This book contains more than seventy accounts of big adventures in small boats. In ”A Speck on the Sea”, William Longyard reaches back through five centuries to gather a collection of sea adventures in which the smallest, unlikeliest craft
- & the daring individuals aboard them
- completed extraordinary voyages against great odds. From canoes & small sailboats to a pair of strap-to-your-feet pontoons, the watercraft in these true stories make nearly as varied a collection as the mariners who piloted them. The intrepid seafarers & their feats of seamanship include: Ed Gillet`s kite-powered transpacific kayak voyage Gladys Gradely`s 1902 quest to become the first woman to solo the Atlantic; Ben Lecomte`s swim across an ocean for love; Hugo Vihlen`s 1968 ocean crossing in the 6-foot sailboat, April Fool; Peter Bird`s tragic attempt to row across the Pacific; &, scores more. Whether driven by desperation, adventure, or a desire for fame & fortune, the risktakers in these stories show what vast oceans can be crossed in tiny contrivances by those who dare. ` Great fun to read`
- ” Cruising World”. ` Very few reference books make for such riveting reading`
- ” Good Old Boat”.` Re-creates these awe-inspiring adventures in fascinating detail`
- ”NW Yachting”. ` Seagoing heroes & scalawags come alive with rich detail in Longyard`s volume of salty tales`
- Judy Blumhorst, Commodore Emeritus, Northern California Association of West Wight Potter Owners & Webmaster, www.trailersailer.com. William H. Longyard has spent twenty-five years paddling, rowing, & sailing small boats of all kinds. He has published several books & written numerous articles for boating journals.