Like the "Fast Track to Cruising" course, this book starts with the basics of sailing and moves the reader quickly through days ailing to cruising. The first half covers all the steps from learning to sail to live-a-board cruising in outline format, offering synopses of key information along that path.

Each key point is cross-linked to a fuller exposition in the second half of the book, helping the reader to a fuller understanding of the concepts behind the techniques.