Customer Reviews

Ocean Crossing Wayfarer: To Iceland and Norway in a 16ft Open Dinghy

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4 star:		(1)
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i'm sad to see no one else has reviewed this book, so though it's been a while since i read it & my copy is lost in storage somewhere, i'll try to do this fine little story the justice it deserves: In this fast-reading autobiographical story our author Frank, in his younger days, enlists a young naval student for an ambitious foul-weather sail from England to Iceland in a 13' open dinghy. In the small but rich genre of dinghy cruising (which in the spirit modernity, i hereby rename "microcruising"), this is a must read. adding to the charm is frank's occasional mention of his girlfriend Margaret, who he later married, and who many years later wrote the bible of microcruising, the hugely instructional 'Dinghy Cruising'. Finally, if you like this book it seems impossible you would not also like Robert Manry's "Tinkerbelle," the cleanly told story of a flatlander who singlehands his dinghy from the US to England.

This book is simply an outstanding example of what can be done in a well designed sailing dinghy like the British built Wayfarer or the Canadian copy of the CL 16. This book is a wealth of information that can be referenced by any dinghy sailor on the cottage lake or for those who dare poke their bows past the mouth of the harbour.

Frank Dyes writes about two of his most famous dinghy crossings in this book. One of the better written maritime paperbacks I have read. Without a tedious degree of technical detail in the accounts, the appendix and prefix make up, providing the reader with a wonderful reference should they choose. A couple of amazing adventures that will delight readers and give some insight into the methods of surviving blue water sailing on a small craft in hostile environments. Be sure to check out Franks other books and his amazing video of the Norway crossing on the wayfarer website.

I think Frank Dye sailing across open oceans for long distances in a 16 ft dinghy is a little crazy. I have always liked the design and stability of the Wayfarer 16 dinghy first built in the UK. I first saw a Wayfarer sail in windy conditions on San Francisco Bay in very rough water. Most Wayfarers will be found in northeast Canada today. A very good book to read for people interested in sailing. By the end of the book, you can tell Frank Dye survived by very thorough planning and great decision making while in a crisis situation. Enjoy the book! Ed

Now I respect Frank Dye for his feats of navigation and seamanship, crossing the North Sea from Scotland to both Iceland and Norway, and I really looked forward to reading this book. However, after reading it, I have to think - why? It wasn't fun, it was crazy. He was nearly killed. He knew the weather was going to be terrible. Frank Dye is driven by something other than love of the sea and love of sailing.