Basic sailing skills Canadian Yachting Association’s White Sail Manual (the first book in their Learn to Sail series). Covers terminology, safety, points of sail, and basic boat handling. Written for dinghy sailors.
The Canadian Yachting Association’s White Sail Manual, part of their Learn to Sail series, covers essential sailing skills, including terminology, safety, points of sail, and basic boat handling. It is tailored for dinghy sailors.
Originally written in 1974 by Don Giffin, an active instructor and Albacore racing competitor, the manual was used by 30,000 sailors over seventeen years to grasp sailing terminology and theory. In 1990, the CYA’s Learn to Sail Committee decided to update the manual to reflect changes in sailing.
Sven Donaldson, a sailing writer based in Vancouver, was commissioned by the Canadian Sailing Association to create the new version. Sven has authored other sailing books and numerous articles in publications such as Pacific Yachting Magazine, Sail, and Cruising World. In this manual, he simplifies terminology to enhance readers’ hands-on appreciation of sailing.
Cedric Burger, a CYA senior sailing instructor and architecture student at the University of British Columbia, created the illustrations. These illustrations offer a level of detail rarely seen in other sailing instructional books, making it easier for learners to understand the step-by-step progression of skills like tacking or gybing.
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