Synopses & Reviews
Championship Tactics is the tactical manual for the racing sailor. This comprehensive volume contains lessons from decades of world-class competition.
Gary Jobson was a collegiate champion and raced in three America's Cup campaigns, twice as Ted Turner's tactician and once with Tom Blackaller. Tom Whidden called the tactics in three of the America's Cup matches he sailed with Dennis Conner. Now the authors have put experience gained at the top in a format that racers of single-handed dinghies or maxi boats can use.
Championship Tactics melds expert advice with a rich collection of anecdotes from the greatest races of our time. The book also contains well-diagrammed professional secrets (there are over 150 illustrations) that even the Wednesday-night club racer will enjoy.
Topics include: starts and finishes; upwind, reaching, and downwind legs; mark roundings; steering; handling varied winds and waves; boat speed; tactical electronic instruments; the psychology of racing; key racing rules; and protests. "Local knowledge" of racing conditions from Long Beach to Long Island has been gleaned from a survey of regional experts. The book also covers how to gather vital information on conditions before a race, and how to record what you've learned.
The result is the most complete guide of its kind, by sailors ideally equipped to reveal state-of-the-art techniques.
Review
"If you want to know the 'how tos' of sailing tactics, as told by two of the best, read
Championship Tactics. The big-time gossip and sailing tricks alone are worth the price."--William C. Martin, president, United States Yacht Racing Union
"This book really can help you sail better at all levels of competition. With good illustrations, weather tips, sail shape advice, and an inside look at the most sophisticated racecourse maneuvering, Championship Tactics is a must for both casual and dead serious racers."--Bruce Kirby, designer of the Laser
"If you're ready to race and win, this book will take you there. Read it carefully, use what Tom and Gary suggest, and your standings will improve."--Ed Baird, J24 and Laser world champion, author, professional sailor
Synopsis
Championship Tactics gives expert advice in a collection of stories from the greatest sailing races of recent decades, and includes profusely diagrammed professional secrets that even the Wednesday-night club racer can use. All boat racers will benefit from this professional collection of tips!
About the Author
America's Cup champion
Gary Jobson has won the Liberty Cup three times, and is a two-time College Sailor of the Year. He has covered America's Cup and professional racing for ESPN, Olympic sailing for NBC (Emmy Award), and has nine books to his credit. Jobson is the host of "Sailing Quarterly" video magazine.
Tom Whidden has sailed in three winning America's Cup campaigns, and is the president of North Sails. He is the author, with Michael Levitt, of The Art and Science of Sails (St. Martin's Press).
Adam Loory is general manager of UK International Sailmakers. He sailed aboard a class-winning entry in the 1989 Tran-Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, and actively races inshore as well. He covered the 1987 America's Cup for USA Today. Loory has been editor for Sailing World and other major yachting publications.