Review
John Kretschmer has an easygoing style that will ingratiate the reader from the very start of this book. It is a look at what a life at sea can mean to a person, and it is extremely well-written and easy to follow. Plenty of good insight into what can be expected when you are out there for days at a time. Consisting of anecdotes from his sailing career, this book is highly recommended for those who plan to go cruising. --Latitudes & Attitudes, December 2003
From the Back Cover
"As a professional delivery captain, John Kretschmer has done more offshore passagemaking in his first 40 years than most serious sailors do in a lifetime. Part romantic, part poet, part philosopher and 100% optimist, Kretschmer shows his uncanny ability to deliver the wrong yacht in the wrong direction across the wrong ocean at the wrong time of year time and time again, yet end every delivery with the boat safely in port, a smile on his face, good friends at his side, and a few dollars in his pocket. A great story of adventure well-told with warm humor and affection." - Milt Baker, Bluewater Books & Charts
"John Kretschmer is a superb seaman, a master story teller, and a delivery skipper of vast experience. His tales of tropical passages and Atlantic gales, of near sinkings and quirky owners will appeal to anyone who dreams of far horizons and tropical beaches. He has written a book of rollicking humor and abundant common sense that any sailor will find hard to put down." - Brian Fagan, author, archaeologist, and sailor
"Not only has John Kretschmer lived a life wildly festooned with adventure, romance and outrageous characters - his reality outstrapping our most Walter Mittyesque sea fantasies - now he has gone and turned it all into a collection of yarns that incite yet more envy among those of us stuck behind landbound computers.
"Not only can the sailor sail - through hurricanes and civil wars - but the sailor can write. It's a hell of a read. It's just not fair." - Fred Grimm, Miami Herald columnist
"Flirting with Mermaids follows John as he delivers a variety of boats around the world, from aging hulks with a fondness for the bottom to luxury yachts owned by would-be circumnavigators. While he's doing this, with a conscripted crew of friends, relatives, his wife, and total strangers found holding empty glasses at beach bars, he's also learning about navigating the uncharted territory of his heart.
"The glamorous life of a professional sailor? Here's the straight story, with humor, salty adventures, and a steep learning curve." - Gregory O. Jones, editor, Sailing magazine
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
