The following excerpt is from Chapter 7 of The Sinking of the Bounty: The True Story of a Tragic Shipwreck and its Aftermath, by Matthew Shaer. The Sinking of the Bounty was released in March by The Atavist, a Brooklyn, NY-based digital publisher. Multimedia versions of the e-book – along with Kindle, Kobo and Nook editions – are available at atavist.com/stories/the-sinking-of-the-bounty/

MONDAY, OCTOBER 29
2:00 A.M.
Around two in the morning, the crew of Bounty donned their bright-orange survival suits. For hours, water had poured into the boat much faster than it could be pumped out, and belowdecks, the twin John Deere engines were submerged. Bounty was now adrift—completely at the mercy of Superstorm Sandy.

By Lisa Saunders 123 pages paperback

Shortly after she and her husband Jim moved to Mystic, CT, Lisa Saunders was inspired to create the “Mystic Seafarer’s Trail,” a not-too-difficult hike through the historic seaport and neighboring villages of Noank and Stonington. While exploring with her faithful beagle/basset hound mix, Bailey, she decided that the trail would visit a yet-tobe-determined “Seven Wonders of Mystic.”

The America’s Cup is and has always has been a race of technology. From the very beginning, competitors racing for the trophy that was renamed for the black schooner which so thoroughly trounced the competition that the Queen’s attendant was obliged to utter those immortal words, “Your majesty, there is no second” (a phrase that still gives me goose bumps) used superior technology to win. From America’s hull shape and sails to Bondy’s (well, Bob Miller’s) wing keel on Australia II, the boffins have had a hand in the outcome of the racing to a degree unmatched in other sailing events.

This unique phenomenon has on occasion prompted sailing commentators to remark on the “trickle-down” of technology from the lofty peaks of the Astro-Surf to mere mortals sailing around the bay. They’ve commented on how America’s Cup technology has made sailing, better, faster, easier, safer and (fill in the blanks) for the average sailor.

As many WindCheck readers know, our editorial staff produces the Block Island Race Week News for the Storm Trysail Club in odd-numbered years. In 2007, we were particularly interested in watching a Wyliecat 30 named One Up, owned and skippered by Lincoln Schoenberger of Shelton, CT and competing in the PHRF division. We’d seen this blue 30-footer at the Park City Regatta, a breast cancer charity event hosted by Fayerweather Yacht Club in Bridgeport. We admired her handsome lines and the simplicity of her free-standing, single-sail cat rig (hence her name), and were impressed with her speed.

We are all passionate about boating. I take solace in knowing that I can retreat to my boat at a moment’s notice. It’s comforting and reassuring to know that I can hop in the car and be aboard – and underway – in a matter of minutes. We have had our sloop moored in Black Rock Harbor for many years and, likewise, have her hauled and serviced at Captain’s Cove Seaport, a mere 500 yards from her berth. I am not sure what I would do if I were told that my comfort level was going to change because “the Cove” would be shutting down. I suppose I would want answers.

Boat owners in Stamford, CT are grappling with a real estate development company called Building & Land Technology (BLT) over just such an issue. BLT owns several parcels of land on Stamford Harbor that are in varying stages of development. Where once stood a full service marina is now a cleared lot, sitting in limbo awaiting development. Whether this will be a new office park or a refurbished marina remains to be seen, but BLT has their vision for the site and the some of the local boating community and residents have another.

Last month, you read here about what it would take to capsize a boat and, for most people, it is surprisingly little if the stars are lined up against you (see “What!? How Small a Wave Can Capsize My Boat!!?” January/February). But what if it does happen? Can you survive? Or if the boat “swamps,” which makes a sinking even more likely, can you survive? This column is about these questions.

Thank God for the Cooler!

The Remarkable Story

of the Jeanie Johnston,

the Legendary Irish

Famine Ship

By Kathryn Miles

Published by Free Press 239 pages hardcover $26

More than one million people died during the Irish Potato Famine of 1844 - 1852, when a blight decimated Ireland’s potato crop. Widespread starvation was further exacerbated by outbreaks of typhus and cholera. The barbaric policies of the ruling British government – and the greed of those who sought to profit from the plight of the Irish – fomented one of the blackest episodes in Western history.

By Anne Chambers

Illustrations by Deirdre O’Neill

Published by The Collins Press 114 pages paperback

Review by Charlie Ayla Acker, age 10

Editor’s note: My introduction to Grace O’Malley (1530 -1603) was an album by Tom Russell called The Man from God Knows Where. In this haunting “immigrant song cycle,” Russell and several guest artists provide first-person accounts of hardship endured by Irish and Norwegian settlers in 19th Century America. Telling the story of Ambrose Larsen, Norwegian folk singer Sondre Bratland sings,

I married Bridget O’Malley, she is Grace O’Malley’s kin

That Pirate Queen from the Isle of Clare who led 200 men

Invincible on Land and Sea was the O’Malley cry

Her spirit’s in my children’s blood, they’ll prosper here or die

Anne Chambers is the author of Granuaile: Grace O’Malley – Ireland’s Pirate Queen. Chambers, a best-selling biographer, subsequently wrote this book for readers ages 9 to 12.

This book is a true story of a woman named Grace O’Malley. Grace is a heroine in Ireland, where she is known by her Gaelic name, Granuaile. Grace was born almost 500 years ago. She was the only daughter of Dubhdara, a chieftain of the kingdom of Umhall, a remote coastal territory in County Mayo. Ireland is way different today – in Grace’s time they didn’t have a government. Each chieftain had an army and they fought battles to protect the kingdom and clan. Grace’s father was also a pirate captain. His crew sailed boats called galleys and they took things from other boats.

Grace’s parents didn’t want her to become a pirate, but she loved the sea. When she was quite young, she became as good a sailor as her father. She was also more than a match for any man in a swordfight, and maybe the bravest girl pirate of all time. When she was older, she sailed to London to ask Queen Elizabeth to help her save her clan. This book is fun and filled with facts from Grace’s birth to her death. You should read it if you like pirate tales. Thank you.