This book still is valuable for sailors. The technical information is dated, but the prudent, workmanlike approach to the whole business of sailing around the world is timeless. The ocean hasn't changed much in 30 years.

While some of the information is a bit dated (no GPS, for instance)there is good, solid, readable stuff here, everything from sleeping bags to celestial navigation, recipes to emergency repairs. Hiscock had real hands on, been there experience, circumnavigating (with his wife Susan) several times.

Far too many cruising books are of the "Oh, cut loose and have fun" type which can be more than a little dangerous. Collections of carefree cruising stories and anecdotes. Cruising Under Sail something else, serious, proven stuff that Hiscock has collected from among the most successful cruising sailors.

This book is particularly suited to the owner of a cruising yacht .The range of information within the pages is complete i.e. ; if you knew what was contained in this book you would know a lot about sailing and cruising. It covers topics such as :Hull , Rig & Rigging,Sails, Seamanship and Navigation etc. I have an origional First edition(1950),and I read it on a regular basis and I still consider it my favourite book on sailing.The plates and illustrations are beautiful.

I've bought every book Eric Hiscock ever wrote, and read them all twice, Of all the sailing book's I have bought, his are the best. I can only say it must have been Eric's way with word's,But all the time I was reading, I really thought I was there with them both,It was a strange feeling when I had finished a book, I felt as though something was missing out of my life. We lost a great writer when he died. Has anyone out there, whose read Hiscock, Come across as good a writer, I'd like to know about them please! For people who have'nt read his book's, I strongly reccommend them all.

I am new to sailing and I found the narrative both educational and enjoyable. His anecdotes from 1952 transport the reader to a time before GPS and before the modern sailboat. His detail with regard to the construction of the boat and the payoff in bad weather is truly English(the writing is old). I cannot wait until my sailing adventures take me to some of the same exotic locations that he and his wife enjoyed over 50 years ago.