A harrowing story documents the journey and troubled relationship of a man and woman in kayaks along the arid coastline of the Sea of Corte+a7s off Baja California. From the author of In the Shadow of Denali. 12,500 first printing.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Disenchanted with life in general, Waterman and his wife of one year, Deborah, sought a wilderness adventure to renew their spirits. They spent two months paddling kayaks down the coastline of Baja California on the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California), an area rich in history. Waterman (In the Shadow of Denali) recounts their journey in vivid detail. It was a challenging voyage?choppy seas, turbulent tides, storms and biting insects. They met expatriate Americans, windsurfers, a group of kayakers, yachtsmen. They paddled with dolphins and observed a sea-lion nursery. Waterman notes that Isla Espirita Santo is being marketed as a haven for kayakers; other places are looking for the tourist trade. Guess what he finds at the end of the journey? How much work and communication are necessary in marriage. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Following a rigorous climb of Mt. Denali (In the Shadow of Denali, LJ 3/1/94), Waterman and his new wife, Deborah, decided sunshine was in order and drove south. Their goal: to kayak one of the lowest points on Earth, the arid coastline of the legendary Sea of Cortes off Baja California, Mexico. They chronicle their two-month voyage here in brief chapters detailing their adventures. Quotations from Spanish explorers and missionaries tell the often depressing story of the Baja natives. Waterman depicts the environmental debacle of a sea that is overfished while laws to protect it ignored. The couple struggles to survive the raging waters and their rocky relationship, battling storms and sea lions one moment, their stressed emotions the next. This book is a pleasant addition to the sparse collection of literature on this subject. Recommended for travel and Southwest collections.
Kathy Ellerton, Missouri Research & Education Network, Columbia
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Kathy Ellerton, Missouri Research & Education Network, Columbia
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Stimulating mix of history, ecology, culture and philosophy.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Kayaking the Vermilion Sea: Eight Hundred Miles Down the Baja (Paperback)
This surprisingly captivating book is not as much about kayaking as you might think. A select, but very useful, coverage of Baja's history, and observations on the current human culture and ecology, are continually mixed with philosophical thoughts on the human condition. I am not a kayaker but read the book essentially in one sitting. I'll be reading more of Waterman's work, hoping for the same spare but effective movement through interrelated and complex subjects.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Modern Jesuit,
By
This review is from: Kayaking the Vermilion Sea: Eight Hundred Miles Down the Baja (Hardcover)
It's very well written and full of interesting information. but it's one of these misanthropic ecology tracts. Much of what he says is well justified but, considered as entertainment, it was so full of grouching about the adverse effects of everything on the environment that it ended up with too many sour notes.I was struck by how close his moral attutudes were to those of the early missionaries he describes. He extols the virtues of mortifying the flesh, and relishes describing the hardships he has inflicted on himself. He keeps encountering residents who do not share his beliefs about how life should be lived. They commit such crimes as fishing and using toilet paper. They are not the original inhabitants of the country.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
There aren't too many over 50 year old Australians in Baja,
By gothere@netinfo.com.au (Canberra , Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Kayaking the Vermilion Sea: Eight Hundred Miles Down the Baja (Hardcover)
Kayaking The Vermillion Sea, by John Waterman was my inspiration for a superb seakayaking holiday in Baja. During my solo trip I had some close encounters with whales, met some wonderful people(native and non-native), had some superb experiences and learnt a word of Spanish or two. Waterman's wonderful book should be on the "must read" list of every intending traveller to this remarkable part of the world. David Cregan Canberra Australia
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First Sentence:
Sweat trickles out of my armpits and down my sides until tee shirt and skin become one. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
spray skirts, shrimp trawlers Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Sea of Cortés, Baja California, Colorado River, United States, Father Baegert, Isla Espiritu Santo, San Felipe, San José del Cabo, Alta California, Bahía Los Angeles, Bahia Gonzaga, Father Taraval, New Spain, Bahia Concepción, Hernán Cortés, Los Barriles, Point of the Dead, Bahia Los Angeles, Crested Butte, Day of the Dead, Enchanted Vagabonds, Outward Bound, Rio Mulegé, Sea of Cortez, John Steinbeck New!
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Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Sweat trickles out of my armpits and down my sides until tee shirt and skin become one. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
spray skirts, shrimp trawlers Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Sea of Cortés, Baja California, Colorado River, United States, Father Baegert, Isla Espiritu Santo, San Felipe, San José del Cabo, Alta California, Bahía Los Angeles, Bahia Gonzaga, Father Taraval, New Spain, Bahia Concepción, Hernán Cortés, Los Barriles, Point of the Dead, Bahia Los Angeles, Crested Butte, Day of the Dead, Enchanted Vagabonds, Outward Bound, Rio Mulegé, Sea of Cortez, John Steinbeck New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 5
books:
1
book
cites this book:
- The Log from the Sea of Cortez (Penguin Classics) by John Steinbeck in Front Matter, page 64, and page 197
- In the Shadow of Denali: Life and Death on Alaska's Mt. McKinley (Delta Expedition) by Jonathan Waterman in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Ancient Mariner Pb (Phoenix 60p paperbacks) by Samuel Taylor Coleridge on page 114
- Enchanted Vagabonds by Dana Lamb on page 182
- The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Other Poems by Samuel Taylor Coleridge on page 114
- Sea Kayaking: A Manual for Long-Distance Touring by John Dowd in Back Matter
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