Lots of good suggestions here, as usual. But what about good, non-historical sailing fiction?
Bernard Cornwall, author of the semi historical Sharpe series also penned a number of novels based on contemporary times involving sea and sailing based story
lines.
Claire Francis, herself a seasoned offshore sailor, has written some novels which have very well written sailing "scenes".
Ferenc Mate, the respected author of various books such as "From a Bare Hull","Best Boats to Build or Buy", "World's best Sailboats" etc. (All are enjoyable - the latter for its drool factor, the others for DIYers) has branched out into fiction.
Currently I am enjoying his first novel, "Ghost Sea". A story set in the waters of British Columbia in the early 20th century. It's a good seafaring yarn with interesting side stories and some Canadian aboriginal history and culture thrown in.
Especially enjoyable if you are familiar with the waters and passages in the story!
Another excellent read but probably out of print is "Voyage" by Stirling Hayden (yes, the actor). A great story about the last steel hulled Clipper ship put into service before steam took over. He also wrote a autobiographical book "Wanderer" based on his life and sailing his yacht of the same name.
Masters of their Trade
Linear Mode
