First Sailing / Sea Book You Ever Read ?

[toby24b]

delighted to see arthur ransome had such an effect on so many...wondered if it was just me...am now desperately trying to get my 8 year old into these books

[smurphny]

First novel: Moby Dick but was always amazed by the adventures of Jacques Cousteau and National Geographic stories.

[HopCar]

I grew up playing in a marine store surounded by all things nautical including books. But it was C.S. Forester that hooked me for life. I think the first of his books I read was Hornblower and the Atropos.

[In2TheBlue]

sailing for dummies (Aus/NZ edition) was the 1st one for me....a perfect starter for the "sail curious" virgin...after reading that book I was unintentionally upstaging guys on their competent crew course a couple of weeks later when I had my first sail

[dropanchorfor3]

Which kon tiki book was it. Amazon has some different kinds

[Doodles]

I can't remember the first, but the one that had the most influence was "The Long Way" by Moitessier.

[S/V Blondie-Dog]

Kon Tiki may have been the first book about sailing that I ever read but certainly wasn't my most memorable... that would be "The Henry David Thoreau Approach to Sailing" or something to that effect.

For some reason this book captured my and my then wife's imagination and was the catalyst for purchasing a sailing vessel and living the "cruising lifestyle" without ever having previously sailed.

Other memorable books were "Maiden Voyage" and "Two Years Before the Mast"...

[Sam Plan B]

Slightly different comment, the Southampton website:

Wreck Reports - PortCities Southampton

lists wreck reports from the Board of Trade from way back in the 19th Century through the 1950's. They were written in a dry and sometimes witty style but always offer useful life lessons about life afloat.

[davefromoregon]

1960's vintage Boy Scout Sailing Merit Badge

[cruisingkyra]

I was a late bloomer, after a handful of day sails, my first time crewing on a boat for an extended period of time, (2 months), I found [I]Maiden Voyage[I] by Tania Aebi and read it very quickly.

That was right around the time my husband and I decided to sell everything and buy our own boat to travel the world. We were inspired, what can I say.

I figured at the time, (I was nearly 34), if a 17 year old can do it, I can learn too.

[CoastalCowboy]

Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi

[Cheechako]

Come to think of it.... Dove or Trekka

[Skip20]

I forget my first sailing book as well. A very fine cruising book named "The Boy, Me And the Cat," by Henry M. Plummer tells of their cruise down and back along the ICW in 1912-1913 long before it existed. The book was originally published by the author in a paper covered, fish-line bound, mimeographed edition of 700 copies.

William Taylor, Managing Editor of "Yachting" has described it, "Borrowing a copy is about as simple as borrowing a man's favorite wife." It isn't available on B&N (Nook), but I believe it's still in print. Too many other sailors have stated that it's the best cruising book ever . . .

Skip20

[gpdno]

Not sure of the order but, Saved: the Story of the Andrea Doria and Kon Tiki. Also the chapter in my Boy Scouts Book about sailing, its how I taught myself to sail after my dad's friend gave me a little old beat-up sailboat. Spent many a summers sailing that little boat on our lake.

[sabray]

Family reading we read survive the savage sea and homer. Funny how that's a memorable family moment. Wonder if My kids will be talking about their first HDTV sailing movie years from now. Frown face icon thing