Further Offshore: A Practical Guide for Sailors

This practical guide to offshore sailing will appeal to all those sailors who have honed their skills as day sailors, racers and coastal sailors and who are now planning to go further and become bluewater sailors. Who doesn’t dream of sailing to the Caribbean or the San Juan Islands, making landfall in Bermuda or Tahiti, crossing the Atlantic and exploring the Med, or even circumnavigating the globe? Ed Mapes, a USCG certified Master Mariner, sailing instructor and delivery skipper, has distilled his years of sailing and sail training experience in this book. From his many seminars at boat shows and training cruises he knows not only what the basics are but also what questions are most frequently asked. Here, he takes us from practical and psychological preparation to equipping your boat, navigation skills, heavy weather and eventually landfall. In addition, he covers dozens of other topics such as the safety and education of children aboard, how to deal with medical problems and what to expect when the Coast Guard boards your vessel.By taking you further offshore with skill and confidence this book will get you closer to the bluewater cruise of a lifetime.

Ed Mapes is a licensed USCG Master Mariner and founder of Voyager Ocean Passages. His experience includes offshore yacht deliveries, racing, and cruising. He is a Certified Sailing Instructor for the American Sailing Association, and provides voyage planning consultations. The author of Ready to Sail, soon to be reissued by Sheridan House; he is also a frequent lecturer at boat shows and contributor to several sailing magazines. He lives in McKinney, Texas.