Duncan Wells - Stress-Free Sailing

Dawn sun on a starboard mark

I would like to thank first of all Duncan Kent without whom none of this would have kicked off. Having pitched the monthly yachting magazines in the UK several years ago and not having been bowled over by their response, it was he, as editor of Sailing Today, who eventually said: OK, Ill give you a two-page slot for boat handling articles every month. It was Duncan again who invited me to the Yachting Journalists Associations Yachtsman of the Year lunch at Trinity House and introduced me to Janet Murphy of Bloomsbury Publishing.

I then pitched Janet unmercifully to publish my book Just A Sharp Scratch about my experience of being shot in the abdomen by a faulty safety flare and surviving what the medics describe as an unsurvivable accident. We nearly got that commissioned and may yet get a publisher. Janet, though, was more interested in my single and short-handed techniques, which were by then appearing in Yachting Monthly, and commissioned me to write this book.

Thanks too to the lovely team at Bloomsbury for this 2nd edition, Liz Multon, Clara Jump, Kate Beer, Jenni Davis, Susan McIntyre, Dave Saunders and SonjaBrodie who edited, designed, illustrated and proofread brilliantly.

Then thanks to all those who rowed in and helped. I have been absolutely amazed at the fantastic support I have had for this book.

So thank you to:

Barrie Neilson, of Sailing Holidays, whom I approached for shots of Mediterranean mooring, who just said: Well, why not come with us when we go out to Corfu in May and well set up the shots you need. Fantastic.

Clinton Lyon of Gillingham Marina who gave me the run of the marina to take shots of box mooring. Thanks to Peter and Christine from Mandurah and David and Ros from Demon of Arun who allowed me to photograph their box mooring techniques.

The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office and the UK Hydrographic Office.

Universal Marina who accommodated my every request to try this or that on stretches of pontoon or into and out of berths.

Justin Hill of Universal Marina.

Caroline at Chantereyne Marina Cherbourg.

Alan Barwell for the chats about knots, especially the Prusik knot, which led me to discover the Klemheist.

John Lewis Partnership Sailing Club for allowing me to hang my boat, at alarming angles, off their boats.

The boat owners who allowed me to go out sailing with them or adorn their boats in string and try this and that:

Victor and Pat from Layla Ann

David from Elinor

Sue and Matthew from Southern Cross

Ken and Barbara from Capricorn

And special thanks to Giles and Pauline from Quintessence and their sailing school Ocean Adventures Sailing for their tremendous support.

Alex Whitworth who always keeps me on the straight and narrow.

The friends who have come with me, held cameras, taken shots, helped with photo shoots, given advice: Robert Chippett, Tony Hutson, Vladimir Chorbadzchiev, Richard Strange, Jan Bek, Jonathan Otter, Steve Barber, Jar Vahey, Andrew Rogers, Emily Walters, Alan Parrott and Keith Bater. And to Andy Hobbs for providing his RIB and accompanying us on occasion with the grandest camera boat in the world, a Princess 23m. Shots from the flying bridge are almost aerial!

Steve Dunning, Derek Manning, Rick Buettner and Lesley France for their help with photos.

Richard Glen for invaluable Spinnaker Drop advice.

And finally thanks to my family for allowing me the time to go sailing to find these things out.