As we’re heading into gift-giving season, I want to tell you about three great cruising memoirs by people I’m close to. The three books are quite different from one another, exploring different aspects of the cruising life. But all would make a great present for a cruiser or soon-to-be cruiser!
Crew of Three
Our first suggestion is Crew of Three: How Bold Dreams and Detailed Plans Launched Our Family’s Sailing Adventure (Amazon) by Kimberly Ward.
Kimberly’s book is primarily about the pre-cruising planning and is an excellent insight into how to break away from land life. It includes making the transition to home schooling. Packed with detailed information, this is the story of their decision to go, the two years of planning to make it work, plus the first several months they lived aboard. It is part memoir and part instruction manual for breaking free of the ordinary. Available on Amazon – paperback, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited.
The Co-Captain’s Log
The Co-Captain’s Log (Amazon) by Katherine Gonzalez is next up.
Katherine invites you aboard to experience adventure first-hand. This memoir is an immersive, multimedia journey that places you on deck as they cross the world’s largest ocean: the Pacific, from Seattle to New Zealand. Includes photos, videos, audio, and even daily emails. The epic expedition puts them face-to-face with waves that threaten to take their lives, whales that take their breath away, and strangers who show serendipitous hospitality. Available on Amazon – hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited.
Passages
And finally, we come to Passages: Cape Horn and Beyond – Sailing through Life’s Changing Currents (Amazon) by Lin Pardey.
A far-ranging sailing adventure and memoir by the grandmaster of the cruising story, Lin Pardey. Beginning from doubling Cape Horn and sailing north to Canada and then back across the Pacific to New Zealand. Lin then details both the voyaging and emotional journey as she came to grips with Larry’s deteriorating health. She chronicles the last years she shared with Larry. And follow sharing the solo adventure that followed and, eventually, the romance and challenge of building a new life and voyaging onward with a different partner. Available on Amazon – paperback, Kindle, and Kindle Unlimited
All three of these cruising memoirs make great reads! Kimberly and Katherine are both part of The Boat Galley team, and I’ve shared a booth at the Annapolis Sailboat Show with Lin for going on ten years.
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Maggie says
Those books all sound amazing! Definitely snagging some for Christmas!