Books with a sailing theme

SWMBO is always telling me that I have too many books, but I am an avid reader and like to re-visit old friends, as well as visiting new authors. If I had the space I would convert one room to a library but SWMBO says it aint ever going to happen /forums/images/icons/frown.gif
Did get some books for Xmas - sell up and sail, and 1st trip across Atlantic. so please excuse me I have got to go and do some research. . . . . . .

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Swallows & Amazons was my introduction to sailing & whilst laid up at home recovering from a shoulder operation I re-read all of Ransomes books( the childrens one's).I still find them enjoyable & as I am an east coast sailor enjoyed "We didn't mean to go to sea" most of all.I collected most of the books from jumbles etc.IMHO they are not just for children.

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Just fiction ?
Jan de Hartog wrote some rattling good yarns about tugboats ( OK, OK, no sails)
Jonathan Raban is very readable. Foreign land is a bit escapist. Passage to Juneau is non fiction but a good story and Coasting is similar.
Nevil Shute's been mentioned - I reckon he's an underated writer nowadays.
Forgtten the name of the ex RN Welshman who wrote a whole series of epic cruising yarns; I read one and smelt embroided flannel - poor chaps obituaries this year revealed enough fantasies for his stuff to qualify as semi fiction although he had still done more things on the water than i ever will.
I've got about six versions of The Riddle... and the sense of humour is just sublime.
Para Handy ( OK, OK, no sails)

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As a young lad (8 or 9) I got great enjoyment from a book called "Three Midshipmen" by W H G Kingston, and its sequel "Three Lieutenants". I reckon that both dated from the 80s or 90s (1880s or 90s, that is). Browsing through the CA library about a month ago, I came across Three Midshipmen and borrowed it.

If anyone wants to see what 'politically incorrect' is, try Three Midshipmen. And re-reading it now, I'm surprised that I'll go anywhere near sailing ships; in the course of the book the three get wrecked six times (not counting a grounding on a reef)!

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Sam Llewellen's done a couple of thrillers with a sailing theme, can't remember the names at the moment, probably due to the port I've got in front of me( 1970) . If you want a good factual one try the one I got for Xmas - " To the Baltic with Bob" by Gryff Rhyss Jones. There's also one by Hammond Innes that's probably out of print - " The wreck of the Mary Deare".

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>Forgtten the name of the ex RN Welshman who wrote a whole series of epic cruising yarns<

Tristram Jones, great yarns, but as you say, semi-fiction. All well worth reading though and some great sailing achievements, especialy sailing the highest and lowest navigable waters. It's been a long time since I read any of his books - thanks for the reminder to dig them back out!

Martin

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Mem'ries.. dah dah dah..
Done a long drive today and the old banks came up with about six more. Now forgotten all but two: when I was 9 or 10 I consumed Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini. It had lots of the classic ingredients : a one eyed gunner ( Oglethorpe by name ?) and Tortuga but why did he include a GIRL - thought it was a waste of time.
And a forgotten bit of quality which I'll dig out in a minute - Captains Courageous by Kipling - Grand Banks schooners and the Counahan the Navigator story. Anyone know what fried pies are

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