Books

[Ross]

What would you consider the value of being able to spend an entire evening with a good bottle of wine and you favorite well know cruising sailor? I am referring to people like Hal Roth, Robin Knox Johnson, Nigal Calder, Adlar coles, James Cook or you can name your own. The great yacht designers come to mind, past and present.

I like to think that spending a week reading a book by a person like these as though I have had the privilege of being one on one with them for the time I am reading their works.

I can not understand how some can fail to esteem books in favor of brief social conversation.

 

[Paul Akers]

Priceless!!!

nm

 

[David10790]

Like she said...

Emily Dickinson (1830–86). Complete Poems. 1924.

Part One: Life

XCIX

THERE is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.

This traverse may the poorest take 5
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!

 

[MoonSailer]

Reading a Poor Second to Doing

When in the Air Force in RPI with no television I read 2-3 books/week. Even in grade school I was a book worm or sorts. When desperate I would just randomly read the encyclopedia. But reading is a poor substitute for doing. Sure read cousteau is great but scuba diving is better. I have read many books spending many hours reading about other's adventures sailing...a very poor substitute for sailing all night in my own boat. That said it is fantastic to read a great writer like Darwin. time spent reading Henry David thoreau or any other great author is time well spent. But sailing is a better way to spend time. Spending time walking alone in the woods is better than reading HDT describe his time in the woods.

 

[Maine Sail]

Funny you should ask...

I just spent a good deal of time this afternoon talking all things cruising with John Harries of Morgans Cloud fame. He and his wife to me epitomize the rugged and resourceful off shore sailor. They spend most of their time in the cold Northern climes amongst ice bergs and cold water.

When a guy says to you "You made a good choice buying that Harken furler mine has over 120,000 nautical miles on it, it's good stuff." There is not much to say. 120,000 miles on a furler!!!!!!! This guy is a walking encyclopedia of cruising and has the experience to back it up. I really like that John still gets bright eyed and giddy when discussing such topics as Awlgrip, anchoring (of which which he has stronger opinions than I), and non-skid to name a few. The guy has been doing this for years and years yet still loves every minute of it! Truly a sailors sailor.

I've also had the pleasure of meeting and talking sailing with many other well traveled sailors from Bruce Schwab to Dodge Morgan all very, very nice folks!

Morgan's Cloud Web Site
http://www.morganscloud.com/index.html

 

[Ross]

Mainesail , Had you not first read his tales you might never have met him

I met Hal Roth for a few hours years ago when I bought a walker patent log from him.

This site has been driving me mad today with dropped posts.

 

[Ross]

if you have never read of sailors stuck in the doldrums

then you can't emphathize with them when you are becalmed for a few hours.

 

[Joe]

hmm, I'm sorry...

... but that statement doesn't make any sense. Good writers generate the readers' empathy for their characters all the time... that's what good writers do.

 

[Ross]

Joe, I'm Sorry but if you haven't been there you don't

know what you are talking about. Try 50-60 miles noon to noon the the inter-tropical convergence zone. No! I haven't been there but I have been becalmed on the Chesapeake bay for hours and have no trouble relating to someone who has spent days in the ITZ with no wind and no cloud cover.

 

[Ross]

Frank, I bought a Walker log from Hal Roth

years ago when I had big dreams of sailing to far away places. We talked about boats and When I said that I was planning mine to be NOT reliant on electricity he said that was a smart choice. As Nancy and I were leaving he asked if there was anything else I needed and I said I was looking for an Edson 30 diaphragm pump. He said," Oh, Those are nice! a gallon per stroke. One came in very handy when I was rolled over in the Indian Ocean last year. I asked about it and he said that he was writing the account. I read it in one of the sailing Mags later.

 

[Brian D]

Wish we had holodeck...

Then we could sail anywhere and have our favorite author/sailer with us. Pst... someone wake me up!

 

[TT23844]

Ross's challenge???

Ross- You must be drinking wine with a high caffeine content. Your scenario sounds pleasant but I'm afraid I'd fall asleep before either bottle or book were done.
Seriously, BOTH reading & doing have merit. Reading first may help to avoid making a lot of unnecessary mistakes and better prepare you for the doing. If I'm tacklng a project I like to review the printed word before committing time & money to the exercise. Reading enables you to check the credentials of the source of the information, something that isn't always possible when you rely on anecdotal information. Once you're confident that you have a reasonable grasp and are acting on good, solid info, then start the doing part.
Doing is a helluva lot more rewarding than reading in most cases, several of which are too obvious to mention here. But when it comes to sailing round Cape Horn in a small boat, I think I'm in good company by preferring to read than to do.

 

[Ross]

TT, I have an embarassing capacity for wine.

From what I have read of Adlar Coles, in "Heavy Weather Sailing" attitude has a major impact on the way people deal with the stress of storm sailing. I have read dovens of books on boat building and sailing and have applied much of what I have read to my own sailing experience.