Book Review

Photographs by Onne van der Wal Introduction by Gary Jobson Published by Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.  306 pages  hardcover  $100   Every one of award-winning nautical photographer and author Onne van der Wal’s books is a visual treat, and his newest may be the best one yet. As signified by its evocative title, Sailing America is a celebration of the world’s best sport and the waters of the greatest country in the world. Each chapter of this…

The Long Way and A Sea Vagabond’s World By Bernard Moitessier Published by Sheridan House, an imprint of the Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 252 and 216 pages, respectively paperback $16.95 and $19.95 Sheridan House has added to its Maritime Classics series by reissuing two essential books by “The Master,” legendary long distance sailor and gifted writer Bernard Moitessier (1925-1994). La Longue Route, originally published in French in 1971 and translated to English by Moitessier’s longtime…

A Doomed Ship, a Violent Storm, and New England’s Worst Maritime Disaster By J. North Conway Published by Lyons Press, an imprint of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 201 pages hardcover $26.95 This reviewer must confess to never having heard about the storm that became known as “The Portland Gale,” nor the story of “New England’s Titanic,” the passenger steamer Portland. A perfect storm formed off the coast of New England in November 1898. When…

By Paul Heiney Published by Adlard Coles Nautical, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 230 pages hardcover $26 In 1988, British TV presenter Paul Heiney and his wife, Libby Purves, and their two small children sailed all the way around Great Britain on their Cornish pilot cutter. Heiney’s son Nicholas shared his love of sailing, and by age twenty-one he had sailed across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans on a tall ship. Tortured by mental illness for…

By Alex Hapgood Published by Adlard Coles Nautical, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 190 pages paperback $30 In his introduction to Kiteboarding: Where It’s At…, author Alex Hapgood recounts a telephone call from Bloomsbury Publishing in which the caller said, “We’ve been taking a look around and there aren’t many books about kiteboarding. Do you fancy putting one together?” Well, our friends at the British publishing house chose the right man for the job. An avid…

By Adrian Flanagan Published by Adlard Coles Nautical, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc 296 pages hardcover $27 Located off the southernmost tip of South America, Cape Horn has some of the world’s fiercest weather. With no other land to the east or west all the way around the globe, it is the only ‘choke point’ in the Southern Ocean. Powerful winds, huge waves and treacherous currents that have traveled thousands of unimpeded miles encounter resistance on…

By Fred Waitzkin Illustrated by John Mitchell Published by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc. 143 pages paperback $17.99 On the remote Bahamian island of Rum Cay, expatriate American entrepreneur Bobby Little, a master chef and former skateboarding champion, surfer and undercover DEA agent, has built a small marina that caters to wealthy sportsmen in search of the huge blue marlin in the cobalt waters. One night, however, as millionaire clients are enjoying fine French cuisine in the…

By Caspar Craven Published by Adlard Coles Nautical, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc   306 pages   hardcover   $25 In 2009, with two kids in diapers and a third on the way, Caspar Craven and his wife Nichola hatched a plan to sail around the world. Although Caspar was an experienced yachtsman with a ‘round-the-world race under his belt, Nichola had never sailed out of sight of land. And they did not own a boat. Taking out a…

By Emma Bamford Published by Adlard Coles Nautical, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, Plc   310 pages   paperback   $15     Our introduction to author, journalist and sailor Emma Bamford was her first book, Casting Off (our review is archived at windcheckmagazine.com). Her ‘fairly normal life’ as a reporter in London was boring, working 80 hours a week was stressful, and her love life was non-existent. Answering a ‘crew wanted’ ad on the internet, she decided to take…

By Carol Newman Cronin Published by Live Wire Press   282 pages   paperback Poised to qualify for the US Olympic Team in the singlehanded “Solo” class, Casey Morgan’s life take an unexpected turn when another sailor, Spencer Harding, capsizes on top of her just before the start of a race. While Spencer’s full-time job as a sailmaker precludes training and competing with anything like Casey’s intensity and fierce determination, he’s a talented designer who happens to be developing…