Book picks similar to
The Dory Book by John Gardner
boats
maritime
nautical
re-read
As Long as It's Fun: The Epic Voyages and Extraordinary Times of Lin and Larry Pardey
Herb McCormick - 2013
As world-girdling sailors who roamed the planet on a pair of small, engineless boats that they built themselves, the Pardeys established their hard-earned reputations by eloquently (and sometimes controversially) telling their stories through a series of best-selling books and manuals, and countless seminars and boat shows. They have been called "the first couple of cruising" and have remained true to their mantra: "Go simple, go small, go now." And after 200,000 miles of cruising under sail, they've demonstrated that the dream of voyaging over the horizon is not only attainable, it's affordable.The children of modest, middle-class families, their message of accessibility into the world of cruising-of taking your own floating home anywhere-has proved irresistible to tens of thousands of sailors. Lin and Larry Pardey became "cruising royalty" not solely due to their impressive deeds but also through their rare ability to share what they'd learned across multiple media. Seemingly every offshore cruiser knows who they are and what they represent.Or do they?In As Long as It's Fun, the biography of Lin and Larry Pardey, Herb McCormick recounts their remarkable sailing career-from their early days in Southern California to their two circumnavigations to their current life in a quiet cove in New Zealand. Through interviews with their families, friends, and critics, McCormick delves deeply into the couple's often-controversial opinions, sometimes-tenuous marriage, and amazing list of accomplishments. As Long as It's Fun is as much a love story as it is a sea yarn, and, like all such stories, it's not without complications . . . which makes it not only a sailing tale but also a human one.
The Survival of the Bark Canoe
John McPhee - 1975
The Survival of the Bark Canoe is the story of this ancient craft and of a 150-mile trip through the Maine woods in those graceful survivors of a prehistoric technology. It is a book squarely in the tradition of one written by the first tourist in these woods, Henry David Thoreau, whose The Maine Woods recounts similar journeys in similar vessel. As McPhee describes the expedition he made with Vaillancourt, he also traces the evolution of the bark canoe, from its beginnings through the development of the huge canoes used by the fur traders of the Canadian North Woods, where the bark canoe played the key role in opening up the wilderness. He discusses as well the differing types of bark canoes, whose construction varied from tribe to tribe, according to custom and available materials. In a style as pure and as effortless as the waters of Maine and the glide of a canoe, John McPhee has written one of his most fascinating books, one in which his talents as a journalist are on brilliant display.
The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst
Nicholas Tomalin - 1970
Eight months later, his boat was found in the mid-Atlantic, intact but with no one on board. In this gripping reconstruction, journalists Nicholas Tomalin and Ron Hall tell the story of Crowhurst's ill-fated voyage.
The Long Way
Bernard Moitessier - 1971
For seven months, the veteran seafarer battled storms, doldrums, gear-failures, knock-downs, as well as overwhelming fatigue and loneliness. Then, nearing the finish, Moitessier pulled out of the race and sailed on for another three months before ending his 37,455-mile journey in Tahiti. Not once had he touched land.
Neutral Buoyancy: Adventures in a Liquid World
Tim Ecott - 2001
He tells the extraordinary story of man's attempts to breathe underwater, from the sponge divers described by Aristotle, to the development of sixteenth-century diving bells, to the invention of modern scuba equipment. Along the way, Ecott intersperses the story with his own thrilling adventures, from the waters of the South Pacific to the remote islands of the Seychelles, from explorations in the clear, flowing tides of Sardinia to a near-death experience in the cold gray depths of the English Channel. Filled with engaging stories of humanity's conquest of the undersea world -- and heart-pounding action that will leave you breathless -- Neutral Buoyancy is a compelling blend of history and adventure, an exciting overview of the world of undersea diving.
Wake of the Wahoo: The Heroic Story of America's Most Daring WWII Submarine, USS Wahoo
Forest J. Sterling - 1960
Sterling. USS Wahoo (SS-238) was the most successful American submarine in the World War II Pacific Fleet. She was the first to penetrate an enemy harbor and sink a Japanese ship. And was the first to wipe-out an entire convoy single-handedly. In her 11 short months of life, Wahoo managed an incredible 21 kills, totaling over 60,000 tons of ships. Then, just 45 minutes before leaving Midway (island) for what would be her last and fatal patrol, Yeoman Forest Sterling was suddenly transferred to other duty. The result is this book; Wake of the Wahoo, Sterling's fantastic yet completely authentic account of a remarkable crew, captain and the ship they lived and died for. Wahoo's captain the aggressive and brave Lieutenant Commander Dudley 'Mush' Morton was the pride of the submarine fleet. He would earn the Navy Cross at the helm of Wahoo. The sub's executive officer the daring Lieutenant Richard H. 'Dick' O'Kane. O'Kane would later receive the Medal of Honor in command of the submarine USS Tang (SS-306. Forest Sterling tells the story as no one else could Wake of the Wahoo is a true account of American submarine warfare from a man who lived it ... and live to tell about it.
The Flight
Caleb Cleek - 2015
Time is short as they fear he will settle his grudge by adding their families to the mounting number of bodies left in the wake of his destruction.Meanwhile, Connor’s brother, Zeke, faces his own obstacles as he attempts to escape Atlanta before the virus unleashed in the Chinese bio-attack infects the entire population, turning people into ravenous, infected monsters.The brothers face overwhelming odds as they fight to protect the people they care for and do the right thing in the face of crumbling humanity. Will Connor and Matt find their families and will Zeke make it across the country to reunite with his brother? Or will they be added to the mounting casualties piling up at the feet of ruthless outlaws and the infected?
Empire of the Deep: The Rise and Fall of the British Navy
Ben Wilson - 2013
Much more than a parade of admirals and their battles, this is the story of how an insignificant island nation conquered the world's oceans to become its greatest trading empire. Few other nations have fallen so deeply in love with a branch of the armed forces as the British did with its Navy. Yet, as Ben Wilson shows, there was nothing inevitable about this rise to maritime domination, nor was it ever an easy path. For much of our history Britain was a third-rate maritime power on the periphery of Europe. EMPIRE OF THE DEEP also reveals how our naval history has shaped us in more subtle and surprising ways - our language, culture, politics and national character all owe a great debt to this conquest of the seas. This is a gripping, fresh take on our national story.
Hell Around the Horn
Rick Spilman - 2012
In 1905, a young ship’s captain and his family set sail on the windjammer, Lady Rebecca, from Cardiff, Wales with a cargo of coal bound for Chile, by way of Cape Horn. Before they reach the Southern Ocean, the cargo catches fire, the mate threatens mutiny and one of the crew may be going mad, yet the greatest challenge will prove to be surviving the vicious westerly winds and mountainous seas of the worst Cape Horn winter in memory. Based on an actual voyage, Hell Around the Horn is a story of survival and the human spirit against overwhelming odds.
His Mate - Brothers - Ain't Misbehavin'
M.L. Briers - 2018
What was a shifter without his mate? Nothing, worse than nothing, he’d probably go rogue, but wouldn’t that be better than a lifetime with a witch soul mate? Wooing her wasn’t going to be easy. She was crazy, worse than crazy; she said her best friend was a unicorn. Maybe crazy was rubbing off on him, but he wanted his mate, his wolf wanted their mate, and he’d do whatever it took to woo her. Then there were the other two witches, his brothers, the good vampire, the bad vampire, and a whole lot of crazy. Join Alf and his pack for a laugh-out-loud comedy romance that you can really get your fangs into.
The Cocky Cage Fighter Nine Book Box Set
Lane Hart - 2017
. Newly admitted attorney Page Davenport is willing to do anything to finally prove herself in her father’s law firm. Anything except represent the infamous miscreant, Jackson "The Mauler" Malone. Page and Jax struggle to work together, engaging in a knockdown drag-out fight for dominance. When they finally stop taking swings at each other, they're both surprised to realize that sometimes first impressions are completely wrong. ~ JUDE ~ MMA cage fighter Jude Malone leads a simple life - eat, sleep and train. While Jude's had his fair share of recent losses, he's better than his record. He just needs a chance to prove it. When Jude is offered the fight of a lifetime by his head coach, there is only one tiny string attached. But that little string just might turn out to be the one that unravels him completely. ~ LINC ~ Linc is in love with a porn star. Okay, so maybe he’s not in love with Eve Kelly, but he’s completely freaking obsessed with her. For years he’s been using Eve as an escape from reality. Why? Because Linc’s heart was ripped out of his chest by his high school sweetheart. By confronting his demons, or in this case one incredibly sexy demoness, he thinks he’ll finally be able to get his social life back. Linc didn’t consider the possibility that he could fall even harder for her. ~ MACE ~ Mace fell for Hailey the moment he laid eyes on her, before he knew about the three King Kong size battles he would have to fight to be with her. By the time Linc warned Mace that his gorgeous sister with legs a mile long was off limits and “emotionally fragile,” it was too late. There was no turning back. ~ SENN ~ The woman is pure evil. Tiny, sexy, manipulative evil. I can’t even blame my stupidity on alcohol. There was only half a beer in my bloodstream when I agreed to get into that cab with her. Nobody, especially Linc, can ever find out that I broke the bro code and slept with his ex-girlfriend, Abby. Everything was going great, until a few months later when she called and said the two words that set me up for the biggest fight of my life – “I’m pregnant.” ~ NATE ~ Burdened by his guilt, Nate’s unable to let go of his painful memories. He keeps to himself, refusing to let anyone else in for fear that they’ll learn the truth. When a nosy reporter starts investigating his past, the skeletons Nate’s kept locked up tight in his closet start to rattle, threatening to surface and ruin him. ~ TRICK ~ The fairy tales have it all wrong. Cinderella didn’t fall in love with the prince. He was nothing more to her than an easy escape from her shitty life. How do I know? Because in this twisted Cinderella story I’m her long-lost stepbrother. ~ LUKE ~ Have you ever loved someone who is completely wrong for you? God knows I have. But in my defense, I fell for Megan Warner years before my older brother Eli ever noticed her, before he asked her out and made her his. After four long years without a word, Megan has moved back to Cary, North Carolina but she’s not alone. She has a three-year-old son and I think there’s a pretty good chance that Megan’s son is actually mine.
Patrick O'Brian: A Life
Dean King - 2000
Like his life, O'Brian's death was marked by secrecy and confusion, sharpening the curiosity of his many readers who for years have speculated about the man behind the beloved Aubery-Maturin series of novels.Dean King at last unveils the story of Richard Patrick Russ, a writer and intellectual who emerged from the Second World War as Patrick O'Brian, a persona created by his imagination and refined over decades. To research this book, King crisscrossed Europe to speak to long-lost relatives, friends, and colleagues of his famously reclusive subject; now he has fashioned this wealth of information into a dramatic and compelling narrative. As King meticulously examines the events of O'Brian's life, he deepens and enriches our understanding and appreciation of O'Brian's work.
New Complete Sailing Manual
Steve Sleight - 1999
From tacking and mooring to nautical etiquette, the guide covers every aspect of sailing, and includes advice and information on all types of craft, from dinghies to large cruisers.
The Spanish Armada
Jay Williams - 1966
The ensuing events brought a Spanish word, armada, into the English language and created a host of legends. Intrepid English sea dogs in tiny ships, it was said, had bravely faced down towering Spanish galleons. Finally, a storm sent by a vengeful God wrecked most of that proud fleet on its way home. Award-winning author Jay Williams sheds new light on the traditional picture. Although the English were superior sailors, the two fleets were evenly matched. Moreover, the battle emerges as the high point of a four-year cold war between England and Spain. Only when set in the context of a Europe bitterly divided between Catholics and Protestants can the contest be fully understood. The personalities of Queen Elizabeth I of England and King Philip II of Spain and their commanders - especially Francis Drake - are also key to this dramatic story.