World Cruising Essentials: The Boats, Gear, and Practices That Work Best at Sea »

Jimmy Cornell is the guru of long-distance sailors. Having sailed 150,000 miles in his own boats and completed two circumnavigations, he was the first author to tackle the problems of world cruising in a systematic way. His wide-ranging surveys conducted among cruising yachts in all the oceans of the world have dealt with every aspect of voyaging under sail and have proved an invaluable source of advice and reference for long-distance cruisers worldwide.

Jimmy Cornell is the acknowledged authority on world cruising, and his two companion volumes, World Cruising Routes and World Cruising Handbook, are international best-sellers.

Over a period of 15 years Jimmy Cornell organized a range of offshore sailing rallies, including 27 transatlantic rallies and 5 round-the-world rallies, enabling thousands of sailors to fulfill their dream of bluewater sailing.

"No one should think of setting off around the world without first consulting Jimmy Cornell's works."—Practical Boat Owner

World Cruising Essentials is a unique book that presents a comprehensive overview of the current world cruising scene.

Based primarily on data Jimmy Cornell has collected during his 15 years as organizer of 27 transatlantic and 5 round-the-world rallies, as well as his own circumnavigations, this book distills the experiences of over 15,000 rally sailors who collectively have sailed 18 million miles, as well as the views of thousands of other sailors worldwide. It is this collective knowledge and consensus viewpoint that distinguish this book from other cruising handbooks, most of which present only their author's opinions and experiences.

World Cruising Essentials examines trends and changes that have taken place in the world cruising scene since its forerunner volume, World Cruising Survey, was published in 1989. It explores all areas of interest to anyone making preparations for an offshore voyage. The size and type of boats, equipment installed, electrics and electronic gear, practical aspects of life afloat, communications, formalities worldwide and the human aspects of cruising are all considered, and frequently asked questions addressed.

World Cruising Essentials includes a wealth of practical advice and information for all long-distance cruisers and will be welcomed by the cruising community for its invaluable insight.

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. From Dream to Reality: Offshore Cruising Yachts TodaySize; Draft; Multihulls; Displacement; Construction material; Safety; Interior; Essential features2. The Driving Force: Rig, Rigging and SailsRig; Sails; Furling gear; The ideal mainsail; Conclusions3. Power to the People: Diesel Engines, Optimum Power and ReliabilityOptimum power; Fuel; Propellers; Reliability; Breakages4. Gearing Up for a Blue Water Voyage: Ancillary Equipment for Offshore CruisingAutopilots; Windvanes; Outboard engines; Tenders; Ground tackle; Additional equipment5. Taking the Guessing out of Navigation: Satellite Navigation, Electronics and InstrumentationSatellite navigation; Radar; Electronic charts and plotters6. Keeping in Touch: E-mail, Radio and Satellite CommunicationsMarine radios; Amateur radios; E-mail; The internet; Satellite communications; Cellular telephones; Conclusions7. Dancing in the Moonlight: Offshore Routines—Watchkeeping, Electricity Generation and ConsumptionWatchkeeping; Lights at night; Electricity consumption and generation; Conclusions8. Give Us Our Daily Bread: Provisioning, Refrigeration and WaterProvisioning; Water and watermakers; Refrigeration; Cooking fuel; Diving; Fishing; Photography9. Better Safe than Sorry: Piracy, Firearms, Collisions, Abandoning ShipThe unknown; Piracy; Onboard safety; Firearms; Collisions; Abandoning ship; Conclusions10. Only the Wind Is Free: The Practical Side of the Cruising LifeFinances; Cruising in stages; Pets; Conclusions11. The Human Factor: Psychological Aspects of Life AfloatTaking on crew; Crew size; Cruising couples; The age factor; Cruising with children; Expectations; Conclusions12. The Female Angle: Women Have Their Say in the Sailing Women SurveyThe decision to go; Division of labour; Onboard chores; Emergencies; Life afloat; Advice to women/men13. What Can Go Wrong? Medical Emergencies and Equipment FailuresSeasickness; Medical emergencies; First aid; Medicine chest; Equipment breakages; Lessons to others14. Where on Earth Are They Sailing? Worldwide Yacht Movement and StatisticsNorth Atlantic; Mediterranean Sea; South Atlantic; North Pacific; South Pacific; Indian Ocean; Current trends15. Looking into a Crystal Ball: Global Cruising Survey on the Future of CruisingAppendices1. List of surveys, 1978 – 20022. Table of skippers in the Global Cruising Survey, details of their current yachts, and essential features of their ideal yachts3. Recommended medicine chest (Peter Noble)4. Millennium Odyssey outline and breakages report5. Description of Aventura IIIIndex