The Gentle Art of Pottering: Sailing the P15

This is a pretty good handbook on cruising the tiniest of sailboats. Its quite comprehensive. I'm an experienced cruising sailor, and I can affirm that Bacon's advice is 100% sound. That's what I like about the book.On the negative side, Bacon's writing is very dry, and very technical. I'd like to read more of the 'art' of Pottering. Bacon's writing is mostly 'do this, do that'. There is lots of rigging instruction, trailering instruction, etc. I'd like more cruising anecdotes, to give me the feeling of sailing a tiny boat. Its thin on the why, and the magic of cruising.The book is also badly in need of illustrations. There are a few photographs, which help, but for clarifying complex instructions, an illustration is much better. it doesn't even contain very many photos.

Just what I needed for my (new) used 1978 Potter 15. To all you cruising skeptics out there, think of the Potter 15 as a cruising pup tent for two. I've never owned a boat bigger than a Catalina 22. I never found them roomy, and they do beat a Potter by a mile. But stick the right cushions and bimini on that Potter and you can go just about anywhere.I added a Minnkota saltwater trolling motor, superlight lipo battery, and a solar charger (rated 30A at 12V, but really getting about 20A). I can't run continuously, but I can rake in enough power to use the motor quite a bit and still have power left over for running LED lights.This book has all the practical advice you need to experience adventure on the cheap. I wouldn't exactly blue water the boat, but coastal cruising in the right conditions isn't a stretch at all. Maybe even a run down the Florida Keys.

Author obviously has a lot of experience with these great little boats. I find the book helpful, but it is really suffering from a total lack of diagrams and useful photographs. There is a glossary, so thats really good. I think this book could be 10X better with the addition of 5-10 diagrams and key photographs (rigging, knots, boat handling etc.). For those new to sailing, there is an awful lot of jargon and it gets really confusing reading about jibing your jib on starboard heave... Anyway, the book could be sooo much better with some diagrams to accompany the text. I think back to John Muir's "How to Keep Your VW Alive" and really hoped that this little book would be something like that, but alas I was a tad disappointed.As is, I think its still a good book for Potter owners to own.

"The Gentle Art of Pottering" is a very gentle book, and Dave Bacon has a very unique style of writing - the gentle school teacher sharing his knowledge. But Bacon is also a highly experienced sailor and fierce competitor who wins races. Every novice who is contemplating buying a small sailboat should read this book at least twice; once before buying, and once when he or she gets serious about sailing. There is a wealth of knowledge inside written in simple and clear terms that even a veteran sailor can benefit from. The section on trimming sails is worth the price alone. Some readers might be put off by the large print and simple formatting, but it does make for easy reading. I can hardly wait for Volume II.

THIS IS AN ENJOYABLE READ WITH GREAT STORIES THROWN IN. I HAVE A POTTER 15 SO I MAY APPRECIATE IT MORE, HOWEVER, I HAVE HAD OTHER SAILBOATS AND WHAT DAVE BACON STATES PERTAINS TO NOT ONLY ALL SAILING, BUT IN PARTICULAR TO SMALLER SAILBOATS. IT IS WORTH MANY TIMES THE PRICE, BOTH IN SAILING COMFORT, CONFIDENCE, AND PERFORMANCE, BUT IN SAFETY. AS A BOATER WE DO SPEND MONEY, AND THIS IS THE BEST MONEY I HAVE SPENT ON ANY SAILING ITEM!!DAVE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE THIS MOST EXCELLENT BOOK.JOHND

Dave Bacon has demonstrated his sailing ability to his friends in the West Wight Potter for decades, and he has passed alonga treasure trove of knowledge for others who own and love these wonderful little sailboats, with this book.

much good information, much of it applicable to any small cruiser

I have been sailing for over 60 years, and I found a wealth of information about sailing in this book that I didn't know. I don't own a Potter 15, but the sailing techniques Dave describes in his book applies to almost all.

David Bacon clearly has a wealth of knowledge in sailing small crewsing boats but this book was a disappointment due to the lack of photographs and clear drawings that would have made explanations of different subjects much clearer.A wealth of knowledge wasted due to the lack of the the odd photograph or clear drawing.

The rating 'I love it' might be a bit too strong, but the book rates better than a 'like'. I'm a newish sailor, a senior citizen, who has a boat just a few feet longer than the Potter and about the same weight, a Siren 17. While some of the details on tune-up probably wouldn't apply to my boat, the rest of the story is encouraging and provides information that will make me a more successful sailor and small-boat-cruiser -- I suppose you could call it 'insightful'.

A lot of general information and some very specific info. Over all a good read. With a few gems to find

an okay read for a dedicated potter yachter but certainly no great work of literature. It's kind of unfocused and not very well organized. But whatever, he knows his stuff and I learned quite a bit

Only read a few pages so far. Looks interesting.