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Rating: 
Summary: A must for sailboat racing
Review: This is a terrific instructional text for the beginning sailor and racer, and graphically updates the expert on the ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing new for the 2001 quadrennium. The heart of this manual is Willis taking you around the race course in a separate chapter for each stage, from before the start, around the marks, and to post race protests. Each stage is quite thoroughly explored, illustrating in clear diagrams many likely situations of potential conflict between boats. For each situation Willis puts you in each boat in turn and tells you, with a touch of humor, what you each can (or must not) do, in order to avoid collision or protest. He points out that knowing the rules of sailing gives you the advantage against someone less certain of their applicability. My copy has 111 pages and is from Fernhurst Books, U.K. It is written in a succinct, clear, and engaging manner. One fault is that the signal flags are not shown in color. And of course Willis' interpretations are not officially sanctioned! Some say this is the best instruction in the Racing Rules of Sailing (whose official text appears only at the end). Or if your only contact with competitive sailing is to watch the America's Cup on TV, this book is like a spectator's manual for appreciating the basic or fine points of the tactical maneuvering you witness.
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