Joshua Slocum

[gonesail]

at the mercy of the sea - john kretschmer.

[Don C L]

"God Forsaken Sea" by Derek Lundy
Great book but you may question going sailing again ...

[Chris31415]

Originally Posted by gonesail

at the mercy of the sea - john kretschmer.

I second that, especially during hurricane season. Some others I like:

Some others:
The long way- Moitessier
Close to the wind-Gods
Racing the ice to Cape Horn- Guernsey
Two against Cape Horn-Roth

A storm too soon - Touglas
Video of rescue
https://youtu.be/O6P65XJeD_g

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Anything by Mottesier.. a seaman extraordinaire
Sailing to the Reefs.
The Long Way.
Cape Horn: The Logical Route.
A Sea Vagabond's World.

...and an elegant writer.

[chrisr]

a passing reflection : nearly all of the books recommended were written 50 years or more ago

where are the equivalent recent books ?

doesn't anyone write like this now ? or is the world now so much a smaller place that we no longer respect such feats ?

where are todays Mottesier, Chicheters and the rest ?

cheers,

[davefromoregon]

Originally Posted by AiniA

To switch to fiction, I read "Riddle of the Sands" about every 8 to 10 years which means I have read it too many times. Great pre-WWI feel to it and the sailing descriptions are well done.

I really enjoyed that book. In fact, I just recommended it to a friend.

[Celestialsailor]

Wanderer by Sterling Hayden

[hugosalt]

From the 1800's...Two years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana ...classic.
More recent...Close to the Wind by Peter Goss. Spectacular upwind rescue in hurricane conditions in (I think) Southern Ocean.

[hugosalt]

Now reading... Bligh by Sam McKinney
The "true" story of the mutiny on the Bounty including Blighs 3600 mile voyage in a overcrowded open boat, 23 foot with 18 men aboard.

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by hugosalt

Now reading... Bligh by Sam McKinney
The "true" story of the mutiny on the Bounty including Blighs 3600 mile voyage in a overcrowded open boat, 23 foot with 18 men aboard.

haha...now there's a good debate = which is the best mutiny-on-the-bounty tale ?

i personally believe it's james norman hall, who's 3 volume set is the best. vol 1 is the story of the voyage up until the mutiny, vol 2 is bligh's voyage in the longboat, and vol 3 is what happened to the mutineers (the saddest story)

as we now live in FP, i've read all of hall's books (he lived here for a long time and there's a museum dedicated to him) and he tell's a really good south pacific yarn. the bounty trilogy is particularly well researched

cheers,

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by chrisr

haha...now there's a good debate = which is the best mutiny-on-the-bounty tale ?

The Royal Navy have a historical branch, sadly not open to the public. However, we did some work for them and as a reward invited for a visit.

A fascinating place but one book stood out. Its the logs of Captain Cook and his voyages to the SE and north shore of Australia. Some time later another person took a copy of the book back to Australia and updated many of the entries by writing in the margins in pencil, correcting positions and adding detail. That person was a Lt W Bligh, probably on one of his voyages before the Bounty.

Value of this very old book today?

[Fore and Aft]

My Old Man and the sea. By David and Daniel Hays. An honest account of sailing an engineless Vertue around Cape Horn. Father and son each write a different chapter. You have to read some of the BS the son gets up to, having a monkey and hooker on a 25 footer is hilarious. The trick he played on the old man with his boots is another laugh out loud moment. I have read the book 9 times at least and just love the whole sailing/father/son relationship.
Cheers

[grahamj]

A World of My Own - Robin Knox-Johnston, is outstanding

A Voyage For Madmen - Peter Nichols, is a great intro to the GGR sailors

The Last Hero Bill Tillman - Tim Madge, an astonishing man and sad ending

The Voyages of "T'Early Bird" - Geoff Hainsworth, Tyro around the world

The Voyage of American Promise - Dodge Morgan, a kind of US Chichester

Last Voyages - Nicholas Gray, very informative and well written

[NewMoon]

Cape Horn, by Reanne Hemmingway-Douglass

[hugosalt]

Originally Posted by chrisr

haha...now there's a good debate = which is the best mutiny-on-the-bounty tale ?

i personally believe it's james norman hall, who's 3 volume set is the best. vol 1 is the story of the voyage up until the mutiny, vol 2 is bligh's voyage in the longboat, and vol 3 is what happened to the mutineers (the saddest story)

No debate at all, sure three volume so much more detailed.
Assuming both authors had access to same.
Mc Kinney one book based on Blighs log, James Morrison (sentenced to death/last minute pardon) and Captain Edwards of the Panora.
For sure both authors/books dispell the romantic hollywood version.