Blame Moistessier almost exclusively for us
buying our Westsail 32
Hull and
deck, finishing it, and setting off for SoPac. He really had a way of conveying the reality of the mesmerizing effect of man/boat/ocean and the idea that you just have to want to
work for something to make it happen. Remember many nights on the
bowsprit communing with the boat in much the way Moitessier describes. I would highly reccomend reading 'Sailing to the Reefs' first. It's the story of his early life and initial sailing adventures. It's a fascinating glimpse at self sufficient cruising in days that are sadly now
lost. Tamata and the Alliance, his last book, is a bit preachy and filled with personal angst but still interesting for it's glimpses of Colonial Indochine. Met Moitessier when he was living on Ahe in the Tuamotus. He was fully into his 'save the world, one island at a time' mode. Still, a very interesting guy. Unfortunately, the Islanders weren't
buying into his self-sufficient agriculture ideas which frustrated him no end.
If you want just historical sailing fiction, Dewey Lambdin's ' Alan Lewry' series are a great read. It chronicles the life and times of an illegitmate young aristocratic rake who is pressed into
service in the Royal
Navy during the Napoleanic wars. Many of the books take place in the Americas so a bit more interesting for us 'Murricans' than some of the other Royal
Navy series. Dewey Lambdin is actually a sailor, unlike O'brien, so I found his technical sailing descriptions better. That's not to say that O'brien's isn't also a great series.
Richard Henry Dana's 'Two Years Before the Mast' is also fascinating reading. Just finished it for the second time.
Aloha
Peter O.
Pearson 35