Gentlemen Never Sail to Weather: The Story of an Accidental Odyssey [Paperback]

Denton R. Moore (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 481 pages
• Publisher: Prospector Pr; 2 edition (July 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962882836
• ISBN-13: 978-0962882838
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #848,766 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Story, June 16, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Gentlemen Never Sail to Weather: The Story of an Accidental Odyssey (Paperback)

This is an excellent book about a couple who, upon retirement, decide to see the world via sailboat. The story is about their experiences and the people they met and places they visited. It is includes their memories and is much more than weather they encountered and problems they faced. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will buy the sequel. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in cruising.

5.0 out of 5 stars Before you think about blue-water sailing - read this book, August 3, 2008

By 

Douglas Brown (Alexandria VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gentlemen Never Sail to Weather: The Story of an Accidental Odyssey (Paperback)

This book is quite literally the tale of how Denton Moore, a lifelong experienced sailor, ended up making an around-the-world sailing cruise by accident - in every sense of the word. How can something like that happen? Call it a string of accidental and other unanticipated or uncontrollable events, beginning on page 1 with a massive freak wave that he narrowly survives.

I am one of those who, having been brought up alongside the ocean, is in love with the idea of the sea in general and sailing as a part of that; but I have had enough experience with that fickle element to have lost most of my interest in the actual sailing part itself. Part of the reason for that, I suppose, is having had the freak wave experience with which Mr. Moore opens the narrative. I was fortunate that my little dinghy and I got flung over the intervening coral reef into a nice safe lagoon, rather than being sliced to ribbons on the coral. Likewise my grandfather was permanently injured by a storm-induced wave that nearly sunk a major cruise ship. So I have a bit of risk aversion in this arena.

Mr. Moore experiences his wave - probably 40 feet tall - in open water, sustaining severe injuries to himself and severe damage to the boat. This is just on the first (and only intended) leg of his voyage, the continuation of which is the result of a series of major mishaps which he survives in large part through his experience and in some part on just plain luck. (However, let's not forget Vince Lombardi's point that "the more we practice, the luckier we get"). A few of these incidents he admits were created through his own over-confidence - or fatigue. On several occasions Mr. Moore and his crew came within an eyelash of simply "disappearing without a trace". Faced with one situation after another he is forced, like the Ancient Mariner, to sail on and on until he finds himself back home again.

Along the way, he meets people and encounters situations at sea and ashore. There are heroes, kind people and scalawags more or less equally distributed around the globe. Likewise sharks. As he notes, between repairs, refitting and simple rest, he actually spends at least 65% of the time at moorings or in port, so there are plenty of land-based events to make this far more than a simple heave-that-line book. It is a highly entertaining travel narrative, as well as being a great book for those who just love the sailing part.

Given my personal bias, I dive back into it whenever I get the urge to buy another boat and take a serious sail; this book is a sure-fire cure for that urge.

Of course, there are many experienced seamen out there who are well-prepared for blue-water sailing. They'll love this book too: although it is unlikely that they have had to survive more than one of these misadventures, as indeed most people do not, yet they are well aware of this aspect of their calling, and usually quite interested in hearing more about it.

I recommend it highly for anyone who has formed the idea of taking off on a substantial sea-cruise in a sailboat (or any other kind of ship for that matter). If they still decide to go, they'll have been warned - and perhaps when the unexpected happens, they'll be better prepared.

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars everyone considering cruising should read this book, September 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Gentlemen Never Sail to Weather: The Story of an Accidental Odyssey (Paperback)

This book ignites the cruiser's imagination and sense of adventure. We would rather be better prepared and in a newer boat with better electronics but we're ready to hit the seas! It's a good book to have in your sailing library especially if you're going to the South Seas.