Practical Boat-Sailing: A Concise and Simple Treatise

"Practical Boat-Sailing: A Concise and Simple Treatise" by Douglas Frazar is a manual from the 1800s designed to teach beginners how to confidently and safely sail small boats and yachts. The book breaks down complicated skills like controlling sails, dropping anchor, and handling emergencies into easy-to-understand instructions. It starts by explaining that the book is for people who don't have much experience and want to learn how to be safe while sailing. Frazar stresses that sailing is generally safe if you take the time to learn and act cautiously. Early chapters focus on teaching the reader important words and the basics of sailing equipment, which prepares them to understand how to use a boat correctly. He points out that knowing about different kinds of boats and setups is important for different sailing requirements, which is a lead in to discussing real sailing tasks later in the book.