Posted by Mike Ridley on July 07, 2006 at 14:46:02 from 82.153.112.244 user MikeR.
While agreeing with Peter H's sentiment 'it is a mistake to use AR's books merely as handbooks' with regard to locations, I have just used P&M to solve a sailing problem.
I have a 12-foot clinker-built, single-sail dinghy and have been teaching my boys to sail her. Almost every time they tried to tack, the boat ended up in 'irons' - coming to a grinding halt head to wind halfway through going about. I could not figure out why.
I found the solution while reading Picts & Martyrs, where Nancy explains to Dick, as he sails Scarab for the first time, that putting the tiller down too hard stops the boat dead in the water.
Problem solved instantly...thank you AR.