Sail Power-the encyclopedic guide to sailing technique and design that has established itself as a classic in the decade since it was first published-now appears in this new edition, the first time ever in paperback, updated and revised to keep pace with the revolutions that have occurred in sailmaking and sail-handling methods, developments that have transformed the art of sailing into a science. Here, as before, is absolutely everything a sailor needs to know about sails, from their design, selection, handling, repair, measurement, and care to their optimum use in both racing and pleasure sailing. Wallace Ross, one of America's foremost sailmakers and an ardent racing sailor as well, has designed this compendium of nautical advice to be endlessly useful to the beginner and expert alike. Taking you step by step, Ross first makes completely clear the basic science of sails: how the wind is translated into the Force that moves the boat, here are many fresh understandings about how sails work that directly contradict some time-honored explanations, why and how sails are shaped the way they are, and the crucial facts about sailcloth. Then, translating these theoretical principles into practical advice, and drawing lessons from the watershed 1983 America's Cup race, Ross gives special instructions for sail handling in every condition of wind and sea. Sail Power also features discussions of all the auxiliary sails used on a modern rig: every type of spinnaker, headsail, and staysail. Ross has updated his remarkable discussion of hardware and deck layout. He covers everything from how to determine what fittings you need to what materials are best and where to pIace the fittings on deck for maximum efficiency. Ross provides an invaluable breakdown of racing-crew assignments for every maneuver on both large and small boats, and tells how to maximize your sail power on the race course. And this new edition features a report on how the computer revolution has influenced sailing. Sail Power gives the beginner the know-how to handIe his sails correctly and with confidence. At the same time, it will be invaluable for the competitive skipper who needs to get every inch of speed from his boat, as well as for the cruising yachtsman who wants maximum efficiency from his sails and rig with the simplest deck layout and control. For every level of sailing, Sail Power is an indispensable guide-and in its new edition this classic study is more useful than ever.