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My all time favorite is dove by Robyn Graham that book is what got me interested in sailing and the list is very long since then another great read is north to the night another is so I married a boat.
I followed his story in my grandmother's National Geographic's when I was a kid.
Every marine thing and boat I've ever bought from anyone, they should have sent a commission to Graham.
That and Carleton Mitchell's book about sailing in Finnistere all over the Caribbean, is what drew me to this lifestyle (which I still have around here somewhere).
Lot's of great suggestions above, some are more reference manuals.
A fascinating story is Robert Manry's Tinkerbelle. It's a quick and easy read. He customized a 13ft wooden boat in his driveway with a cabin he had to curl up to fit within and sailed it across the Atlantic. The crossing made him near celebrity back in the 1960s, although, he never did so for the attention and was surprised by his heroic reception in England. How he learned to sail it, stay awake (or not), passing cargo ships, falling overboard!, provisioning, etc, all interesting stories. You'll spend a long time trying to get inside the head of why one would even attempt this, especially with a wife and kids at home. He was not one of the "have to set a record" guys. He didn't even care if anyone knew.
Once you've finished the book, you must google the epilogue to his crossing. His 15 minutes of unwanted fame and fortune takes a toll on his family. His wife dies, he remarries, then he tragically dies about 5 years later. His kids become homeless living in a park named after their father. His boat is in a museum today. You couldn't make up a story like his.
Has anyone read "Flirting with Mermaids," John Kretschmer ?
I had high hopes for it, but once read, I found it to be kind of a snooze. My indirect question is what makes good sailing travel adventure book? I found most (sailing) travel books have only a bit about the main vehicle of transportation... and become more a discussion one meets or travels with....
Like I am kind of surprised that travel books aren't also learn to sail or buy a sailboat book.. sort of like the "A Sail of Two Idiots," Renee Petrillo
I make a distinction between travel by sail books and sailing books that include travel (more like a "how to" manual).
The first has tales of adventure by sail. They are about the journey, not the mode of transportation. The latter are about the boat. I consider Kretschmer a sailor, not a travel writer, so I expect to learn more about the boat and how he made it go from point A to point B and therefore expect less "adventure" unless it is how he lost a rudder rounding Cape Horn and had to jury rig another.
I would break them into several categories... in Travel there are destinations and there is the trip. In 'Mermaid' it is about the latitude he is traveling along, as well as the shape of the boat he is transporting. The chance the reader will be in the boat he is talking about is slim --- maybe the type of sailboat, though not sure if it would be the same category.
I do think there are many that would be interested in the course he takes.
When it is all said and done, I didn't like the premise of writing a book for his new girlfriend, who in the course of 20 pages because wife and mother of his child...
I don't lean towards how to books, but even if I did, when he wrote: "rebuilt the starter" gave me no more insight into rebuilding a starter than knowing he was amazed at the midwives...
"The Ship and the Storm" by Jim Carrier. Best book I ever opened, sailing or otherwise. Would love to meet Jim as I understand he hangs around the Gulf Coast. About the loss of the sailing ship "FANTOME" in Hurricane MITCH" 1998.
"The Ship and the Storm" by Jim Carrier. Best book I ever opened, sailing or otherwise. Would love to meet Jim as I understand he hangs around the Gulf Coast. About the loss of the sailing ship "FANTOME" in Hurricane MITCH" 1998.
Sailing in my grandfather's wake. A story about a guy buying a Freedom cat ketch (like mine) and circumnavigating it to complete the trip his grandfather started decades prior.
vito dumas's book if you can find it translated is awesome
and my favourite is the golden globe book recounting the first non stop round the world trip where moitissier went round 1.5 times non stop...just the thought makes my heart skip that a person could be so in love with the sea and SAILING
also the donald crowhurst story in the same event is a work of art as is the documentary deep blue sea or into the deep cant remember the names(I suck at that jajaja)
Farley lived in Newfoundland for sometime before he found the boat who wouldn't float. While there he wrote about ' a whale for the killing' .An interesting study touching on human nature. (not so funny) I met him there while looking for a jack boat, but got into GTO's instead .
As Shawn knows I helped Jimmy during the boat show, where he got his copy. I have a whole bunch of copies of World Cruising Routes and Ocean Atlas at boat show prices ($50 and $75 respectively) for anyone that can meet me in the Annapolis area for a hand-off. Any not sold all get shipped back in mid-December.
Disclaimer - Jimmy and I split the proceeds. Jimmy makes more than he gets if you buy from Amazon.
True or not, I've enjoyed Tristan Jones' books
Early/first edition of Adlard Coles' HEAVY WEATHER SAILING
Alan Villiers' books are good
Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series
Steven Callahan, ADRIFT
Thor Heyerdahl's books
Sebastian Junger, THE PERFECT STORM
Linda Greenlaw, THE HUNGRY OCEAN; THE LOBSTER CHRONICLES
Motion of the Ocean by Janna Cawrse Esarey is a hilarious true tale of newlyweds on a honeymoon trip around the globe.
Berserk by David Mercy is the true story of Jar Andhoy, and David Mercer sailing an Albin Vega to Antarctica in search of the South Pole. This story will keep you on the edge of your settee. Lots of excitement and well written.
I'll add CS Forester's Hornblower series to the list.
Interesting that it took 71 posts before Patrick O'Brian gets a mention.
Sorry if I missed an earlier posting with these classics
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