Customer Reviews

On Celtic Tides: One Man's Journey Around Ireland by Sea Kayak

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

chris duff's travel in a sea kayak was one of the most wonderful books i've read in some time! His clarity of vision, storytelling, balance and insight were and are refreshing. The book is intimate both on and off the ocean. One need not be a kayaker to revel in the journey but it certainly helps.

i was truly saddened when he completed the trip and look forward to reading about his other voyages. i'd love to join him the next trip out!

vincent maher, NYC

the book is an excellent journal of the writers kayak journey around ireland.i was pleasantly surprised by the author's references to ireland and the coasts history and its lessons for our own lives.

I received this book as a birthday gift. Being a fellow kayaker and having done a solo boat trip down a river myself I enjoyed Chris Duff's descriptions of the wild parts of Ireland. I enjoyed hearing about the people and lands he discovered on his journey. His somewhat overemphasized spiritual reliefs when he met up with his monk friends felt a bit saccharine as I read it and I begin to avoid the paragraphs where he wrote about still more water and wave movement but otherwise I quite envy Chris his solitary adventure. I wish him luck down under on his next circunavigation (if he hasn't already completed that one!).

I agree with those reviewers who found the dwelling on self and spirit to be too much. The writing itself was lovely, and I was intrigued with the author's background and description of the path that led him to this journey, but once he got to Ireland his story faltered. I had expected a narrative about kayaking and Ireland and not about the writer's own head. Personal journal reflections should remain in personal journals. It got to be all a bit more of the same by the end, which I pushed myself on to only because I felt that having bought the book I should read it all. What was especially missing were all the practical details: what gear did he bring, how did he store it and keep it dry, what did he eat and cook with: where was the stuff of everday life?

I almost didn't read Chris Duff's "On Celtic Tides" due to some of the reviews posted here. The book is either loved or not quite what the reader was seeking. Luckily for me, this book overwhelmed me with the excitement of Mr. Duff's travels and learning more about the historical sites in Ireland. I thought he found a perfect blend of description of the sea's, kayaking and history and emotion. His writing style continually impressed me. He is an expert at painting pictures with words but isn't wordy for the sake of filling space. His words are well thought out and his style unique. I also enjoyed the fact that he never complained. I've read other stories of significant journey where the author excessively complained about his loneliness or hardships. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about how he mentally managed the rough seas that were encountered. This is not a book about kayak technique, although there are inferences made about the technical aspects of kayaking. The reader is exposed to mental tools and techniques that may help in a rough situation, and this is certainly an under exposed area in the standard kayaking how-to book. I highly recommend this book, don't be dissuaded from reading it.

To kayak around Ireland is unfathomable for me. Incredible that a person can do that. Still, there wasn't enough variation in this story to push it to the realm of "great adventure books". The beautifully written descriptions of the landscapes and people, though, make up for the lack of thrills. It does earn the 4 stars. I enjoyed the book, but I was glad that it was over in the end. For more adventure, try Running the Amazon. For a similar book with 1) poorer writing but 2) "interesting" characters who are easy to laugh at, try Keep Australia on your Left.

This book is a pleasure to read. Chris Duff are a humble paddler who strike the essence of seakayaking and all it's about. His meeting with the people, the thought of the land he travels throug is some of the most enjoyable reeding I have done.

Trond Glesaaen
Norway

As a sea kayaker, and someone who has spent a good deal of time in Ireland, I was anxious to read this book. Expecting the usual mix of tech talk and testosterone, I was at least hoping for a nice description of some of the places where I had spent time. I received, instead, a wonderful gift of time and space. The author captures the romance, history and myth of Ireland and mixes it with the present day in a manner which kept me reading constantly. One of the beauties of sea kayaking is gaining a perspective of the world otherwise unavailable, and he fulfills this in a descriptive style which takes you along for the ride. I don't think that I would attempt to paddle the West Coast of Ireland, but thanks to Chris, I do believe I have been there.

In July of 2000 at a kayak skills course in Peekskill, NY I had lunch with Chris Duff and he told me and two others of his latest adventure, his sole navigation of the South Island of New Zealand by sea kayak. I came away impressed by the man and his daring. His book On Celtic Tides was being sold by his sponser at the course, I bought it. I am a paddler and have paddled the ocean in my sea kayak, but to have Duff write in the mind of a paddler as he battles the seas around Ireland was awe inspiring. If you paddle and want to know what a paddler thinks and feels as he reacts to the six footers as they roll in on him in mind and body is joyful. He is also a teacher of the skils and mind set needed for those who venture out in the wilderness of the ocean. I was sorry his journey ended as I braced with him as each roller came in. One suggestion to those who read the book is to have a photocopy of the map of Ireland as you read. Duff's journey becomes more alive as you follow his progress around Ireland. A great read for a paddler and for those who want to set forth and read about the daring.

Celtic Tides is not only a wonderful story of sea kayaking around the coast of Ireland -- it is a reflection on life. Chris Duff is a gifted writer who combines the outer world and inner world with great insights. His great courage and skillfulness are matched by a wisdom which is well beyond his years. Celtic Tides is a journey around the coast of Ireland and into the heart and soul of a gifted young man. Thank you, Chris.