Book Review

By Ron Breault Published by Whaler Books, an imprint of Mariner Media, Inc. 320 pages   paperback   $39.95 In 1995, Ron Breault of Old Lyme, CT placed the winning bid on a Sparkman & Stephens Dolphin 24 that had been donated to the Connecticut River Museum’s annual Thanksgiving fundraising auction. Having retired early from the ‘game,’ he was looking forward to restoring this lovely but neglected boat for singlehanded daysailing, overnighting to places like Fishers Island and Shelter…

By Ben Wyckoff Shore Published by Cinder Block Publishing   250 pages   paperback A term used to describe how a piece of art can evoke powerful emotion in the viewer, particularly awe or terror (originally ascribed to the works of the 16th Century Italian artist and sculptor Michelangelo), Terribilita is also the title of the first book by Ben Wyckoff Shore. Taking place during the Italian unification movement of the mid-19th Century known as the Risogimento, this historical…

By Christopher Rosow Published by Quadrant Publishing, LLC   375 pages   paperback It’s exceedingly rare for a self-published book by a new author to break into the top 20 on the Amazon “Most Sold” list. Christopher Rosow’s first book, False Assurances, not only ascended to #6 on that list for the week ending May 17, it simultaneously hit #1 with a bullet on Apple Books…an occurrence only slightly more likely than seeing a mermaid. In July 2017, a…

By Jan-Willem Polman Published by Adlard Coles Nautical, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc 176 pages hardcover $30 The ability to splice rope has been an essential seafaring skill for centuries. But with traditional 3-strand rope becoming a thing of the past (for the majority of sailboats, anyway), few sailors know how to splice today’s braided ropes. If we want an eye splice in a braided rope, or perhaps a tapered sheet, most of us call a…

By Priscilla Travis Published by Cornell Maritime Press, a division of Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. 544 pages, hardcover $35 If you’re thinking about getting started in sailing – or are already on the water and dreaming about sailing to far-off destinations – the Mariner’s Guide to Nautical Information belongs in your library. Author and professional mariner Priscilla Travis has compiled more than 2,000 nautical terms and topics in this alphabetically-arranged and comprehensive resource, along with a wealth of practical…

The Five-Hundred-Year History of America’s Hurricanes By Eric Jay Dolin Published by Liveright Publishing Corporation, a division of W.W. Norton & Company   369 pages   hardcover   $29.95 The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June through November, with each one of the tropical cyclones that reaches the United States packing the energy of 10,000 nuclear bombs. Furthermore, these powerful storms have determined the course of American history. Over the past five centuries, hurricanes threatened the voyages of Columbus to…

Learn what to do when the unexpected happens. Increase safety and enjoyment through partnership. Published by the Cruising Club of America 55 pages   spiral bound   $20 Our friends at the Cruising Club of America (CCA) have released an updated and revised edition of the essential resource on the subject of safe shorthanded sailing. Originally published in 2001 as Suddenly Alone, Safety for Cruising Couples is designed to be used as part of the CCA’s popular and successful…

By Carol Newman Cronin Published by She Writes Press   357 pages   paperback   $16.95 A new book from our friend Carol Newman Cronin, an award-winning writer and editor as well as an Olympian, is always a treat. Scheduled for release in June, Carol’s newest novel might be her best yet. Fired from his job ferrying passengers from imaginary Brenton Island to Newport, Rhode Island after being caught with a small amount of contraband in his possession, Captain James…

By Jon L. Ten Haagen, CFP® Published by Xlibris   83 pages   paperback   $15.99 “It is never too early or too late to start investing!” says Certified Financial Planner Jon Ten Haagen, who has written a very useful book about retirement planning. Topics covered – thoughtfully presented in terms that even this reviewer was able to understand! – include how to choose a qualified financial planner, creating a retirement budget, eradicating debt, the basics of investing, estate planning,…

By David Abulafia Published by Oxford University Press 1,049 pages hardcover $39.95 The most scholarly tome ever reviewed on these pages – and at more than 1,000 pages also the weightiest – The Boundless Sea by David Abulafia describes how centuries of human navigation of the oceans shaped the world we know today. The main protagonists are the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, which cover more than half of the Earth’s surface and comprise the vast majority…