The essential reference for anyone interested in offshore sailing and ocean passages.

Following on from his bestselling The Complete Day Skipper and The Complete Yachtmaster, yachting legend Tom Cunliffe turns his attentions to the third strand of the RYA syllabus. With the same hugely popular, highly practical approach, The Complete Ocean Skipper covers everything a sailor needs to know when planning and preparing for an offshore cruise or ocean passage:

- Preparation: types of suitable boat, choice of rig, engine power, safety equipment, communication systems, crew preparation
- On passage: ocean weather systems, forecasting, deck routines, watchkeeping, self-steering, emergencies, heavy weather techniques
- Ocean navigation: electronic as well as celestial

The second edition of this definitive handbook is fully updated, with new and revised content on multihulls, autopilots, radar, anchoring and software.

The Complete Ocean Skipper goes beyond the theory of the RYA syllabus to ensure that readers are equipped with the knowledge of both what to do and how to go about it, in whatever circumstances. A veteran offshore yachtsman as well as an RYA examiner, Tom Cunliffe brings his experience to bear and packs this must-have guide with invaluable hands-on advice for offshore and coastal sailors alike. With clear, helpful colour photographs and diagrams throughout, this is the essential book for anyone planning for or dreaming about sailing further afield.

“Recommended if you're planning to go bluewater cruising for the first time.” —Sailing Today

“Essential reading for anyone planning for or dreaming about sailing long distances” —Soundings (US)

“Cunliffe's writing draws on 45 years of experience and a positive interest in new ideas…it combines a sense of perspective with an expression of priorities and an essential can-do attitude.” —Yachting Monthly

'There are all too few authors ... who not only know about their subject but can write well about it. Tom Cunliffe is one,' according to Cruising magazine. Tom Cunliffe has many years of experience cruising all round Europe and from the Caribbean to Russia and Brazil to the Arctic. He is an RYA Yachtmaster examiner and a training consultant for Sailing USA – the governing body of yachting in the USA. He is a regular columnist for Sailing Today, Classic Boat and Yachting World in the UK, and SAIL in the USA.