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Sailing novels - fiction and non-fiction
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Scooby_simon View Drop Down
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Posts: 2415 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Scooby_simon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Sailing novels - fiction and non-fiction
    Posted: 10 Jan 08 at 11:32pm
Originally posted by GK.LaserII

 "Voyage for Madmen"....about the Golden Globe race, Knox Johnston, Donald Crowhurst and all. One of the best reads I've had for years.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Voyage-Madmen-Peter-Nichols/dp/18619 74655

Well written, exciting and tragic with fantastic insights into the personalities.

.....and Patrick O'Brian's books of course.

 

Yep; that's a good one.

 

Ellen's books as well.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan 08 at 11:54pm
Originally posted by ASok

 

Also, I recently read a book about the shipping forecast - Attention all Shipping: A Journey Around the Shipping Forecast by Charlie Connelly. 

It was about a guy who travelled to each forecast area and gave an insight to what they are about.  Its a good read and was a Radio 4 book of the week.  At least the cover sticker said so - I'm not quite old enough to listen to Radio 4  !

 

 Agreed, A cracking little book, A very gentle and informative read with some humour thrown in.

 as for Radio 4, go on asok, you know you want to  



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getafix View Drop Down
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Posts: 2143 		Post Options Post Options   Quote getafix Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jan 08 at 6:54am
"scoundrel" by Bernhard Cornwell = sailing related and a darn good read, just like the rest of mr cornwells output IMO
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Posts: 1459 		Post Options Post Options   Quote sargesail Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jan 08 at 9:11am
New World etc a trilogy about 2 dinghy sailors who then grow up and challenge for the AC.  Collins I think the author.
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Posts: 718 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Jamie600 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jan 08 at 10:14am

 

Saved by Tony Bullimore is a great book, as well as the build up to the race, the capsize and subsequent rescue there's a lot about his life before, which makes fasinating reading. He's a real charactor and I actually found myself skipping through the sailing bits
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Posts: 589 		Post Options Post Options   Quote MerlinMags Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jan 08 at 10:30am
Ahh, books about sailing, my favourite subject!

For the young 'uns, start with the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome. For adults, forget Patrick O'Brien (and the other copycats) and go for the original Hornblower series by C.S. Forrester. Of course, there's more naval stuff than actual sailing, but a damn good read.

For 'readable' non-fiction I would recommend:
Born to Win - John Bertrand
A nail-biting account of how the America's Cup was finally wrestled from Connor.

Come Wind or Weather - Clare Francis
She was the first female skipper in the Whitbread, but basically it's a very interesting book.

Sailing Alone Around the World - Joshua Slocum
A classic.

The Cruise of the Teddy - Earling Tambs
You'll be amazed at how this chap sailed his family around the world without killing them. He didn't even have a chart.

The Magic of the Swatchways - Maurice Griffiths
One man's pootling around the East coast.

Finally, I found this one of the most useful books to improve my sailing performance:
Sail, Race and Win - Eric Twiname
Can't recommend it enough!
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Posts: 1076 		Post Options Post Options   Quote rogerd Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jan 08 at 10:38am

Mags, Have to agree the Slocum book is great. Pirates off Africa, Shooting natives in the Magellan straits to protect his boat and setting the boat up in the pacific and sailing 2000miles with the tiller tied. No modern gadgets just him the boat (which he rebuilt).

One man alone in 1890 something. That was some feat of seamanship.
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Posts: 2415 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Scooby_simon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Jan 08 at 12:32pm
Originally posted by Jamie600

 

Saved by Tony Bullimore is a great book, as well as the build up to the race, the capsize and subsequent rescue there's a lot about his life before, which makes fasinating reading. He's a real charactor and I actually found myself skipping through the sailing bits

 

Forgot about that; I've got it somewhere!

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Posts: 24 		Post Options Post Options   Quote HelenF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jan 08 at 10:15am
Best reads in the past year have definitely been Storm Prophet by Hector
Macdonald - a thriller set around the Sydney Hobart; and Left for Dead -
the true story of the last man rescued from the '79 Fastnet. Both of which
had me refusing to put them down (but might make you a bit twitchy
about going offshore in big weather!)

Dee Caffari's autobiography Against the Flow is well worth a read too.
And Sir Robin K-J's is next on my list...

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JohnW View Drop Down
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Posts: 552 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JohnW Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jan 08 at 10:42am
Swallows and Amazons





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