Sailing The Atlantic: A Guide For Beginners

By Paul Doherty

Embark on one of life's most ambitious adventures with Sailing the Atlantic: A Guide for Beginners, a comprehensive and practical manual for aspiring ocean voyagers. This guide opens with a fundamental question: is an Atlantic crossing right for you? It invites readers to assess not just their sailing skills, but their mindset, motivations, and tolerance for discomfort and solitude. Through vivid descriptions and grounded wisdom, it lays bare both the romance and the realities of weeks spent at sea, where resilience, preparation, and clear-headed decision-making are essential.

The book takes a deep dive into the critical decisions every skipper must make before casting off. Central to these choices is selecting the right vessel-whether sail or motor-and understanding the trade-offs between each. Readers will learn what truly defines an ocean-ready yacht, from structural seaworthiness and engine reliability to the fine details of cockpit design and watertight integrity. Every chapter emphasizes the need for redundancy, safety, and self-reliance in the unforgiving environment of the open ocean.

Technical systems are broken down into approachable, actionable guidance. The guide covers everything from diesel engine operation and maintenance to power generation, water production, and satellite communications. Detailed explanations help demystify fuel strategy, emergency protocols, medical preparedness, and vital gear like EPIRBs, liferafts, and navigation electronics. For those dreaming of the trade winds or planning to navigate the Azores High, there is detailed weather routing advice and a full analysis of eastbound and westbound Atlantic routes.

Provisioning and onboard life are treated with the same level of thoughtful detail. The author outlines how to outfit a yacht as a self-sufficient home and workshop, manage crew dynamics or solo routines, and maintain physical and mental health over long passages. There's also an honest, line-item breakdown of the financial investment required, offering transparency on outfitting, fuel, insurance, and port fees-making it ideal for anyone trying to budget their dream voyage realistically.

Whether you're a weekend coastal cruiser or an aspiring bluewater adventurer, Sailing the Atlantic transforms a daunting dream into a navigable plan. With its focus on preparation over bravado, it's a vital tool for turning curiosity into competence, and ambition into action, ensuring your first Atlantic crossing is not just possible-but deeply rewarding.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FLKJHN4T
• ISBN13: 9798296903907
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 172 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"