Muscle Boats: The Classic and the New Wave

Anyone who has ever dreamed of giving up the burden of material possessions, outfitting a boat to suit their own particular needs, and setting sail for parts unknown will be fascinated by this second book detailing the further adventures of a family of four on their five-year round-the-world odyssey. Taking up the narrative at the Panama Canal, Paul and Fiona take turns describing their fascinating voyage through the South Pacific, with stops at such exotic outposts as the Galapagos, Pitcairn Island, Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia, and onward to Madagascar, South Africa, New York and home. The couple with their two high-spirited young children overcame, with the aid of their extensive knowledge of sailing, their physical and mental stamina, and an incurably optimistic outlook on life, the capricious, often violent changes of weather, the bureaucratic road-blocks put up by local officials, and the stresses of sleepless nights and seasick days. The reader enjoys vicariously the excitement of their unique experiences and learns a good deal of world history and geography along the way. The clear, excellent maps and photographs and the detailed drawings of the ship add further to the value and interest of the text

It was crazy. It was unthinkable. It was the adventure of a lifetime. When Don and Dana Starkell left Winnipeg in a tiny three-seater canoe, they had no idea of the dangers that lay ahead. Two years and 12,180 miles later, father and son had each paddled nearly twenty million strokes, slept on beaches, in jungles and fields, dined on tapir, shark, and heaps of roasted ants. They encountered piranhas, wild pigs, and hungry alligators. They were arrested, shot at, taken for spies and drug smugglers, and set upon by pirates. They had lived through terrifying hurricanes, food poisoning, and near starvation. And at the same time they had set a record for a thrilling, unforgettable voyage of discovery and old-fashioned adventure.