Tom Cunliffe is a lifelong sailor who has served before the mast in small sailing ships, skippered yachts for private owners, raced offshore been to sea as mate on a British- registered coasting vessel and taught sailing, seamanship and navigation at all levels. He is one of the UK’s senior Yachtmaster examiners and has acted as a consultant for the governing body of sailing in the USA.
The author of many nautical text books on subjects as diverse as astro-navigation and the global history of pilotage in the days of sail. He is also the compiler of The Shell Channel Pilot and writes regular columns for Yachting Monthly, Yachting World and SAIL. www.tomcunliffe.com