Into the Light: A Family's Epic Journey [Hardcover]

Dave Martin (Author), Jaja Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 4, 2002

A remarkable story of a conventional family of five living a very unconventional life afloat.

Into the Light chronicles the inspiring adventures of Dave and Jaja Martin and their crew of three young children as they refit a 33-foot sailboat on a shoestring budget, then test their limits sailing to the pack ice above the Arctic Circle.

With their rugged self-sufficiency, commitment to family, and warm sense of humor, the unique approach to life chronicled in Dave and Jaja's book will resonate for sailors and shore-based families alike.

Whether you're looking for an outdoor/adventure page-turner, or for the inspiration to choose an unconventional path of your own, you'll find in Into the Light one of those rare books that has the power to touch your heart and soul - while keeping you on the edge of your seat.

"Welcome to a radical world of adventure. We realized our dreams by maintaining a spontaneous lifestyle while raising our family. We hope our stories will inspire you to take a chance and live for today." - authors Dave & Jaja Martin

(This is the book that inspired the PBS documentary Ice Blink.)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dave and Jaja spent seven years sailing around the world (1988-1995) aboard their 25-foot Cal 25 DIRECTION.

Dave purchased the boat in 1985, gutted her to a bare hull, and then went to work beefing up the structure. He glassed in stringers, added keel floors and extra bulkheads, and then re-designed and re-built the interior. "I built a new rudder, re-stayed the mast, built a smaller cockpit, and then christened her with a bottle of warm Bud in an effort to get the mood right for the intended circumnavigation" is the way Dave puts it.

Dave was 22 when he started this project, and 24 when he finished. He met Jaja shortly after starting his cruise in St. John, USVI, and they finally got together in the UK (after a solo Transatlantic) in the fall of 1988. They were both 25 when they left England on their circumnavigation.

From England they headed West to the Caribbean, via the Cape Verde Islands. They were married in Barbados, then transited the Panama Canal, visited the Galapagos; and did the usual trip through the South Pacific, spending several seasons in Australia, New Zealand, and the nearby cruising paradise to the north. A trip through the Torres Straits, Indonesia, and then across the Indian Ocean had them rounding South Africa before arriving back in the Caribbean and then the States in 1995.

Along the way they had two children (Chris and Holly). A third (Teiga) was born aboard DIRECTION at the end of the voyage.

The Martin family set sail again in 1997 on their 33-footer DRIVER in the journey that became the inspiration for Into the Light. Their three-year, 11,000-mile voyage took them north to the pack ice above the Arctic Circle, visiting the Bahamas, Bermuda, Iceland, the Faroes, Northern Scotland, Norway (including Spitsbergen), Greenland, and Newfoundland along the way.

The Martins are currently settled down (for the time being) in Maine. They are featured in the PBS documentary "Ice Blink", which begins airing in May 2008.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 330 pages
• Publisher: Beowulf Pub Co (April 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930086040
• ISBN-13: 978-1930086043
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #44 in Books > Travel > Polar Regions > Arctic

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational and Honest, January 10, 2006

By 

Catherine Cornish - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Into the Light: A Family's Epic Journey (Hardcover)

I read this book when we were in the process of finding a boat to cruise on with our 2 toddlers. I found this book to be very enlightening on the crusing lifestyle. I found it humerously written in parts when the Martins made a plan for every obstacle they faced. I laughed, I cried and I laughed and cried at the same time. I've read a lot of books catered to women out cruising and as a woman and mother I found this book to be the most interesting as it really delved into family life on board. It is the only cruising book my husband wanted to hear about - in fact I'd read to him at night and we enjoyed it together. Jaja has a positive attitude that is infectious. You find yourself almost connected to the Martin family. Other books leave you feeling depressed your not out there yet but this book leaves you feeling inspired. A very happy read and I've recommended it to a lot of people. My only regret is I loaned it to my father-in-law and, now that I'm out cruising, I'd love to read it again but I can't get it back from him!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my three all time favorites, April 25, 2002

By 

Jim Mathews (Fayetteville, Arkansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Into the Light: A Family's Epic Journey (Hardcover)

I've just finished reading the Martin's "Into the Light" and I have to say it was a wonderful experience. The book is a page turner from the adventure standpoint, but on a higher level it talks about a wonderful philospophy of life from which all of us can learn and benefit. This is a book I will come back to again and again. I've got it on my personal favorite list, right up there with Peter Mathieson's "Snow Lepoard" and Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic reading, June 3, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Into the Light: A Family's Epic Journey (Hardcover)

This is the first sailing book that really beautifully combines adventure, travel-logue, family and humor all wrapped up in a simple, intelligent and creative narration. Dave Martin takes us truly on an epic journey, from Bermuda to Iceland, to Scotland and Norway, with countless stories of friendship and peril along the way. I laughed out loud probably 30 times reading this book, and felt tears welling up almost as many. I was a fan of Dave's ariticles in Cruising World while the Martins were circumnavigating, but this is much more mature. The book winds around and through your heart. I didn't want it to end. GREAT Book!!!!!