Seasoned by Salt: A Voyage in Search of the Caribbean [Hardcover]

Jerry L. Mashaw (Author), Anne U. MacClintock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2003

An account of a one-year cruise, from Connecticut to Grenada and back, undertaken by an adventurous sailing couple. Their story is brimming with humour and high adventure and reflects a deep respect for and understanding of the history, people and economy of the many islands that they visit. Over the course of their voyage they come to realise the historical bond between North America and the Caribbean, particularly their intertwined colonical past and racial division. A romance, a comedy and a shared speech for personal meaning, "Seasoned by Salt" is an engaing and intelligent sailing story that finds parallels between individuals' relationships and nations and explores the crucial and continuing ties between the sea and history.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...an intelligent and lyrical account..." -- Kevin Patterson, author of The Water In Between

"...captures the feel of sailing among the Caribbean islands and realizing what matters in life." -- Daniel Hays, co-author of My Old Man and the Sea and author of On Whale Island

"...even-handed, lyrical..." -- Yachting, February 2004

"...goes beyond the glossy magazine advertisements...to capture the intense highs and mind-numbing lows of the authentic cruising experience." -- Beth Leonard, author of The Voyager's Handbook

"Mashaw and MacClintock convey much Caribbean history along with their highly personal account..." -- David Brion Davis, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author of Challenging the Boundaries of Slavery

About the Author

Jerry L Mashaw & Anne U MacClintock are writers and sailing enthusiasts.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Sheridan House (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574091557
• ISBN-13: 978-1574091557
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #865,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #67 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Sailing > Narratives

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an engaging intelligent sailing story, May 14, 2005

By 

Gail B. Evarts "Dick Evarts" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seasoned by Salt: A Voyage in Search of the Caribbean (Hardcover)

I have just finished the wonderfully wriltten book, Seasoned by Salt, by Jerry Mashaw and Anne McClintock. The flowing narrative will make you feel as though you are right in the cockpit with them, immersed in all the experiences that crossing on the open seas offers up. Though it is not a tutorial on cruising, this book is a must read for anyone who is contemplating sailing to the Caribbean. It is full of valuable information on what one could expect from bule water and island sailing. Sprinkled with humor, it is a fast read. But what was unexpeded was the depth of research done by Jerry Mashaw into the social economic and political history of the coastal towns along the Eastern Seaboard and islands they explored. The extent of his research is rarely found in books of travel. But Mr. Meshaw seems careful not to bog down this book of adventure with too much intellectualizing. Lastly, I found Seasoned by Salt an inspiring love story of two intelligent people finding new levels of understanding that will certainly carry them though many future voyages. I only hope they will put them to paper so we can share in their adventures once again.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice sailing adventure, October 10, 2005

By 

---- Neil H. "A Trailer Sailor's Library" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seasoned by Salt: A Voyage in Search of the Caribbean (Hardcover)

The old adage, cruising is fixing your boat in exotic places, certainly applies here. The book is very well written, and the interplay of hearing two sides (husband and wife) about the same events adds depth. After reading the book, I think that flying to Grenada, chartering a boat for a month (ooh the hated charterer) and exploring that area was the highlight of their journey, would be better than all the time and discomfort they experiences getting from Connecticut to the Carribean.

I tended to skip the social commentary. Can't change what happened, can only address how to help improve what is there now.

39 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very little sailing...tons of social commentary, February 20, 2005

By 

Stacy C. Hurst "Southern Sailor" (Birmingham, AL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seasoned by Salt: A Voyage in Search of the Caribbean (Hardcover)

I admit I am a resident of the South - Alabama to be exact. But when I purchased this book, I sincerely wanted to read a story about sailing for a year in the Bahamas. Sadly, this book is more about a spoiled couple that spends about 25% of the time telling you how scared they are about every aspect of the trip and 50% of the time criticizing the social conditions of the "South" as they travel down the ICW on the East Coast. The other 25% of the time is spent talking about random ideas with a few sentences of the sailing trip they are supposedly on. By page 70 I was tired of their liberal slant on a part of the US they claim to be "from". Message to the author, I live in Birmingham. Rosa Parks made her heroic stand against racial injustice in Montgomery. Simple facts like this seem to be trivial to the authors who are more concerned with expressing their overall disgust with a South that has seemingly not changed much since the days of slavery. Well, I certainly wouldn't say everything is perfect here, but as the authors admit, nowhere is perfect. The Southeast is one of the fastest growing regions for economical development and changes are taking place. Birmingham does boast to be the birth place for Civil Rights and we have an excellent Civil Rights museum that I have taken the time to actually visit to learn of the past injustices with the hope that I will be part of a better place for all. I resent being lectured to by the main author who evidently loves his teaching job. And if he does want to lecture this Southerner, I would expect him to take time to at least learn some of the more major details of the Civil Rights movement.

Very little sailing story. Lots of liberal opinions spewed forth as though they were facts when even his facts are wrong. If you want to read about a sailing story....buy Sailing the Dream. I am going to return my copy of this book to the author. I may even take a red pen and mark all of his errors. I would give him a grade of "F" if I were his professor.