Inspiring Books

[mark1]

I always come back to this thread when I'm low on good reading material...
I expect some of you, like me, have been reading a lot the past few weeks, so I'll include a few that aren't so relevant to sailing small boats but entertaining none the less:

Arctic Passages by John Bockstoce is about trying to get through the Northwest Passage in a walrus skin boat (they use an outboard motor), with a little archaeology and history thrown in, not as entertaining as the Brendan Voyage, but a good read.

Adrift in Caledonia, Nick Thorpe. Nick lives in Edinburgh and attempts to hitch-hike on boats along the Forth and Clyde canal, round the top of Scotland and back home. Not about sailing on the whole, but entertaining!

Solo around Scotland by Alan Rankin. Alan sails and cycles around Scotland, not the most inspiring sailing read ever, but filled a day and a half on lockdown! I wouldn't buy it, but if you can find a copy somewhere worth a look...

Mingming 2 and the Impossible Voyage by Roger Taylor. I'm sure a many of you have read this well known book already. Rogers approach and philosophy to minimalist offshore sailing is interesting and inspiring, I'm only halfway through this one, Roger heads North from the Moray Coast and visits Arctic Islands I'd never heard of. Outstanding read if you haven't read it.

This one isn't a book, but the website of Sven Yrvind makes interesting reading. Yrvind has his own approach to building small boats to cross oceans in.

I hope some of those help fill a few lockdown hours!

[Sea Simon]

The story of  Sir Richard Stilgoe's (I'm sure most here will remember him?) voyage around Battersea Power Station in his Romilly is really worth downloading.
Even better, it's free, and no waiting for parcels!

http://www.roxane-romilly.co.uk/Roxane/sir-richard-stilgoes-voyage

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The story of the voyage with interesting asides is written in a very entertaining and accessible style and as you read it you hear Sir Richard's own voice. It is rather like being told the story over a pint in a Devon pub by the author himself. Humorous, self-deprecating and warm the story is "one of the best accounts of a coastal cruise I have ever read." To steal David Collin's words.

Sir Richard Stilgoe has very kindly provided the full account of his voyage for all of us to enjoy here: CIRCUMNAVIGATION-Complete.pdf 1.3mb and I heartily recommend that you grab it. Then get your favourite drink and an hour or two of quiet time and prepare to be motivated to plan or at least dream about completing a special voyage yourself.
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[graham2burton65@gmail.com]

So many good books
how about
The Grey Seas Under is a non-fiction book by Canadian author Farley Mowat about the Atlantic Salvage Tug Foundation Franklin, operated by the firm Foundation Maritime in Canada's Maritime provinces from 1930 to 1948.
A remarkable story of open ocean salvage work, often in amongst rocks, using en RN steam tug

[graham2burton65@gmail.com]

In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick
Open ocean survival in small boats after the mother ship was sunk by a whale in 1820.
There is a wealth of information and many books about this sinking. A fascinating study on so many fronts.  Both the mate and the cabin boy wrote accounts, both accounts of which nearly did not survive.  interesting to read from both angles.  there was cannibalism on all three of the boats. Horrendous struggle to survive and take the decisions needed.

Coasting Barge-master by Bob Roberts.  An easy read but by a skipper who worked for many years on the sailing thames barges.

The wreck of the Barque Stefano off the cape of Australia in 1875
Fascinating in-sites.  very young crew and skipper, great risks, great responsibility and learning to trust the wild indigenous people who helped some of them survive. insite into how those indigenous people lived as well.

[dermot]

OK, obviously not a book, but a friend recently directed me towards a video blog from a guy undertaking the mother of all boat restorations - rebuilding a 1910 gaff cutter called Tally Ho. It's addictive watching and has some great insights: https://youtube.com/c/SampsonBoatCo. Watch from the start.

[mark1]

I've just finished Icebound by Andrea Pitzer. A great tale, following the adventures of William Barents (for whom the Barents Sea is named) and his adventures north of Russia in the late 1500's. He and his crew attempt over several trips to find a north east passage to China. They fail in that quest, but succeed in getting most of the crew home alive. I think readers of this forum will enjoy particularly the later part of their expeditions (I won't spoil the tale by explaining why!).