Customer Reviews

Sea-Steading: A Life of Hope and Freedom on the Last Viable Frontier

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Jerome FitzGerald is knowledeable, even expert, at describing his practical methods of sailing without an engine. Any sailor will benefit from reading the book beginning at Chapter 7. This book should be required reading for everyone seeking a license to teach sailing or to run a marina. With the right Editor this book would appeal to a very large audience.
However, Jerome FitzGerald's book, like its author, has problems. Captain FitzGerald has lived the life, somewhat successfully, that more timid souls only imagine. He is free from the consumer society. As a rugged individualist, he will always do well in times of crisis. But, anyone who finds an alcohol making still aboard ship to be more important than a diesel auxiliary probably has a drinking problem. Indeed, the book is peppered with examples of conflicts with authorities and other sailors, similar to the life of the quarrelsome land based alcoholic. The author hasn't figured out that the Marina owners prefer the twice a year sailor who has to buy all new rigging for his boat for every outing, as long as his checks arrive in a timely manner. The operators of the ship's stores would all go broke if their customers were as resourceful as Mr. FitzGeral describes himself to be.
BUY THE BOOK. LEARN EVERYTHING HE HAS TO SAY ABOUT SAILING. IGNORE HIS ALCOHOLIC RANTS.

The author is exquisitely sane, and far from being rants or asides, the philosophical underpinnings are sound and very much in context. Even though my boat has a diesel auxiliary and lots of interconnected systems, this book has strengthened my resolve to save the iron genny for true emergencies and work to develop the skills of self reliance under sail.

The long out-of-print "Sailing the Farm" is another good reference for aquatic self-sufficiency, but Sea-Steading is more focused on developing competent sailing skills. There is a wealth of good knowledge here, and the writing is full of gems (even though, as he readily admits, it could have used a bit of copy-editing). I've already quoted the author twice and referred back to a passage once, and it has only been two days since I spent a very satisfying Saturday immersed in the book.

I highly recommended this for those who understand its intent. Jerome truly knows his stuff, and makes a very good case for casting off from the consumer lifestyle... not just adding a yacht to one's stable of toys. And even if you don't care about the broader philosophical context, the knowledge herein might keep you off a lee shore some dark and stormy night.

This one's a keeper.

Reading the first six chapters of this book is like listing to a teenager who has all of life's answers. If only the rest of the world would get onboard. However chapters seven through the end is a gold mine of sailing knowledge from his sailing life experiences. These chapters will encourage you in every way possible. Jerome "Jay" writes from what he believes and captures in print every aspect of the sailing life. This is certainly a must read for any sailor interested in true seamanship and wants to do more then entertain some friends on the weekends. It is definite a source book that I will reference again and again. Even those who only occasionally sail will improve there sailing skill upon reading these chapters. As Jay says "most of seamanship happens within 50 feet of the dock".

Start this book in chapter seven. After finishing go back and read the earlier chapter on boats. If you really want to read his rant on philosophy then complete the skipped chapters. You may find you are kindred spirits and want to visit his website the oarclub.

While Fitzgerald's previous sailing books are well worth reading Sea-Steading benefits both from the addition of numerous diagrams and pictures, as well as better editing, and expanded explanations and illustrations of some of his more important topics. In addition the author's point of view has matured (but not mellowed!) since his two earlier offerings.
A great book to add to your sailing library!

This book is a must have. FitzGerald spells out all you need to know to get under way in your own sailing yacht whether you want to sail around your local bay, a coastal archipelago or the seven seas. His advice on financial considerations is something that most authors skip over. But this book explains how someone of modest means can get started by focusing your money and time on the right projects.

While peppering the book with philosophical tidbits, the author imparts his immense knowledge about sailing. Every sailor should read this.

Just dump almost all your other sailing "how to" books in the bin - Fitzgerald will show you the folly of buying into the overhyped, over commercialsed, unnecessary expense as espoused in the sailing magazines and "regular" sailing books on the market.
Whats is simple is safer, and will have you "out there" sailing off and enjoying it, while the others are rooted to the dock purchasing the latest sailing "gizmo".

The author loves dropping opinion bombs throughout the book. Where those opinions are relevant to sailing they can be entertaining and liven up the book. Where they stray beyond the author's area of knowledge (religion, politics, evils of western culture, etc) they detract tremendously. If those rants bother you simply skip those chapters and move on to the excellent sailing related content in later chapters.

If you like being preached at, this is the book for you. FitzGerald is an atheist and I'm not, but that's not the issue. The issue for me is that he presents the basic fundamentalist position: "If you don't agree with me you're an idiot." And presents it. And presents it again. And some more. OK, I got your point, move on. He can't. I don't like it from people I ostensibly agree with, and I don't like it from people I disagree with either.

Somewhere in here there is some information about sailing, but even that is continally interrupted by his self-titled "Diatribes," and is strongly based on the "My way or the highway" view of living.

He's as fundamentalist about his boats and his ways as he is about his fundamentalist non-religion.

If FitzGerald's chosen life is making him happy you can't tell it by reading his book. If you want to get anything out of the book you'll have to be willing to wade through a lot of opinionated wastepaper.

I had high hopes, and he could have fulfilled them. We agree about many things. I was severely disappointed.

This was a hard book to rate. Some of it was 2 stars, some 5 stars and the editing was 2 stars.

The first quarter of this book, (as you have heard from other reviews) doesn't have much to do with sailing. Just the author giving a sermon on his dislike of religion. This would be ok, but in a book of it's own. And preferably by someone who is/was involved with some sort of spirituality.

As someone who has never done any sailing and have been reading all I can online about life on the sea, I find the rest of the book very helpful. There is lots of stuff in here that you will have a hard time finding online, if at all.

The author tells you what works and why. How to get started on a shoe-string budget, what it will cost and how long it will take. There's sections on everything; boat-building, sailing, navigation, eating and more.

I hope that in a few years the author updates this book, with better pictures, editing and no sermons. It could be a solid 5 stars if he did.