Please select your home edition
Edition
Crewsaver 2021 Safetyline LEADERBOARD
Product Feature
Sail Trim - Theory & Practice by Peter Hahne
 Sail Trim - Theory & Practice by Peter Hahne

Book review: Flotsam and Jetsam (The Cranse Chronicles) by Bob Ross

by Magnus Smith 5 Feb 09:54 GMT 5 February 2023
Flotsam and Jetsam (The Cranse Chronicles) by Bob Ross © Magnus Smith

I'm not Australian, and yet this collection of bar stories still amused me to read through in my spare moments. To be fair, the local colour (mainly from Sydney) was balanced fairly often with tales from international offshore racing and the America's/Admiral's Cups.

Taken from an anonymous gossip column, from the 1970s until the days where websites took over, Bob's tales range from short two sentence quips to two page stories. You may have heard the odd one before, but not all of them, and sometimes the book seems to reveal the truer version of events.

My personal favourite was about a shop window dummy (mannequin) which caused extended fun and games at one Sydney-Hobart Race, and topped off the prize-giving by coming alive.

Uncensored, and of their time, they are worthy of a giggle. I would recommend the hardback version for a shore-side read, or the paperback edition for an onboard library.

Related Articles

Risk and reward
Much more than a port tack flyer or banging a corner I've yet to meet a keen sailor who hasn't at some point banged a corner, usually after a poor start, and come out top at the windward mark. Nine times out of ten it won't work, but that one time where it does certainly brings out the smiles. Posted on 20 Mar
Edward Woodward
He played Lieutenant (Henry Harbord) Harry ‘The Breaker' Morant in the film. He played Lieutenant (Henry Harbord) Harry ‘The Breaker' Morant in the Bruce Beresford film depiction of the famed bush poet's execution during the Second Boer War. Woodward was utterly superb at it, too. Posted on 12 Mar
When did you discover Henri-Lloyd?
For me it was as a kid in 1982 at the London Boat Show 60 years, six decades, three score. However you say it, it's a long time, especially when so much has changed in the intervening years since 1963. Throughout that time there has been a single watchword summing up Henri-Lloyd: Innovation. Posted on 10 Mar
Simply the Best: 5o5 celebration at Hayling Island
The last great 'untold' narrative of dinghy development It is one of those sadder facts for our long established 'senior' classes, that when they were first developed, no one could have envisaged that they would still be at the forefront of our sport a lifetime later. Posted on 7 Mar
It may not be the biggest...
It's no secret that I'm a massive fan of the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show It's no secret that I'm a massive fan of the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show, held in the UK on the final weekend of February. Posted on 6 Mar
What was intriguing at the RYA Dinghy Show 2023?
Remote operated self-bailers set one man's heart a flutter Determined not to let moving house (the day before) put him off, YachtsandYachting.com's website developer, Magnus Smith, attended his favourite boat show during the last weekend in February. Posted on 6 Mar
The Wise Man of the West
Another of our first generation 'greats' has left us - Alec Stone Another of our first generation 'greats' has left us. The name of Alec Stone is hardly an oft featured favourite, yet he should not be forgotten as he had become one of the great links to an era of sailing and boatbuilding that is now long past. Posted on 5 Mar
Not a bag of liquorice
There was a standout notion. That would be all sorts, hence the title. However, after one of the many conversations I have with our Managing Editor, Mark Jardine there was a standout notion. That would be all sorts, hence the title. Posted on 27 Feb
'Simply the Best'
We talk to Dougal Henshall about his 5o5 tome For many years now the story of one of the sport's most iconic dinghies, the 5o5, has been shrouded in something of a mystery. Where did that wonderful reverse flared hull shape come from? Posted on 26 Feb
Interview with Europe sailor Hannah Carruthers
At the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2023 Mark Jardine, Managing Editor of YachtsandYachting.com and Sail-World.com, spoke to 2021 Cadet class National Champion Hannah Carruthers about what attracted her to the Europe dinghy and why she's sailing one in 2023. Posted on 26 Feb