall
Editor, Wiley Nautical Books
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