Our Island in the Sun

Book excerpt: I never intended to "really" read this book. My goal before reviewing it was to "peruse" it and stop now and then when a particular passage caught my attention. Just read enough to do an honest review. But I sat down early in the morning and began actually reading the book. Just to get started. Page one lead to page two and to page three and page 4 etc. and soon I was into the book. I stopped to eat breakfast but I couldn't wait to get back to the story. Garry says the book is not a "cruising handbook". Maybe not but it's certainly a "cruiser primer" in my opinion. I can't think of much he leaves out in terms of the life of a cruiser. Maybe Pirates. But that is it. I like the way Carol writes her own accounts of the adventure. It's good to see two perspectives of the same situation and experience. The psychological aspect of long-distance cruising can be as interesting as the pragmatic side of keeping a boat going. Carol and Garry both give you great insights into this very personal side of the adventure. If I were to criticize the book I'd say from a designers perspective, I would have liked to see some more descriptions of the other boats Garry and Carol encountered on their voyage. That's just me. When I finished the book I remembered saying, "Long range cruising is all about fixing your boat in exotic places". Bob Perry