Mastering Data To Win

The modern racing yacht is awash with onboard instruments and electronics giving enormous amounts of data. But few people fully understand how to get the most out of all the information at their fingertips, let alone make it useful for the team to enable them to win races. But ace navigators, Mark Chisnell and Gilberto Pastorella, do – both have worked with professional sailing programmes all over the world – from America's Cup to Maxi, ORC / IRC and one-design fleets. In Mastering Data to Win they take the reader through the process: from understanding the concepts, ensuring accuracy, using the data to win races and then post-race analysis to find performance gains. By mastering your instruments you can make the right calls every time and know for certain when to tack, which shift to look out for and how the tide can work with or against you. With colour diagrams and photographs throughout, this instructional guide turns information into excellence. Accessible to those new to racing, it also has a depth of information that will transform the performance of even professional sailors.

Praise for Mastering Data To Win

"Electronics systems on board have become more advanced and more affordable, and learning how to use them and interpret the numbers is key to every modern keelboat sailor who wants to compete."
— SailWeb

"It reads really well, and really highlights how being a navigator is part science, part 'art'. It's a high quality product."
— SailingPerformance

"An eye-opening book for those of us who have not experienced the complex systems of a modern racing yacht – and a useful one for those who have."
— Yachting Monthly

"Mastering data will improve your team's performance, particularly your starts, and lies at the heart of your strategy and tactics. As a racing professional and tactician I have become increasingly dependent on that data and those who help to manage it … This book is fundamental reading not only for any aspiring navigator but, I would suggest, for all members of the crew … Good navigators need to be very well prepared, well organised and good under pressure – I would suggest that reading this book is a pretty good place to start that preparation!"
— Ian Walker, double Olympic silver medallist & Volvo Ocean Race winner

About the Authors

Mark Chisnell divides his time between professional sailing and writing. He has competed as a navigator at the highest level and has written a series of technical sailing titles. Mark has also written three fictional titles.

Gilberto Pastorella is an applied mathematician, business and data consultant for multinational companies as well as being a professional sailor and navigator. He sails in the Swan 50 and ORC circuits and is a data analyst for a TP52 team.

About Fernhurst Books

Fernhurst Books was founded in 1979, initially publishing books related to dinghy racing. The list soon expanded to include cruising and other watersports. In 2006 the business was sold to John Wiley, but in 2013 a group of sailing enthusiasts (including the original founder) bought the list and name back, once again creating an independent nautical publisher owned and run by sailors. Fernhurst continues to publish books that instruct, inform and inspire those with a passion on, in or under the water. Their 140+ titles range from how-to guides to narrative to coffee-table books, covering sailing, surfing, canoeing, kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, swimming, diving and fishing.