Published: June 2025
Author: Bill Johnson
Reeds Crew Handbook is the ideal primer or aide-memoire for new crew, and for anyone going on a flotilla or charter holiday, or sailing aboard a friend's yacht for the weekend.
Both a refresher for old hands and an ideal introduction for skippers to hand to new and aspiring crew, this guide gives them all the essential knowledge they need to undertake the tasks traditionally handled by crew aboard any size of yacht, including:
Steering (both with a tiller and a wheel)
Raising, dropping and reefing a sail
Boat handling (using tide, wind, etc)
Handling lines (throwing, coiling, lassoing, etc)
Tying up a boat on a pontoon and against a quay wall
Attaching bow and stern lines and springs
Handling an anchor
Using the radio
Basic first aid
Essential knots
Presented in bite-sized topics in a very accessible and undaunting fashion, and packed with colour illustrations to guide crew through each task, Reeds Crew Handbook is an invaluable primer for new crew before going to sea, and a handy pocket-sized reference for experienced crew when under sail.
Table of Contents
Parts of the Yacht
-Hull/deck
-Below
Living on a Yacht
-Food and cooking
-The fresh water supply
-The heads (toilet)
-Electricity supply
-Rubbish
-Sleeping on board
Ropes and Knots
-Rope names
-Coiling a rope
-The winch
-Cleating off a rope
-Knots
Yacht under Motor
-The engine control
-Starting the engine
-Stopping the engine
-Steering under engine
-Prop walk
-Prop wash off the rudder
Yacht under Sail
-How sails work
-Trimming the sails
-Points of sail
-Coming up to wind
-Bearing away
-Tacking
-Gybing
-Steering under sail
-Steering a compass course
-Steering close-hauled
-Sailing downwind
-The preventer
Handling the Mainsail
-Hoisting the mainsail
-Dropping the mainsail
-Reefing the mainsail
-Shaking out a reef
Handling the Headsail
-The headsail
-Roller furling headsail
-Unfurling the headsail
-Furling the headsail
-Reefing and unreefing the headsail
-Conventional headsails
-Hoisting a headsail
-Dropping a headsail
-How to fold a sail
Berthing
-Pontoons
-Arriving at a pontoon
-Leaving a pontoon
-Rafting on to other boats
-Harbour walls
Mooring
-Swinging moorings
-Picking up a mooring
-Leaving a mooring
-Rafting on a mooring
-Fore-and-aft moorings
Anchoring
-Anchoring a yacht
-Setting the anchor
-Lifting the anchor
-The dinghy
On Passage
-Crew tasks and watches
-Lookout
-Taking bearings
-Helming
-Cooking and housekeeping
-Keeping the log
-Off-watch
At the End of the Trip
-Typical end-of-trip tasks
-On deck
-Down below
Safety and Emergencies
-Safety briefing
-Personal safety
-Lifejacket
-Safety harness
-Gas
-Fire
-Emergency equipment
-Emergencies
-Man overboard
-VHF Mayday message
Glossary
Index
RYA Sea Survival Handbook
The Admiralty Manual of Navigation Vol 1: Principles of Navigation
Reeds Knot Handbook 2019
Reeds Marine Deck 1: Collision Regulations Handbook
RYA Competent Crew Skills - 2nd Edition
RYA Day Skipper Practical Course Notes
RYA Day Skipper Shorebased Notes - 2nd Edition - Out of Print
IALA Buoyage - Area A - Flip Cards
IALA Buoyage - Area B - Flip Cards
