Come Wind or Weather – Reviewed

Book the Captain has snoozed upon:  
Come Wind or Weather, by Clare Francis    

Good news! The Can Opener has just finished another great book by Clare Francis. Come Wind or Weather is her second book – her first book, Come Hell or High Water, was so good we assigned this one to the Can Opener to read as well. 

But wait – who is Clare Francis?
Clare studied at the Royal Ballet School, graduated in Economics from University College London, worked in marketing, excelled at offshore yacht racing, was the first woman skipper in the Whitbread, became a BBC presenter and then… oh yeah, morphed to an international bestselling thriller writer. Not bad. Not bad at all. 

And here is the First Mate’s book review of her second sailing account, Come Wind or Weather …  

Topics Covered

Clare describes skippering ADC Accutrac in the 1977-78 Whitbread Around the World race with 11 crew, thus becoming the first woman ever to skipper a Whitbread team. She covers preparation, refit, funding and the race itself.
 
The Best Part
Come Wind or Weather is not just a record of events. Hands down, what we loved best about this book is her detailed descriptions of the characters on board. 

Actually, were her descriptions so detailed? No. It was her choice of details presented that made the character of each teammate so clear. She interlaced humourous quotes from the Sea Log with concise but vivid accounts of crew interactions and events. Brilliant.

And her description of racing through the Antarctic Ocean is thrilling – and terrifying – in its own right. Oooo, we do love a thrilling tale.

Wishes

Okay. All right. Again, we wish this book were longer. Or that it had a sequel. Hey, wait! It has a pre-quel! It’s called Come Hell or High Water. We loved that one too.
 
Conclusion
We said we’ll read any book Clare Francis has written – and we did.  And we weren’t disappointed.

Post- ballerina-ing, marketing, dominating the yachting scene and BBC presenting, Francis began writing psycho-thrillers that debuted on the NY Times Bestseller list right out of the gate. 

We’ve got a list of her thrillers as long as my whiskers to read. But reviews on those are for another blog… 

Ever read Come Wind or Weather, by Clare Francis? How did you find it? 

Any good recommendations for other books for the sea library? 

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

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Book Reviews
Previously: Taking On The World , by Ellen MacArthur

Ellen MacArthur’s Book – Reviewed

 
Book the Captain has snoozed upon:  
Taking on the World, by Ellen MacArthur   

The Can Opener finally finished Ellen MacArthur‘s first book, Taking on the World… and moments later was snoozing on the sofa, drooling on my cushion! He’d read it in one looooong rush. 

‘Quite addictive,’ he pronounced before passing out.

Herewith his report, knocked out with flying fingers after I roused him with the scent of real Irish coffee. (Our coffee maker has an auto-start button suitable for tapping with cat paws. Of course.)
 

Who is this Dame Ellen MacArthur? 
In 2001 ‘she raced single-handedly non-stop around the world in the Vendée Globe when only 24 years old… second in one of the hardest races in offshore sailing… Prior to her Vendée success, she won the solo transatlantic race from the UK to the USA and went on to win the Route du Rhum from France to the Caribbean in 2002.’

She departed ‘from Falmouth, UK in 2004 on board the 75ft trimaran B&Q… and returned 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes, 33 seconds later, having sailed over 26,000 miles to become the fastest person to circumnavigate the globe single-handed. 

She was knighted by the Queen in 2005 and has received the Legion d’Honneur from French President, Nicolas Sarkozy.’ *

Topics Covered

Ellen begins with family life at 4 years old and moves on in great detail from there. Every early sailing step she ever made takes up the first half of the book.

Getting into her prep for the Vendée Globe and her description of actually sailing it lasts for most of the rest of the tome. 

Her win in the Route du Rhum from France to the Caribbean in 2002 is tacked on in just a few pages at the end.
 
The Best Part
MacArthur’s drive to get sailing from pretty much day one in her life is very clear. Her dedication and indeed determination over decades is amazing.  

Her life is told with great honesty and poignancy, covering not just her many successes, but also her failures (for example, her failure to get into vet school). It gives a bright picture of an outstanding young woman driven towards her goals and we share with her when she achieves them.

Best part about this book? We were on the edge of our seat every time she described having to climb the mast under terrifying Antarctic conditions and were vastly relieved every time she made it safely back down to the deck. 

We had no clue what conditions in extreme solo racing were really like when we picked up this book. I am sure that reading about it doesn’t come close to actually living it – but it certainly paints a vivid picture. 

And we learned that while the Can Opener and I admire such daring exploits – when we head off on our long term adventures, we will certainly be heading straight for warmer climes! 
 
Wishes

Hmm. She repeatedly gives thanks to the support teams that made her achievements possible. But in a vague and general way. We would have liked to hear about more specific support team incidents (builders, mechanics etc) and how these fed into the final outcome.

One began to get the uneasy feeling that these thank yous were perfunctory and added in as an afterthought. This is more true at the beginning of the book and less true at the end. Somehow Clare Francis’ descriptions of this aspect of racing in Come Hell or High Water seemed a lot more personal and believable.
 
Conclusion
Inspirational. Glad we bought it. Now we’ll donate it to the Red Tabby Yacht Club library. Good to spread the inspiration around.

Ever read Taking on the World, by Ellen MacArthur? How did you find it? Any good recommendations for other books for the sea library?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener) 

* from the Ellen MacArthur Official Website bio 

Previously:  The Reluctant Mariner

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Cruising in Searffyn – Reviewed

Book the Captain has snoozed upon:  
Cruising in Searffyn, by Lin and Larry Pardey   

The Can Opener has actually been taking my advice to heart. He’s been powering through the pages of cruising wisdom in hopes of growing…wiser. And as a happy result has just finished another great book by Lin and Larry Pardey…

Who are Lin and Larry Pardey?
Only one of the most famous cruising duos EVER! Their motto is: Go simple go modest, go small, but go!
 

‘They have sailed over 185,000 miles together, having circumnavigated the world both eastabout and westabout. They have also sailed westabout (against the prevailing winds) past all the great southern capes, including Cape Horn. Larry built the two boats they used for two circumnavigations. 

‘Both boats were under 30 feet and were designed by Lyle Hess. Neither boat had an engine (except for an outboard on the dinghy which they carried on board Taleisin)…. Together they have written eleven books and created two VHS tapes and four DVDs.’*

Topics Covered

This travelogue covers seven years of their adventures from California to Central America, Panama, Columbia, the Caribbean, back up to Virgina, USA and then on to England – a final destination that was chosen at the toss of a coin.
 
The Best Part
Lin and Larry are first rate narrators, picking out careful details to make their descriptions of the places they visit come alive. They also explain in detail their philopsophies regarding boat design choice, boat maintenance and repair, some storm tactics… and life. 

Their unique perspective has made their fascinating life possible. And it is a FASCINATING life!
 
Wishes

I wish we could have been there…. and I wish our life turns out to be half as fun as theirs!
 
Conclusion
It’s a classic. The Can Opener has previously read all their ‘how to’ type of books for cruisers (eg Capable Cruiser and Self Sufficient Sailor) and had avoided their travelogue type books. We are so glad we picked up this one. 

It had enough ‘how to’ knowledge in it to satisfy us… and we realised that it’s quite inspirational to read a well written travelogue. And this was certainly inspirational.

Ever read Cruising in Searffyn, by Lin and Larry Pardey? How did you find it? Any good recommendations for other books for the sea library?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

* wikipedia

Previously: Come Hell or High Water
Next: The Reluctant Mariner

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Come Hell or High Water – Reviewed

Book the Captain has snoozed upon:  
Come Hell or High Water, by Clare Francis    

Good news! The Can Opener has just finished another great book – this time by Clare Francis. Here is his book review which he has just handed in to me (on time surprisingly, though with dog-earred corners) for approval. Aaaaand… approved!

Who is Clare Francis?
She studied at the Royal Ballet School, graduated in Economics from University College London, worked in marketing, excelled at offshore yacht racing, was the first woman skipper in the Whitbread, became a BBC presenter and then… oh yeah, morphed to an international bestselling thriller writer. Not bad. We are an instant and HUGE fan. 

Come Hell or High Water was her first book and the one we focus on in this post.

The First Mate was powering through Francis’ book on the tube when he was approached by devoted fans asking, ‘Is that a book by Clare Francis??’ 

Despite the book being written more than thirty years ago, she still clearly remains high and visible in the British public’s consciousness.

Topics Covered

Clare describes racing her boat Gulliver G in the 1973 Observer Royal Western Single-handed Transatlantic Yacht Race when she was 28 years old. She covers preparation, refit, funding and the race itself.
 
The Best Part
She’s a great writer. Smooth. It’s not just a record of events. Although the events are riveting in their own right. 

Francis sets up scenes and keeps the tension high throughout her tale – even though you might have known the ultimate race results (her result was pretty damn good actually) before you begin reading. The Can Opener read it straight through. Brilliant.
 
Wishes

Okay. All right… I wish that this book were longer. Or that it had a sequel. Hey, wait! It does have a sequel! It’s called Come Wind or Weather. We’re assigning it to the Can Opener next.
 
Conclusion
We were mesmerised. We’ll read any book Clare Francis has written. 

She only wrote three books about her sailing. Then post- ballerina-ing, marketing, dominating the yachting scene and bbc presenting, she began writing psycho-thrillers that debuted on the NY Times Bestseller list right out of the gate. Is there anything she can’t do?? 

I also just bought Wolf Winter… set in Norway… for the First Mate to read me at bedtimes. Book in one hand, palm fronds waving over me in the other… I’m looking forward to some delightful nights. 

Ever read Come Hell or High Water, by Clare Francis? How did you find it? Any good recommendations for other books for the sea library?

–Captain Cat

(transcribed by the Can Opener)

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Book Reviews

Previously: The Seaworthy Offshore Sailboat – Reviewed
Next: Cruising in Seraffyn