Written and published by Greg Gilmartin 302 pages $20
“Every legend begins with a little lie, but it needs some truth if it’s gonna fly.”
The characters and incidents in Greg Gilmartin’s third novel, Can’t Sail In Jail! are fictional, although readers familiar with the history of the Mystic River Mudhead Sailing Association may discover some remarkably similar people and events. In an article he wrote for WindCheck on the 40th anniversary of the club’s founding (windcheckmagazine.com/article/the_mudheads_turn_40/), Greg wrote, “Any history of this sailboat-racing club requires weeding through hundreds of stories about boats built and raced, trophies won and lost, charitable dollars raised, and gallons of rum consumed.”
It’s the late 1970s, and the chase for the American Dream is on. While Billy and his crew are racing for a good breeze and a boatload of silver, their “M.F.O.” is bringing home a boatload of Jamaican ganga. Meanwhile, the ‘gas and go’ Albanians are hoping to fill up on cash, and the district attorney is chasing the chasers. In addition to having the best title of any book ever reviewed on these pages, Can’t Sail In Jail! is a rollicking ride on wisps of wind and weed in a wacky world with no room for innocence, in which bad decisions can help you grow up…if you want to.
A writer, TV producer, director and videographer, Greg Gilmartin is an active Mudhead and a certified US Sailing Regional Race Officer. His many careers include car wash specialist, USAF Russian linguist, radio jock and talk show host, automotive journalist, award winning sports reporter, and the public address announcer for the Hartford Whalers in the NHL…although he never scored a goal. He currently enjoys the waters around Mystic, CT with Pat, his companion of 24 years. For more information and to order a copy of Can’t Sail in Jail! and Greg’s earlier novels, Crew and Spy Island, log onto GregGilmartin.com. ■
