Great sailing books?

[Captain Crisp]

What great sailing books should I be demanding for Christmas?
Thanks!
Crisp

(Already read Moitissier, Riddle of the Sands, Magic of the Swatchways... All highly recommended!)

 

[Poignard]

"Across Three Oceans" by Conor O'Brien

 

[laika]

You could check out some of the threads in the book club sub-forum, e.g.:
My ten favourite sailing books!

 

[garymalmgren]

Out sailing last week and the topic of books came up.

I reeled off Slocum, Chichester, Lewis and so on.
Then novels like 3000 pages of Patrick O'Brian, Alexander Kent and Luke Rhinehart's Long Voyage Back.

My Canadian crew, Lorne, then mentioned Trustee from the Toolroom.
"What?" Says I.

Nevil Shute's last book which was published after he died and went right under the radar.

Nevil Shute?
Nevil Shute - Wikipedia
Quite a C.V.
Flying, War experiences, aeronautical design and what not, but no mention of sailing.


I will not tell you the scenario of Trustee from the Toolroom.
Just that you must read it. I am making it my mission to introduce as many sailors as I can to this (free) book.

Download from here in a variety of formats and please get back to me with your opinions.
Trustee From The Toolroom : Shute, Nevil : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive


Gary

 

[scruff]

I read "Orca" by John Pennington over lockdown - a really good read;

Orca eBook: Pennington, John, Potter, Kara: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Also read "All the Colours of Polynesia" by Jasna Tuta. That was also really good;

All the Colours of Polynesia eBook: Tuta, Jasna: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

 

[RupertW]

The Mary Deare by Hammond Innes
A rather obscure one, Outerbridge Reach - which I disliked and liked at the same time but very memorable


Non-fiction - I found Sail South to the Sun useful but may be dated now

 

[TLouth7]

The Last Grain Race is a classic, and very readable.

 

[Quandary]

If you like exploration and adventure, two compendiums

Hal Roth, Seafaring Trilogy, McGraw Hill (a much appreciated Christmas gift from a friend and fellow sailing forumite back in 2010)
and
H.W. Tilman, The Eight Sailing/Mountain Exploration Books, Diadem,
get them both, keep on board and read on dark nights at anchor, enough reading for the coming year. by the time you get through them both you can start again.

 

[scruff]

If you like exploration and adventure, two compendiums


H.W. Tilman, The Eight Sailing/Mountain Exploration Books, Diadem,
get them both, keep on board and read on dark nights at anchor, enough reading for the coming year. by the time you get through them both you can start again.

I've got this book, and the writing is superb. Slowly working my way though it. My only criticism is that it's bloody heavy!

 

[Poignard]

I thought Captain Crisp wanted books about sailing (yacht sailing presumably)

 

[emnick]

Master and commander series

 

[Fantasie 19]

This series... Challenge (Challenge, book 1) by Warwick Collins
Sam Llewellyn... Sam Llewellyn
Arthur Ransome... I like them all but the go-to is "We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea"

 

[edsailing]

Down Channel by RT McMullen is the true story of a 'gentleman' who in the middle of the 19th century thought sailing looked interesting and so had a boat built.

I believe it's out of print but it is available on the internet, it's well worth reading.

 

[johnalison]

Some that I have enjoyed are:
Two years before the mast - by R H Dana, an account of trading from E USA to California and back round the Horn. Less literary than Melville.
White Jacket - Melville's tale of life on a US naval ship and its hardships.
Peter Simple - Marryat's story of a boy's life in the navy from his own experience.
Billy Ruffian - by David Cordingly. About the Belerophon and Trafalgar
The narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket - a fantasy romp by Edgar Allan Poe
The Malay Archipelago - by Alfred Russel Wallace, Darwin's contemporary. Not really a sailing book but there is quite a lot about his travels between the islands on local boats. Basically a diary but very well written.