Non-Fiction Sailing Books

[Seaworthy Lass]

Joshua Slocum's first book hasn't been mentioned yet:
"Voyage of the Liberdade".

It is short, but a good read and free on Kindle:
Voyage of the Liberdade: Joshua Slocum: Amazon.com: Kindle Store

[Neo]

I'm in the middle of reading A Storm Too Soon by Michael Tougias.

It is a bit formulaic and does not have an abundance of detail, but this is not really a criticism since it makes for an easy read. This works with a true story that supplies enough drama simply in the telling, and Tougias seems to know when to add the extra details and when to leave them out.

I only put it down long enough to write this recommendation.

People are the most amazing things.

[Andrew Troup]

From Three Yachts (if you can get your hands on a copy!)
By Conor O'Brien

It took me years to find a copy, and now I just dip into it a few pages at a time when I want a real treat. It's one of the most beautifully written books on any topic (at least, so far -- I'm only about a fifth of the way through it)

[Andrew Troup]

Also I'm surprised nobody mentioned Guzzwell's book "Trekka round the World"

He had a very incident free but nevertheless interesting trip, sailing a 20' boat, not as a stunt, but because that was a good size for his purposes. And he could write ...

The reason why he didn't have any major scrapes was he was a great planner and natural seaman, so there's a lot of learning to be had, as well as vicarious pleasure.

"Sheila in the Wind" is another good one. Adrian Hayter, by contrast, was woefully ill prepared, both in skills and equipment, but he gradually got on top of things, by and large...


And there's a VERY interesting chapter on a destination which has since changed absolutely beyond recognition, and irreversibly.

[carstenb]

Let's not forget:

Following seas - Beth Leonard

The voyage of the Swan - Dave Mancini

If you happen to read Danish:

Kaerligheden, kildevandet og den blaa ocean - troels kløvedal

Stormy II - Svend Bindesboelle (around the world in an 18 footer (age 70)

[alex bellini]

Hi everyone, my name is Alex Bellini and I'm an Italian adventurer. In 2008 I rowed alone across the Pacific ocean. I wrote the story in a award winning book published by an italian publishing house. Now I want to tell this story to a wider audience so I'm about to publish it in england. If you are interested on this story and you would like to read the book, now you could give your contribution and make it real by supporting my crowd funding project. Check it out.
Thank you for any sort of support you would give me.
Alex

E-publishing "Alone across the Pacific ocean". by Alex Bellini — Kickstarter

should you want to know more about me here you can: alexbellini

[sequitur]

Hopefully I can blow my own horn here without stepping across the Community Rules line. I have recently published a book on our three-year cruise southward from Vancouver to Cape Horn and beyond.

"SEQUITUR - to Cape Horn in Comfort and Style" is a 680-page 8.5 by 11 inch book that follows our adventures. Throughout the book I offer a close-up view and commentary on the process of voyaging through less travelled areas. Because of the included details, the book is not only for shore-side dreamers; it should also be a useful resource for those thinking of taking this voyage themselves. The book is illustrated with more than 2400 colour images that were selected and edited from the 296,500 photographs shot along the way. As well, there are dozens of maps and chart-plotter screenshots to assist in following the adventures.

It is a rather large book with 315,000 words and it is currently among the Hot New Releases on Amazon in the Sailing and South America Travel categories. A 99-page Look Inside feature should be up shortly and I am working on Kindle editions.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by sequitur

Hopefully I can blow my own horn here without stepping across the Community Rules line. I have recently published a book on our three-year cruise southward from Vancouver to Cape Horn and beyond.

Congratulations on publishing the book!

I'm not sure we have a rule about blowing horns.

[cathyoz]

sailing to Freedom
by Voldemar Veedam and Carl b wall
a true story
exiled Estonians in Sweden are ordered to return to their Russian controlled country after the war, in 1945
inteast the choose to sail to freedom to the States on a small boat.
fascinating and captivating
i could not put the book down.
i got old copy from 1955
not sure if it is in print , could try to scan it

[Sailor_Hutch]

I've accumulated a small library of non-fiction sailing books, and while most are informative, only a few stand out as being books that rival fictional adventures. I suspect most forum members are already familiar with Dodge Morgan's "Voyage of American Promise" - but I had not read it until a recent week-end spent milling around in an old bookstore. I'll make it a suggested read for the newer folks who've not read it. It's slightly dated, but is very good reading for potential circumnavigators. (Morgan was the first American to solo non-stop circumnavigate in 1986)

The first part of the book reads like a Dean Koontz novel, and is a page-turner. There is the story of scaling his eighty foot mast in heavy weather, being tossed back and forth on top of it, after free-climbing the last ten feet due to a stuck bosun's chair. Morgan is a bit blustery, but once you get past that persona, the story is as intriguing as it is informative.

He points out the major weak links in his boat, in an adventure-story way. (Bad autopilots, hydraulic leaks, and weak-chain-link points like the shacklesnaps (or were they regular shackles?) that came undone, etc. Morgan passed away in 2010, as was noted on CF.

[belizesailor]

A few non-fictions I've not noticed mentioned (though not round-the world sailing necessarily, but sailing related non fiction).

Black Jacks (Slaves as seafarers in America...some as captains and pilots!)

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Jacks-Af...ds=black+jacks

Sea of Grey (Did you know the Confederacy ran privateers? Me neither!)

http://www.amazon.com/Sea-Gray-Aroun.../dp/0809085046

Longitude (didn't notice here, but is mentioned on other CF threads).

http://www.amazon.com/Longitude-Geni.../dp/080271529X

In Search Of Maya Sea Traders (Not about sailing per se, but an archelogical study of a Mayan trading area in islands of Belize)

http://www.amazon.com/Search-Traders.../dp/1585444243

A few more from my bookshelf:

The Diario of Christopher Columbus (A translation with notes. The first Caribbean Cruiser!)

Custom of The Sea (survival canabalism that, unusually, resulted in a trial)

The Ship and The Storm (loss of the tall ship Fantome off Honduras in hurricane Mitch...a case study in why to never play dodge ball with hurricanes).

Adrift by Steve Callahan (world record no one wants to top)

Albatross (Deborah Scaling (sp?)...similar vein to Adrift)

In The Heart of The Sea (already mentioned, but worth a second mention, amazing how close reality matches Moby Dick).

Fastnet, Force 10 (...never step DOWN into a life raft.)

Blue Latitudes (not about sailing per se, but a very well written book about the long term sociological effects of Captain Cook's voyages)

[Ocean Girl]

Parents sailed RTW, mom wrote a book about it
Oceans Are Waiting: Around the World on the Yacht Tigger: Sharon Ragle: 9781574091458: Amazon.com: Books

We have a dear friend who singlehanded RTW (2002-2004) was the first Deaf man to do it. I believe his book will be called Silent voyager, Charl De Villiars. Not out yet. Also a documentary is also being made about his sail. Very cool guy, very amazing life he has lived.
Will post links as soon as I get them

[mrohr]

Blue Water------------by Griffin ( I think)

[Mainebristol]

Try "Berserk" by David Mercy if you want to read about a couple of truly foolish people who most certainly should have died sailing to Antarctica. Several times I caught myself saying, 'well, I'm reading the book, so I guess they survived.' There is so much I could say about this book, but I guarantee that it will raise the hair on the back of your neck. Think ignorance squared in he midst of the great southern ocean, far, far south of Cape Horn.

[Sailor_Hutch]

Originally Posted by Mainebristol

Try "Berserk" by David Mercy if you want to read about a couple of truly foolish people who most certainly should have died sailing to Antarctica. Several times I caught myself saying, 'well, I'm reading the book, so I guess they survived.' There is so much I could say about this book, but I guarantee that it will raise the hair on the back of your neck. Think ignorance squared in he midst of the great southern ocean, far, far south of Cape Horn.

I'll have to check that one out! I found a snippet review of a southern ocean debacle story a few months ago, and thinking it was pretty entertaining, I told myself to look it up. Then, later - I couldn't remember where I saw the review or the name of the book. Maybe it was that one. Thanks!