A textbook, user's manual and reference book all in one, for dummies!Authors JJ Peter Isler start with basic sailing skills and move on to cover more advanced topics for when you widen your horizons to activities like chartering a boat or going cruising. The book is organized into the following major sections:Before You Get Your Feet WetCasting Off and Sailing AwaySailing Fast - Taking Your Sailing to the Next LevelSailing Away for a Year and a DayThe Part of TensAppendicesAbout the AuthorsAuthors JJ and Peter Isler have been sailing for most of their lives. JJ grew up around boats in San Diego, California, learning to sail in a little 8-foot dinghy called a Sabot. Peter started out loving powerboats and fishing (boys can be so strange!), but took up sailing after his family moved to Connecticut when he was 13 years old.The Islers are well known throughout the world of sailing as top competitors and teachers. They both have taught sailing to people of all ages and experiences. Peter played an important, early role in developing US Sailings educational program. He also coached at the Olympic level and helped found the American Sailing Association, which accredits sailing schools and certifies sailors and instructors.Peter has twice won the Americas Cup, serving as navigator aboardStars & Stripeswith Dennis Conner in 1987 and 1988. An accomplished small-boat sailor, Peter was Intercollegiate Sailor of the Year while at Yale University. He was the top-ranked U.S. sailor on the professional match-racing circuit for five years and has won many of the worlds major ocean races, including the Bermuda Race and the Transpac (where he navigatedMorning Gloryto an elapsed time record in 2005).Peter has also been very active in the media. In the 1990s, he shifted his Americas Cup energies to television, where he was a featured analyst in ESPNs Emmy Award-winning Cup coverage in 1992 and 1995. More recently, he covered sailing for the Outdoor Life Network (OLN), including its coverage of the 2003 Americas Cup. He is the author of several books on the sport and is presently Editor at Large ofSailing Worldmagazine. In his spare time, Peter enjoys playing guitar and keyboard with his band, The Water Brothers.JJ is the only American female (so far) to have won two Olympic medals in