Multihull Seamanship

This is an A-Z of seamanship skills for multihull sailors. There are many textbooks on the market which detail general seamanship principles. This is not one of them. Multihull Seamanshipis about sea-going catamarans and trimarans and the skills needed to understand and enjoy them to their utmost. Both racing and cruising yachts are catered for, as are trailer-able multihulls. 

Seamanship is not a black and white skill. It is an evolution of knowledge; a building of information through experiment, thought and experience. There is no definitive word on an evolving skill. Multihull Seamanshipstarted as Dr Gavin Le Sueur's personal index of ‘how-to’s. It has grown through experience and others sharing their knowledge. It should be on the bookshelf of every catamaran and trimaran.

This book is for people who are already multihull sailors, or for those who are contemplating multihull sailing. It has served this community for over 20 years and this second edition is fully updated. It is illustrated with delightful line drawings by Nigel Allison.

“A ‘must read’ for anyone with multihull ambitions.” Modern Boating

“Practical… valuable reading for novices as well as those who have been around the scene and want to improve their skills.” Cruising Helmsman

“This is the second, updated edition… and it’s excellent. Gavin Le Sueur and his co-skipper Catherine have a lifetime’s experience of cruising, racing and bringing up their children in multihulls. Le Sueur’s approach is both passionate and scientific. His wealth of hard-won experience is organised alphabetically: C, for instance, includes Capsize Prevention, Capsize Survival, Cargo, Children, Cyclones. ‘Babies in bassinets can be gimballed in a net bag secured strongly to the hull’, is a sentence to be relished. There’s S for Sinking, W for Whales and a huge amount of day-to-day lore in between. Le Sueur conveys eloquently why multihulls are special. His ‘Seamanship Rules’ should be learnt by heart.” Yachting Monthly

“When I had finished reading it, I started to understand how I should be thinking about handling my multihull, rather than just following general written advice. I started to think about the vessel and its interaction with the forces around it: how one action, say on sail trim, could change the dynamic on another, say dagger board loading. This led to a greater understanding of load dynamics in developing conditions, ensured a more comfortable ride on board and resulted in less wear and tear on gear. This new edition of Le Sueur’s book must be a recommended read for anyone on the multihull journey.” Royal Cruising Club