The next best thing to going sailing is reading about sailing, or so we think. Here are a few of our favourite sailing books and some that you might find useful to read before and during a RYA training Course with Salana Sailing.

---

	Reeds Skippers Handbook Malcolm Pearson This really is a ‘handy book’ is every sense of the work – handy, concise and one that I carry with me whenever I’m sailing. It covers many topics from navigation, colregs, weather, tides, seamanship. Explanations are very well written and well illustrated. Less than €10.
	Admiralty 5011 This publication from the UK Hydrographic Office contains a reference to all the symbols and information contained on an Admiralty Chart. Not the most exciting of reads but nonetheless it is extremely useful to have to hand when doing the shorebased RYA courses and essential to have aboard any yacht that uses Admiralty charts. €15 to €20.
	Day Skipper for Sail & Power Alison Noice As an accompaniment to the shorebased Day Skipper course this is a very useful book. Noice explains things in simple, familiar terms, unlike other authors of similar books. Updated in 2013 to include newer technologies such as AIS it covers all the elements of the shorebased course and many of the practical course too. €15 to €20.
	RYA Coastal & Yachtmaster® Theory Alison Noice This version builds upon the Day Skipper version and covers more complex subjects such as computation of rates, stability, interpolating secondary ports, heavy weather and many other subjects. It all written in an uncomplicated style and well illustrated. €15 to €20.
	RYA Cruising Syllabus & Logbook (G15) This book is near essential for any sailor wanting to progress through the RYA Cruising Scheme. It includes information about all the RYA courses – course contents and prior experience and knowledge as well as space to record each sailing trip. Not only is it necessary to demonstrate total mileage prior to the more advanced sailing certificates it is also simple a great format in which to record places you have visited whilst sailing.
	RYA Competent Crew This entry level book is perfect for those new to sailing. It features lots of illustrations and guides to boat part names, different types of boats, how to perform different manoeuvres such as mooring, anchoring, tacking and gybing. It also includes lots of practical and visual information about safety. Also includes a guide to tying the eight knots required for the RYA Competent Crew Course.
	RYA Day Skipper Practical Comprehensive and packed with information for what is possibly the most popular and the most challenging of the Cruising Scheme courses. This course handbook introduces a host of topics of concern to a new skipper – mooring, man-over-boards, weather forecasts and pilotage. The information is presented in a very visual way with text kept to a minimum.
	RYA Day Skipper Theory Ideally you will have studied Day Skipper theory before doing your RYA Day Skipper Practical course. This guide to navigation, safety and seamanship is a great foundation and also provides a compact reference if your theory gets a little rusty further down the line! Lots of illustrations and step-by-step guides to the elements involved in planning short passages.
	RYA Coastal & Yachtmaster® Theory This book covers the theory required for the RYA Coastal Skipper course as well as the MCA/RYA Yachtmaster® Coastal and Yachtmaster® Offshore exams. The passage planning is covered in much more detail as is weather theory and pilotage. Packed full with illustrations and very digestible chunks of information.