Good Reads - Ocean Navigator

17 Dec

The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World

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The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World By Lincoln Paine Alfred A. Knopf, New York 2013 784 pages I first met Lincoln Paine when he was researching his book Down East: A Maritime History of Maine (2000). He sought me out hoping to gain some insight into Maine’s fisheries. I quickly recognized him as an avid researcher and historian. In The Sea And Civilization: A Maritime History of the World, Paine has taken on the monumental task of telling human history through the lens of maritime travel, revealing how all people and their cultures are in some…

02 Oct

The Billionaire and the Mechanic

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The Billionaire and the Mechanic – How Larry Ellison and a Car Mechanic Teamed Up to Win Sailing’s Greatest Race, the America’s Cup By Julian Guthrie Grove Press, 2013 323 pages, hardcover In The Billionaire and the Mechanic, award-winning San Francisco Chronicle journalist Julian Guthrie shares the inside story of an unlikely partnership between Norbert Bajurin, a blue-collar auto radiator repairman and tech billionaire Larry Ellison. In 2000, Ellison decided that he would mount a challenge for the America’s Cup. The challenge can only be made by a club and not an individual, and although Ellison was a member of…

02 Oct

Suddenly Overboard – True Stories of Sailors in Fatal Trouble

John SnyderGood Reads, Ocean Navigator

Suddenly Overboard – True Stories of Sailors in Fatal Trouble By Tom Lochhaas McGraw-Hill/International Marine, 2013 185 pages, softcover Suddenly Overboard is a collection of true stories of real maritime casualties — drownings, capsized boats, groundings and more. Author and avid sailor Tom Lochhaas delivers them in a no-nonsense narrative style that quickly grabs your attention and gets you thinking: “that could have easily been me.” He presents the stories as lessons of just how quickly things can and do go wrong afloat, and most importantly, why they go wrong. Most of these stories are not about dramatic losses brought…

10 Sep

Deer Isle’s Undefeated America’s Cup Crews

John SnyderGood Reads, Ocean Navigator

Deer Isle’s Undefeated America’s Cup Crews – Humble Heroes from a Downeast Island By Mark J. Gabrielson The History Press, 2013 176 pages, paperback The history of the America’s Cup is rich and fills many a library shelf. Most of the books on this great sporting challenge have been focused on decades of club rivalry, wealthy owners, quirky captains, the yachts, and their designers. Little attention has been given to the scores of men who crewed the boats. Thanks to Mark J. Gabrielson’s new book, now at least a few of those talented sailors are being given the recognition they…

26 Jun

Wilderness and Rescue Medicine

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Wilderness and Rescue Medicine By Jeffrey E. Isaac, PA-C and David E. Johnson, MD Sixth edition Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2013 226 pages, softcover Jeff Isaac and David Johnson’s book continues to be the last word on wilderness and rescue medicine. Now in it’s sixth printing, this comprehensive guide to specialized first-responder care has been updated to include current treatment protocols. The text is well illustrated with photographs, drawings and tables and is extremely easy to navigate. Chapter reviews and call out boxes highlight critical material that could provide life-saving information in a crisis. Anyone who ventures far afield on…

24 Apr

All Standing: The Remarkable Story of the Jeanie Johnston, The Legendary Irish Famine Ship

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All Standing: The Remarkable Story of the Jeanie Johnston, The Legendary Irish Famine Ship By Kathryn Miles Simon & Schuster, 2013 256 pages, hardcover All Standing is a historical treatise on the woeful 19th century tide of Irish immigrants who sailed to North America aboard notoriously overcrowded “coffin ships.” The meticulously researched book details the complex issues contributing to one of history’s darkest hours. The overwhelming odds of survival against a rising tide of famine and disease are vividly woven through the narrative. One ship among the fleeing hordes was unique: she never lost a life. Passengers aboard Jeanie Johnston exchanged…

24 Apr

A Storm Too Soon – A True Story of Disaster, Survival and an Incredible Rescue

John SnyderGood Reads, Ocean Navigator

A Storm Too Soon – A True Story of Disaster, Survival and an Incredible Rescue By Michael J. Tougias Scribner, 2013 208 pages Award winning author Michael J. Tougias is well known for his fast-paced maritime disaster stories. Overboard!, Fatal Forecast, and The Finest Hours are all gripping true stories of strength and survival, and his newest, A Storm Too Soon, may prove to be the best yet. In May 2012 a professional yacht captain and his crew left Florida for a trans-Atlantic passage aboard their 47-foot sailboat Sean Seymour II. After just five days into the voyage, they were…

24 Apr

A Call to Arms

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A Call to Arms By William Hammond Naval Institute Press, 2012 256 pages, hardcover A Call to Arms is the fourth novel in William Hammond’s historical fiction series following the seafaring Cutler family of Hingham, Mass. Primarily set in the Mediterranean Sea during the First Barbary War, it chronicles the growth of the USN and its then state-of-the-art frigates as they battled pirates on the high seas. The plot is fast moving, going from New England, to the Mediterranean and beyond. Hammond weaves in historical events such as the naval bombardment of Tripoli, the burning of USS Philadelphia, and USS…

01 Mar

Grand Ambition: An Extraordinary Yacht, the People Who Built it, and the Millionaire Who Can’t Really Afford it

John SnyderGood Reads, Ocean Navigator

By G. Bruce Knecht Simon & Schuster, 2013 256 pages When asked a question about the cost of operating a large yacht, J.P. Morgan is said to have responded, “You have no right to own a yacht if you ask that question.” Cost is relative, and yet time and time again individuals of all means are willing to lay it all on the table to acquire the boat of their dreams. In his new book, Grand Ambition, journalist, sailor and author G. Bruce Knecht follows one man’s quest to build and own a 187-foot luxury yacht, an accomplishment that he…

01 Mar

Pirate Alley: Commanding Task Force 151 Off Somalia

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By RADM Terry McKnight, USN (Ret.) and Michael Hirsh Naval Institute Press, 2012 272 pages There have been a number of books and articles dealing with the global security issue of Somali piracy in the Gulf of Aden. Some are merely the observations of academics that specialize in this type of terrorism, and others are heart-wrenching tales told by the victims themselves. But none have been able to address the problem with the candor and professional perspective that RADM Terry McKnight, USN (Ret.) offers in his new book on the subject, Pirate Alley: Commanding Task Force 151 Off Somalia. In…