John Rousmaniere is a national authority on sailing and seamanship, a household name among boaters, and a first-rate writer by any standard. He is the author of 18 books, including Fastnet, Force 10 (W.W. Norton), which has sold nearly 100,000 copies since 1980, and The Annapolis Book of Seamanship (Simon & Schuster), which is considered the standard work on seamanship under sail and has sold 250,000 copies since 1983. His other titles include a history of yachting, The Golden Pastime (W.W. Norton), two histories of the America's Cup race, and a history of the yacht America. He wrote the navigation section of the Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia and compiled the Illustrated Dictionary of Boating Terms (W.

W. Norton, 1998). He has written the histories of institutions such as Columbia University, The Equitable Life Assurance Company, and the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell. He lectures at Safety-at-Sea seminars across the country, writes a column on seamanship for the online magazine SailNet (www.sailnet.com), and regularly publishes articles in the boating press. He has been interviewed on the Learning Channel, A&E, and CNN. He has sailed more than 35,000 miles, including three Atlantic crossings.

He holds a master's in history from Columbia University and a Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological. HOMETOWN: Stamford, CT.