Several chapters involve buying and delivering our Mistral.

The book is available from PublishAmerica.com and Amazon.com.  Do a search on "Jahnn" from their home page.

We have an author in our midst-
Jonathan Raban, Rasmus #115

Passage to Juneau : A Sea and Its Meanings

Hardcover - 448 pages (November 1999)
Pantheon Books; ISBN: 0679442626
This item will be published in November 1999. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives.
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 32,102

Note From Jonathan
For my fellow Hallberg Rassy owners only:
The boat described in "Passage to Juneau" is--as anyone who's read the
book will probably have recognised already--a Rasmus, 1972, hull no. 115,
name Penelope, registration no. WN 1196 RB. When I lived in England, I
bought a wooden boat in which to sail around the British Isles: a Miller
"Fifer", 31' long, larch on oak frames.There's a funny chemical reaction
that goes on between larch and oak, and my bank balance suffered horribly
as a result. First I replaced the stem-post, then the stern-post. Then half
the planking on the starboard side. Then I swore (a) that I'd never again
own a boat, and (b) that I'd never again own a wooden boat.
In 1991, having moved to Seattle, I saw the Hallberg Rassy 35--a name new
to me, though I'd sailed the Fifer to Sweden in 1986--at a broker's
moorings on Lake Union, and I--sort of--fell in love.Inside, downstairs, it
was a wooden boat; outside, it was thick, low maintenance fiberglass. Its
then owners had been planning to sail it round the world, and had renewed
its standing rigging, had gold-anodized its masts, had repainted it (in
ultramarine, with gold finishing and details), and generally brought it up
to a 1990s finish. Unfortunately, the boat was clearly in far better shape
than the marriage, and if the marriage was to survive, the boat had to go.
The old story. So I bought it, for $58,000--which still seems to me cheap
at the price.

Its one weakness was its original Volvo engine. To "sail" to Alaska (which
meant more motoring than sailing, if I'm to confess the truth), I replaced
the Volvo with a Perkins M50, which, after around a thousand hours now,
continues to power the boat very well, at something over 7knots max, and an
easy 6.5 knots cruising speed.

I've replaced the fridge, also the ceiling-liners (I'm in deep water here,
but you know what I mean...that stuff overhead, which used to be patterned
plastic, and now is a kind of closely-mown, off-white carpet material), and
(oh, God, wood again!), all the exterior teak--the toe-rail, the cockpit
lockers, the aft deck locker.

Two smart things the previous owners did, and for which I'm grateful. One
was to install a large (four-plus-foot) octagonal mirror on the forward
port-side bulkhead in the saloon--it extraordinarily enlarges the otherwise
cramped space. The other was to commission a custom-designed mattress for
the forecabin--I (we) sleep in elaborately deep-sprung luxury never
envisaged by Hallberg Rassy.

The one thing I resent on the boat is the ridiculous navigation table +
seat. You'd never manage to seat a real, hulking Swede at that
kindergartener's seat and table! Why is it there? The cockpit chart-table,
under the dodger, is a brilliant piece of design, and I can't fathom why HR
designed two chart tables for a 35' boat; one perfect, and one unusable
except by an obliging midget. Also, the guy who installed radar on my boat
(good), chose to put the radar receiver in the recess on the outboard side
of the silly chart-table (bad, real bad); you look out front (to the
starboard beam), and try to swing the "ship's head" radar picture round
through 90 degrees, to make it make sense. In desperation, in
zero-visibility fog, this is, of course, a salvation; but under any other
circumstances, it's too tiresome to be worth doing. So one gets no practice
in using radar except under extreme conditions, which is bad--very bad.
But I like the boat hugely.  Inside, it feels as if it were made of
wood--all that careful Scandinavian joinery. With suitable amounts of
shock-cord, the shelves in  the fore and aft cabins can be persuaded to
hold an impressive number of books...

I can't say that the mizzen sail does much for its performance (though it's
a useful steadying sail under engine in a swell). Yet, since I bought my
Rasmus, in 1991, I have hardly ever looked at anyone else's boat with
serious envy. This is the right boat for me, and I can't imagine ever
selling it.

Reviews
From Kirkus Reviews
A rich, multilayered narrative of solitary travel through a vast and chilly landscape. Raban (Bad Land, 1996; Hunting Mister Heartbreak, 1991; etc.), a Londoner resident in Seattle, is one of the English-speaking worlds great travelers and travel writers. Here he crafts a wonderfully literate account, full of thoughtful observation and self-deprecating humor, of a sailing trip up the Inside Passage from the Puget Sound to the Alaska Panhandle. He is not, he admits, a great marinerI am afraid of the sea . . . Im not a natural sailor, but a timid, weedy, cerebral type, never more out of my element than when Im at seaand the boat he bought for his voyage was chosen less for its sturdiness than for its built-in bookcases, which could house a fine library. Rabans journey is indeed bookish, full of observations culled from his readings. Its also set in parallel with other voyages, foremost among them that of the English sailor and explorer George Vancouver two centuries before. Along the way, Raban visits Native American villages, where he meets a Tsimshian man who presses his children to learn Japanese, Spanish, and computer science so that the Tsimshian people can take a place in the coming millennium; passengers on the ever-present cruise ships that ply the waters of the Inside Passage, the butts of countless Alaskan jokes and even undisguised scorn; and down-on-their-luck workers lured to the North by the promise of high wages but who never managed to punch the right ticket. For all the people Raban meets along his journey, however, his is a fundamentally lonely narrative, marked by sorrowful passages on the concurrent dissolution of his marriage and on the decline of the literary culture he so ably represents. Impeccably written and told, this will be irresistible to Rabans many admirers, as well as those who value a good story. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Red Sky in Mourning is her amazing story of 41 days of survival recounted amoung poignant flashbacks of the adventure and romance she and Richard experienced while cruising French Polynesia.

About the Author
Tami Oldham Ashcraft grew up in San Diego. She spent much of her teenage years surfing and spending time in the water. Tami gave up her surfboard for sails when she signed onto a yacht as crew headed for French Polynesia. During this time her love of sailing developed and has been a priority in her life. Tami now resides in Friday Harbor, Washington, with her family. In addition to writing, she owns and operates Brightwork By Tami, a yacht refinishing business.

From the Back Cover
Make your own weather forecasts with confidence! Now, read those Internet satellite images and NOAA weatherfaxes - to see what's heading your way. Comparing simultaneous NOAA weather charts and satellite photos of the same weather events, author and weather expert Michael William Carr shows you how to spot weather systems in the images and accurately predict winds and conditions in your immediate area. "With this book there is no reason for prudent mariners to be surprised by imperfect weather...

Amazon.com Sales Rank: 22,679
Avg. Customer Review:

Reviews
Amazon.com
Two of Englishman Jonathan Raban's earlier literary travel books--Old Glory and Hunting Mr. Heartbreak--related journeys through America, the latter ending in Seattle, which so appealed to him that he moved there. In Bad Land, his much-anticipated first book written as a U.S. resident, Raban searches for self-identity through the struggles of an earlier wave of immigrants to the west. His research took him on long road trips to Montana, where in the early years of this century, free land was parceled out to hopeful immigrants. They were lured by the railroad companies' pamphlets, which transformed what was called "The Great American Desert" on maps into an earthly Eden. Raban tells the poignant story of these settlers with impressive elegance, ironic humor, and the imaginative empathy of a fellow immigrant.

"In an era of jet tourism, [Jonathan Raban] remains a
traveler-adventurer in the tradition of . . . Robert Louis Stevenson."
--The New York Times Book Review

In 1782 an immigrant with the high-toned name J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur--"Heartbreak" in English--wrote a pioneering account of one European's transformation into an American. Some two hundred years later Jonathan Raban, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, arrived in Crèvecoeur's wake to see how America has paid off for succeeding generations of newcomers. The result is an exhilarating, often deliciously funny book that is at once a travelogue, a social history, and a love letter to the United States.
        In the course of Hunting Mr. Heartbreak, Raban passes for homeless in New York and tries to pass for a good ol' boy in Alabama (which entails "renting" an elderly black lab). He sees the Protestant work ethic perfected by Korean immigrants in Seattle--one of whom celebrates her new home as "So big! So green! So wide-wide-wide!"--and repudiated by the lowlife of Key West. And on every page of this peerlessly observant work, Raban makes us experience America with wonder, humor, and an unblinking eye for its contradictions.

"Raban delivers himself of some of the most memorable prose ever written
about urban America." --Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times

"When Raban describes America and Americans, he is unfailingly witty
and entertaining." --Salman Rushdie

Hardcover - 240 pages (September 1, 1999)
McGraw-Hill; ISBN: 0071343288 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.63 x 9.48 x 7.43
Availability: This title usually ships within 4-6 weeks. Please note that titles occasionally go out of print or publishers run out of stock. We will notify you within 2-3 weeks if we have trouble obtaining this title.
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 692,854

Reviews
Book Description
Most owners of cruising sailboats wonder whether their boats are suitable for an offshore passage, be it across the Gulf of Maine or the Pacific Ocean, and if not, whether they can be made suitable. This preoccupation arises partly from a latent spirit of adventure and partly from the desire for a seaworthy boat. We all want to believe that our boats can go anywhere and stand more of a beating from wind and waves than we can. Who knows when we might get caught out in the open by bad weather? It's enough to worry about our own responses without also having to suspect that the boat is fundamentally unsafe. Similarly, every potential buyer of a cruising sailboat is told that the boat is capable of sailing around the world. It's very difficult to get good advice and trustworthy facts, and that's where this book comes in. Focusing on production fiberglass cruising sailboats, the book explains, feature by feature, what makes a seaworthy boat. The book leads with an interactive questionnaire that tells the reader whether his/her boat possesses enough of the fundamental design/construction attributes of seaworthiness to make it a worthy candidate for offshore sailing. Having established whether the goal is achievable, Vigor then tells the reader how to get there, covering structural modifications and reinforcements as well as rigging, fittings, engine, systems, and gear. The final chapter outlines techniques for handling a boat at sea in adverse conditions, including heavy weather. This book will interest every owner and potential buyer of a cruising sailboat.

The Capable Cruiser
by Lin Pardey, Larry Pardey

Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours.

Hardcover - 400 pages (March 1999)
Paradise Cay Publications; ISBN: 0964603624 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.42 x 8.58 x 5.81
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 48,570
Avg. Customer Review:

About the Author
"Go simple, go small, but go," urge Lin and Larry Pardey. In each of their books they encourage people, regardless of their means, to join the unique world waiting over the horizon.

Lin and Larry have been continuously wandering under sail since 1969 when they launched their first self-built 24' Lyle Hess designed cutter. Thirty years of cruising have taken them to more than 66 countries and logged them the mileage equivalence of five circumnavigations. Lin and Larry sail without auxiliary power and without electronic navigation, they cruise as simply as possible. Learn the Pardey way and you will truely be a self-sufficient sailor.

Amazon.com Sales Rank: 22,729
Avg. Customer Review:

Reviews
by Dave Gibson, Classic HRs- This is the true classic solo sailing adventure book.  Not only is it worth reading, it is also worth rereading.  Rather than the same old story of a brash, young spirit in search of adventure on a modern techno-boat, it is a story of an old man in the autumn of his life and his love of the sea and exploration.  One of my favorites.

Reviews
The publisher, W.W. NORTON , October 16, 1998
AN ALL-TIME NAUTICAL BEST SELLER
"Possibly the most beautiful sailing book ever published." - YACHTING Magazine.  A SURVEY AND EVALUATION OF THE BEST SAILBOATS BEING BUILT TODAY: ALDENS, BALTICS, HINCKLEYS, SWANS, and Hallberg-Rassys.  This book sits on my coffee table (Dave Gibson, Classic HRs).

Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours.

Paperback (April 1998)
Pen & Ink Pr; ISBN: 096075444X
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 340,800

Reviews
Book Description
An artist's memoir of exploring the Atlantic Intracoastal and associated waterways under sail. Pen and ink text runs around and between hundreds of watercolor illustrations and chartlets.

From the Publisher
This lavish, illustrated adventure will make rich reading for boaters using, or planning to use, the Atlantic ICW, residents along the ICW, and armchair travelers everywhere.

From the Author
After spending over 30 years living and cruising on sail boats, I wanted to share some of the images set down in "sketch logs" - nautical diaries laced with pen and ink "snapshots".

The Cruising Sailor
by Tom Dove, Joe Kolb

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Spiral-bound - 132 pages (February 15, 1999)
Bristol Fashion Publications; ISBN: 1892216159
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 483,904

Reviews

From the Author
Morning's pale watercolors play across the calm creek as I sip a mug of steaming tea and gently engage the world. My wife, Pam, runs on a slightly different clock than I; she will stir in another half hour. We anchored here last evening after a splendid, long spinnaker reach in a 12-knot breeze, whitecaps sparkling on the water as our boat slid effortlessly along, wake and wind the only sounds. It isn't always this perfect, but usually it is.

I've been escaping on sailboats for four decades. First as a break from studies, next as a cure for work pressure, then to vacation with the family, and now as a way of life. Although Pam had not sailed before we met, she added elegance to our cruising, to the benefit of the entire family. She became the Comfort Committee and her word was respected as law, superseding everything but immediate safety matters.

We've worked out many details for ourselves and have shamelessly stolen ideas from others until going cruising now is as simple and comfortable as staying home and a lot more fun. After 18 years with the same boat, we know every detail of its behavior. After living aboard for months at a time, we are truly comfortable afloat. After exploring the coast of the U.S. from New England to Florida, we still discover surprising things on every cruise.

Cruising in a sailboat is wonderful. It is also a splendid path to self-development, a lifetime sport for people of all physical abilities and a perfect environment for rearing children. In a complex world, cruising aboard your own boat may be the last refuge for living simply and well. The aim of this book is to introduce newcomers to cruising under sail, although experienced sailors will find useful information and a bit of entertainment. I'll presume the reader already knows how to get underway in a simple boat, beat to windward, reach, run, tack and gybe.

Part of the attraction of sailing is the adventure of it, while part is the sheer pleasure of motion without effort. To keep the adventure at the proper level and reduce the effort of making the boat move, you need to know some things. This book describes three different cruises, in fiction-based-on-fact stories, alternating with chapters about the technical details you need to choose a boat. I begin with a story of weekending in a small boat, because it is an axiom that small boats are best for learning, rewarding proper handling immediately and rebuking for errors with equal swiftness. The two succeeding tales raise the ante with increasing boat size.

This book is not about building your own boat or sailing around the world. It's about exploring the coast, perhaps with a short offshore jaunt thrown in from time to time. Many people think it sounds more glamorous to leap transatlantic to Ireland than to poke around the Chesapeake, harbor-hop along the Maine coast, or wander down the Intracoastal Waterway, but I respectfully disagree. Coastal cruising is more demanding (and to me, more rewarding) than ocean voyaging and most world cruisers see voyaging as a means to cruise a new coast. You can always add the skills you need to cross oceans to what you learn cruising coastwise, should that appeal to you.

Our vessels are officially classified as pleasure boats and that's what they should always be. With the right boat, the right equipment and the right information, you can travel in comfort and elegance as well as safety. Any size boat can be a yacht; it is attitude and preparation that makes it more than camping on the water.

As you cruise, you will become intimate with nature, fully experience places as no landlubber ever does and meet an amazing variety of fine people. Turn the page and begin The Achievable Dream