The crew of a racing boat is as important as the helmsman - they work as
a team to sail as fast as they can. But different members of that team
have different roles in the boat. In addition to the obvious roles which
belong to the crew - trimming the jib and spinnaker and helping keep the
boat upright - the crew can also contribute to tactics, boat tuning,
watching the competition and so on. In this book, Olympic gold medallist
crew, Saskia Clark, describes all that is needed to become a top-rate
crew, or just be a better crew at whatever level you want to compete at.
She initially takes you through getting started as a crew and team -
choosing a boat and setting your goals. She then turns to the specific
crewing skills of hiking, trapezing, tacking, gybing, handling the
spinnaker and having good boatspeed on each leg of the course. The focus
then turns to racing and particularly the roles of each member of the
team, communication, decision making and execution around the race
course. Finally, she brings it all together with advice on how you can
be the best crew and a great team. Packed with photographs this is the
ultimate book for crews whether they are trying to win a championship or
just wanting to sail at their local club. If your helm doesn't buy it
for you, treat yourself!