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 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.