Sailing the Shallows

A beautifully written and illustrated manifesto for the simple joys of sailing a small boat, filled with useful advice and techniques.

Sailing a dinghy is your gateway to adventure. It requires little of you other than self-reliance and self-confidence, as well as a respect for the subtleties of the local climate and topography. Out at sea in a small boat, nature is not something to be observed disinterestedly: it batters and drenches you, refreshes and enlivens you.

Sailing the Shallows is a manifesto for a different attitude to sailing, far removed from the ostentation and complexity of modern-day yachting. Roger Barnes combines lyrical writing and beautifully drawn illustrations with simple and practical wisdom on experiencing the pure joy of being out on the water in a small boat. We accompany him on his early days afloat in the Lake District, paddling Hildegard, the ‘communist canoe', in France and undertaking more extreme passages (even capsizing) in his beloved Avel Dro. Along the way, Roger weaves in advice on skills, techniques, and lessons learned: this is a book to be read and re-read not just for the stories but for the keen insights into small boat sailing techniques.

Sailing the Shallows describes a lifetime’s journey towards the recognition that cruising in a dinghy is not an imperfect and provisional way to get afloat, but the purest and most perfect way to go sailing.