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Audio books to listen to on the rowing machine

3K views 22 replies 11 participants last post by  PaulBKal 
#1 ·
We in the Northern hemisphere have to face the facts: winter is here! As it happens, today I will move my boat to her winter-slip, take off the sails and winterize the systems. I don't expect to move her from there until April 2018.

To keep halfway in shape in the dark months, I spend a 1/2 hour on the rowing machine a couple times per week. I don't like watching TV too much and there is only so much Buffett you can hear. So I took to listen to books on tape, preferably with a nautical theme. It's a rowing machine, after all.

Jack London is great but I have listened to several of his books and need a change. I love Joseph Conrad and again have done a few (currently I am listening to Mirror of the Sea, very nice but a bit slow for aerobic activity) but I don't want to limit myself to two authors.

So, what do you recommend? Again, nautical topics preferred though I have wide interests and anything that can keep my thoughts from that stupid rowing will be welcome.

Bonus points for books available on Librevox (see librevox.org if you don't know it). First, because I am cheap and want to save my money for boat parts, and also because the books they have are by definition classics (out of copyright) and therefore have stood the test of time.

Thanks for any recommendations!
 
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#6 ·
Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin series and CS Forester's Hornblower series. Bernard Cornwall also wrote some quite good sailing thrillers- Sea Lord, Scoundrel, Crackdown, etc. For a great golden oldie, Erskine Childers The Riddle Of The Sands.

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Thanks for the suggestions. I have read about 2/3 of the Aubrey/Maturin series and a couple of the Hornblower books. Yes, I should look into them. I LOVED reading the riddle of the sands when I found it a dozen years ago but I know the outcome. Still, will put it on the list. Now Bernard Cornwall I have never heard of, so that will go to the very top of the list.

Thank you!
 
#3 ·
This year didn’t go south. Have similar issue. But rather than staying inside have done the following.
Bought a used cf heritage 12 sliding seat rowboat.
Have breathable waist high waders and light wading boots.
Have breathable waterproof windbreaker
Have tight fitting silks and if necessary fleece pants and top/neoprene gloves.
Took a type lll off the boat.
Built a small road legal trailer for it even though it weighs only 65lbs. That way I can easily splash it by myself.

Go rowing on local ponds.

Amazing how beautiful it is to listen to nature. The sights bring you closer to God.
I live on a pond so if lazy just row that. It’s stream fed so rarely freezes. But there are a host of ponds/lakes within ten minutes of my house which are inside parks. Although heavily used in summer they’re empty now giving a Thoreauian experience when rowing.

With climate change it’s rare you can’t find open water in my state (MA) on quiet water. This spring intend to go for striper with her as hope by then to be fit enough and skilled enough to be able to fish the local bays.

You would both tune your body and feed your soul if you do something similar.
 
#7 ·
This year didn't go south. Have similar issue. But rather than staying inside have done the following.
Bought a used cf heritage 12 sliding seat rowboat.
Have breathable waist high waders and light wading boots.
Have breathable waterproof windbreaker
Have tight fitting silks and if necessary fleece pants and top/neoprene gloves.
Took a type lll off the boat.
Built a small road legal trailer for it even though it weighs only 65lbs. That way I can easily splash it by myself.

Go rowing on local ponds.

Amazing how beautiful it is to listen to nature. The sights bring you closer to God.
I live on a pond so if lazy just row that. It's stream fed so rarely freezes. But there are a host of ponds/lakes within ten minutes of my house which are inside parks. Although heavily used in summer they're empty now giving a Thoreauian experience when rowing.

With climate change it's rare you can't find open water in my state (MA) on quiet water. This spring intend to go for striper with her as hope by then to be fit enough and skilled enough to be able to fish the local bays.

You would both tune your body and feed your soul if you do something similar.
That sounds fantastic and truely Thoreauian, and probably more doable in Maryland than in Massachusetts. Alas, it also requires more time than I can commit to it right now. Maybe some day when (if?) I will be retired....
 
#4 ·
I have enjoyed listening to Dead Wake, Sailing Alone Around the World, Maiden Voyage, and Endurance (the Earnest Shackleton story). Have done several trips between Key Largo and Rochester, NY over the last few months.......
 
#13 ·
For anyone with any interest in Florida I would recommend "A Land Remembered" by Patrick Smith. Great story about a Florida family from the 1860's through the 1960's. The stories fiction, but there is a ton of actual historical events involved.

Just finished "One Second After" by William R. Forstchen and the follow up "One Year After". It's about the power going out due to an EMP attack. Very eye opening.
 
#21 · (Edited)
In addition to Librivox, public libraries now have lots of audio books you can download from their website for free. The "Overdrive" library service seems to have the biggest selection.

Also many of our electronic gadgets can read ebooks out loud. It's not as good as a professional reader, but it's better than some of the Librivox readers.
 
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