This book covers everything you need to work your way up through the fleet. If you sail - even a little - you've probably thought about trying your hand at racing. Now you can stop thinking and do it. "Getting Started in Sailboat Racing" makes this endlessly fascinating lifetime sport accessible to anyone who wants to give it a try. This complete course in racing fundamentals breaks the racing experience down into bite-size pieces, making the process easier to understand and reflecting the leg-by-leg nature of a typical race. With scores of helpful illustrations, this user-friendly manual takes you around the buoys, explaining the rules and tactics that apply to each part of the race.You'll learn how to: execute quick, competitive starts; maximize speed and efficiency on the windward leg; maneuver for position around the windward mark; take full advantage of downwind and reaching legs; handle the spinnaker and beat the crowd at the jibe and leeward marks; eke out every last bit of speed as you sprint to the finish.There are few things in this world more satisfying than racing a sailboat. Get in on the action and find out what you've been missing. All you need is a competitive spirit and a little help from "Getting Started in Sailboat Racing." Adam Cort is a former editor and regular contributor to "Sailing magazine" and a lifelong sailor, racing everything from dinghies to big keelboats. Richard Stearns is an America's Cup veteran and a career sailor, sailmaker, and boatbuilder. He has participated in 28 Chicago-Mackinac races, winning it twice, and has compiled an impressive record of international victories including three wins in the Southern Ocean Racing Circuit (SORC).