Customer Reviews

Sailing Back in Time: A Nostalgic Voyage on Canada's West Coast

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
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Maria Coffey's clear prose and Dag Goering's moving photographs make this a "must have" for sailors, wooden boat buffs and those in love with life afloat. Alan Farrell is a legend of the Canadian Gulf Islands, and Maria has done a fine job capturing the spirit of this man from another age. He and his life have a lot to teach us all. I find myself poring over this book in the bleak months of winter, dreaming of a place I'd rather be.

This was worth reading for me because Allen Farrell is a legend amonst boatbuilders. Building with hand tools, pieces of driftwood, boats without engines... He was kind enough to include the lines of China Cloud for others to use. Quite a kind gesture for the admirers of such an unusual and beautiful boat. The book is not about China Cloud but about the Farrells. This book tracks their history in BC and what the people and country used to be like. There are a number of replicas of China Cloud being built.

G. Bowen

Each journal entry in the book brought back memories of travelling on the coast in a similarly designed twelve meter boat, also hand-built like the China Cloud. Maria Coffey's writing is such a pleasure to absorb. My husband read and I listened. Through Maria's telling of Allen and Sharie Farrell's adventures, my husband and I vividly remembered our life sailing the Johnstone Straight. Even if you've never been on the water, the words take you there in full-blown colour. Mr. Dag Georing's photos are spectacular and alluring.