Higher Performance Sailing: Faster Handling Techniques

First off, due to a confusion at Amazon, the other reader reviews shown with earlier dates than this one are not for this book but for an earlier book by the same author with the similar name "High Performance Sailing". This book "HighER Performance Sailing" was published June 1 2009.Frank Bethwaite refers to the older book as HPS-1 and this book as HPS-2. This book is not a revision of HPS-1 but really a completely new book that picks up from, and in many cases revises, the information set out in HPS-1. In certain places Bethwaite gives a brief recap of information from the earlier book and then refers the reader to it for more detail, but you can profitably read this book without ever having seen HPS-1.HPS-1 was a brilliant book whose audience was reduced by a very eccentric organization and a very awkward writing style. Where a conventional book would try to lead you carefully from topic to topic while making sure that you haven't been left behind, HPS-1 doesn't. It reads more like the personal notebook of a mad scientist whose areas of study are the wind, the evolution of performance yacht design, and racing strategy. There was a huge amount of valuable, practical knowledge in this book that was new and hadn't been written before, but because of its very awkward exposition it was hard to extract. I had to read HPS-1 twice to get the benefit of it --- the first time to get an idea of what points he was trying to make, and a second time to decode the details. But it was well worth the effort. The discussions about how the wind works, in particular, are far more sophisticated and useful than anything else you'll find in the sailing or meteorological literature.Where most of the information in HPS-1 was relevant to racing in any kind of boat. This new book is much more focused on the new and unique properties of modern skiffs and skiff-like boats that can sail faster than the wind. The writing style of this book seems to be better to me but perhaps only because I've become acclimated from the earlier one. The organization of this book is perhaps even more eccentric than the earlier book and jumps fairly randomly between various topics that the author finds interesting. There is also a huge amount of repetition. A good editor could have made this a much more appealing read.But there are some gems of practical sailing knowledge in this book that I don't think you'll you won't find anywhere else. There is also a lot of historical information that won't help you sail faster but you will probably find surprising and interesting if you have an interest in the history of sailboat racing.

Excellent book - summarizing (with improved graphs) the previous "HPF" book, while adding some new content as well. A must read for technically oriented centerboard sailors. Not the non-technical readers, though, IMHO. Bethwaite is amazing as an amateur scientists as well as a sailor. An inspiration to us all.

The kindle version is difficult to read because much of the book references figures and images which are difficult to scroll through. Otherwise this is the best book I have read on sailing high performance sailing technicals.

I bought this book along with Rick White's Catamaran Racing for the 90's. Rick's book is easier to read, to-the-point, and full of pointers that can be applied on the water. The higher performance sailing however is like a textbook delving into theories of wind flows, hull design etc that will not add any value to how you should roll-tack, jibe, trim your sails, start racing, etc. I do not want to disregard the value of knowing the advanced topics in this book however for someone who races hobie fx1 on the weekends (for fun), this book literally contains too much information which also makes reading difficult.

Worth every penny. the Bethwaite series proves why any racer who doesn't understand apparent wind sailing in the age of America's Cup multis and high performance Olympic boats like the 49er, FX and Nacra 17 is behind the curve... and behind the leaders.

Bethwaites continuation of his series. Good book.

I put off buying Frank Bethwaite's second book for four years as I thought it was just a mere update of his original High Performance Sailing with a few add ons.I was saddened to hear of his recent passing away. It made me reflect on the great contributions he and his family have made to the sport so many of us love. I thought, well let's take a chance, its not a cheap book, and I am so glad I did. It is a completely different boat to High Performance Sailing.Higher performance sailing is best thought of as a separate sequel taking over where the first book started. Although there are a few nods to the first book, It primarily charts the development of the modern 18 foot skiff- the B18, the 49er and the 29er, and the lessons learnt in so doing. To put these developments into context there is a fascinating chapter on the historical development of apparent wind sailing- like many I believed the myth that Uffa Fox invented the planing dinghy whereas in fact this occurred much earlier in the 20th century.As well as new developments in boat design, there are specific updates on advances in low level wind behaviours- if you haven't heard of surges, then you need to buy this book. Finally, and perhaps most practically, there is an excellent illustrated chapter on advanced boat handling based on his study of champion sailors using his purpose built sailing simulator. If you ever wondered why some people consistently sail faster, or wondered whether the way you sailed was correct, this is the book for you.I wish I had bought this book when it first came out in 2008.

IMPORTANT: The reviews of Frank Bethwaite's classic 1990s book "HIGH Performance Sailing" that have been appended to 2008 book "HIGHER Performance Sailing" (at the time of writing this note) contain remarks that the book needs updating. Those remarks are not applicable to the new book. The new book IS the update, and much more besides. Fascinating reading, highly recommended for the thinking sailer.Edit: as pointed out in a comment, this book is NOT a revised version of Bethwaite's previous book - it builds on it, so that you really need to read HIGH before HIGHER!

The follow on from High Performance Sailing. Although I have been messing about in boats for quite a few years now, as anyone knows, you are always learning. Having learnt some more from these classic books the (classic) boat has a new trophy this season! Excellent.

Fundiertes und mit grundlegenden Erkenntnissen belegtes und vermitteltes Wissen.Einziger Wermutstropfen: teilweise repetitiv und daher stellenweise auch schwerfällig. Aber man verzeiht es dem Autor, nicht zuletzt in Anbetracht des fortgeschrittenen Alters. Und nach seinem Tod 2012: ein grosses Vermächtnis für die Seglergemeinschaft.