Recommended Reading

[Diva27]

The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst. Hands down the saddest, scariest, most engaging thing written about, well, about somebody getting in over their head with a trimaran project for the first singlehanded round the world race, faking his position reports, slowly going mad, and then..you have to read the book.
And admire my restraint as I fail to suggest anything I've written.
This thread is insanely long. Forgive me if somebody already suggested the Crowhurst story.

[Paolaa]

Hello!!!

I am planing a sailing trip around the Caribbean Sea and I need information.
I ´ve check on internet and there are a lot of cruising guides. The thing is that I like to touch the books , to see what is inside. I love to go to the book shops.
So, can you tell me about nautical book stores in Miami or FortLauderdale?

Thanks a lot.


Paola

[dminter]

For light reading - Blown Away and You Can't Blow Home Again by Herb Payson are wonderful. Very enjoyable cruising tales. Can't remember where I originally found them but Amazon has them now. Aloha....

[Trekka]

Originally Posted by Diva27

The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst. Hands down the saddest, scariest, most engaging thing written about, well, about somebody getting in over their head with a trimaran project for the first singlehanded round the world race, faking his position reports, slowly going mad, and then..you have to read the book.

To which I can add the incredible documentary that came out last year called "Deep Water". It's a wonderful film full of footage from that incredible first round-the-world race. Knox-Johnson, Moitessier, and the others, footage onboard their boats during the race, including Crowhurst. There is a lot of footage of Crowhursts preparations and the interviews, which include Crowhurst's wife and oldest son, have the advantage of 40 years hindsight.

[soulesailor]

Wow, lots of books! Here's one that I loved and isn't mentioned yet:

PASSAGE EAST by Carleton Mitchell

synopsis: early 1950's race across the north atlantic with interludes of history, weather, etc. Well written and entertaining even for those of us who don't care for racing. Great storytelling.

[billsherlock]

"The Wreckers: A Story of Killing Seas, False Lights, and Plundered Shipwrecks" by Bella Bathurst.
An amazing book about all those sailing ships that were wrecked on English coasts and the questionable early days of what is now the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Originally Posted by tdw

A particularly fascinating piece of trivia (at least to a brain dead wombat) is the fact that Robert Louis Stevenson's family were the greatest builders of lighthouses of their age.

The Lighthouse Stevensons - Bella Bathurst


Thoroughly readable, well researched it's amazing that anyone could create such a rivetting read about building lighthouses. I guess many of us would consider an old lighthouse as a dream home for a retired sailor, certainly I would and it is that which makes such a tale so irresistable. Well worth the price of admission.

[tdw]

Originally Posted by billsherlock

"The Wreckers: A Story of Killing Seas, False Lights, and Plundered Shipwrecks" by Bella Bathurst.
An amazing book about all those sailing ships that were wrecked on English coasts and the questionable early days of what is now the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Heartily concur. She really knows her stuff and writes a very readable tale. The fact that it's non fiction makes it even better. Apparently she got the idea for the book while researching her previous tome, "The Lighthouse Stevensons" and kept coming across mentions of resistance by local folk to the buidling of lighthouses. Of course they didn't want lighthouses, they where making too much dosh out of the wrecks. To hell with the poor seamen and passengers who died because of the lack of lights, these bustards just wanted the goods and chattels.

[harryhoratio]

If you are looking for a little unusual and quirky mystery story written by Ferenc Mate try Ghost Sea. The writing pushes you to keep up but I found what he expected of me as a reader to be stimulating and refreshing. The story is set in the waters of the Northwest and the mystery is a good one.

One more: Last year cruised Mexico for 8 months and as we entered the Sea of Cortez re-read the Log From the Sea of Cortez by Steinbeck. Very philosophical and a great read.

[Ilenart]

Would also recommend Rescue in the Pacific by Tony Farrington, as well as The 1994 Pacific Storm Survey by Kim Taylor. Both books detail the "bomb" storm in June 1994 that resulted in force 12 winds and pasted the cruising fleet heading North from New Zealand.

Rescue in the Pacific is written more like a novel and mainly follows nine yachts in trouble plus rescues, etc. Has some brief appendixes on the meteorology of the storm, brief details of the yachts and the NZ safety report. Makes a good riveting read.

The 1994 Pacific Storm Survey is a more indepth look at the yachts in trouble plus it looks at the yachts that made it through the storm with little or no problems (19 yachts in all). Is actually a loose leaf bind as opposed to a book. Also includes a very interesting summary of all the storm tactics used, details on individual yachts ratios, an indepth look at the yacht that sunk without trace / survivors, case study on the storm, etc. Bit of a dry read, however if you like details this is the one to look at.

[bobmcd]

For pure pleasure reading there are many classics by great sailors like Joshua Slocum, Sir Francis Chichester, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Eric Taberly, Alain Colas, and Bernard Moitessier. A few ladies, too like Clare Francis and Ellen Macarthur.
Happy reading.
Bob