Colin asked for recommendations for winter reading as the nights draw in. Though two of these three books do not deal with kayaking, they do deal with seafaring, and I like to consider kayaking as true seafaring, just writ smaller. "The Perfect Storm" deals with the loss of a sword-fishing boat in the Atlantic during one of the worst storms of this century. It covers the story from the human point of view - the rough lives of the fishermen, and the circumstances that keep them out in conditions when you'd think they'd run for harbour. It also covers history, meteorology, the rescue organizations and their personnel. I read this book on a trip while paddling the outer coast of BC this summer - gave me nightmares. It also added a new term to my vocabulary: "nonnegotiable wave". This is the US Coast Guard's understated expression for a wave that is so big and so steep that the boat or ship in question does not have the power to motor up the face of the wave. It will surf the boat backwards and either flip it end for end or broach and swamp it. A feeling I know all to well from surf kayaking. WARNING: Once you pick this book up, you will not put it down until done. "Kabloona in the Yellow Kayak" Victoria Jason's account of her completion of the Northwest Passage in a kayak. Victoria's a real character, and an inspiration to anyone who thinks it's too late to take up adventuring. Minor conflict of interest to declare: I appear, very, very briefly, as a figure in this book. "God-Forsaken Sea" An account of the disastrous French round-the-world-solo sailing race, The Vendee (sp?). Haven't read the whole thing, but based on an extract that appeared in a local paper, the perfect book to read while secure in an armchair with a tumbler of single-malt to hand. Should particularly appeal to those of us who grew up reading of Shackleton's epic adventures in the Antarctic waters. Cheers and happy reading, Philip Torrens **************************************** Mountain Equipment Co-op 1655 West 3rd Avenue, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6J 1K1 Tel: 640-732-1989 Fax: 604-731-6483 email: pid_at_mec.ca Visit our website at: http://www.mec.ca ***************************************** *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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