Voyages of the Damn Foole [Hardcover]

Tom McGrath (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1997

Tom McGrath's accounts of the cruising life aboard the tiny sailboats Damn Foole and Damn Foole II have achieved cult status in the magazine Messing About Boats. With humor and a touch of irony, McGrath makes observations that resonate with cruising sailors, shoestring boaters, and others who take their boats more seriously than themselves. McGrath sprinkles his sailing anecdotes with biting social commentary; he casts a satirical eye at everything from waterfront development to the Civil War, from foreign fishing boats to the arrival of the Mayflower. Never totally dogmatic, he's frequently interrupted by members of his "spirit crew, " who argue various points of view and brew trouble in every port. Even the boat chimes in occasionally to settle debates or rescue the author from his mistakes. McGrath's ability to laugh at himself and his seamanship follies give these tales universal appeal.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"... the works of sailor Tom McGrath-thinly fictionalized, profusely illustrated, darkly satrical-are great favorites." -- The Boston Globe Magazine

From the Back Cover

Voyages of the Damn Foole

We jibed away and made for the Misery Islands off the shores of Pride's Crossing. When we arrived I drove the boat up on the beach of Great Misery on the run. The sails held it on shore as I ran the anchor line up the beach to a stout piece of driftwood. The boat banged around a while on the rocky beach until the tide receded and left it alone. The island was mine! I took off my shoes and perched them on a prominent rock, officially taking possession. "I'm going to explore the island," I told the boat.

"To find plunder and slaves," the boat added.

Of course I'll Christianize the poor devils, and the plunder will be used to advance civilization." I marched inland over the rocks and rolling hills, through the groves of trees and past the dense underbrush. "Everything here is mine," I kept reminding myself greedily. The birds sang cheerfully. The flowers breathed their fragrances. The vegetation reflected the sun's heat. I was ignored and left to ponder why it was called Misery Island.

I returned to the boat and was immediately asked "Where's the plunder? Where are the slaves?"

"There aren't any," I told the boat. "All the slaves have gone ashore long ago into the towns to sell the plunder in the stores and specialty shops."

"You're a fine example of humanity, can't even pillage and plunder properly," the boat said. "Let's get afloat, it's too fine a day to spend on land."

--From "The Townie and the Damn Foole"

Product Details

• Hardcover: 186 pages
• Publisher: International Marine Publishing (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070450897
• ISBN-13: 978-0070450899
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,932,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Collection of Characters, June 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Voyages of the Damn Foole (Hardcover)

Voyages... are refreshing, hilarious, cynical short stories opposing the Boy Scout motto "Be Prepared". If you like the writing of Kurt Vonnegut or Toole's "A Confederacy of Dunces" you will love this book. While some of the stories are a bit repetitive, they are wonderful. If you are a sailor, no doubt you will recognize some of the characters in the book - including the boat's. The black and white illustrations in the book are charming and add a lot.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A misanthropic journey under sail, July 23, 1998

By 

Michael J Edelman (Huntington Woods, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Voyages of the Damn Foole (Hardcover)

Tom is a cranky man with a leaky boat that talks to him. He sometimes carries with him a crew of mocking ghosts as well as he travels.

Doesn't sound too promising, and yet this book, first published as a series of mimeographed pages tacked to the wall of a marina, gets closer to the spirit of sailing than anything you'll ever read.

0 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars damn foole by luke, March 9, 2001

By 

Scott Danielson (nowhere) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voyages of the Damn Foole (Hardcover)

the damn foole by tom mcgrath is a good book becuse i think it is it is exilirating and exciteing but it gets boring after a while because it is very repetive and somewhat boring. its the same thing over and over again with nothing new ever happening. this makes the story boring and unfun that is also why i gave this book only 1 star its not good book with some funny parts its the samething over and over;he goes somewhere meets some people then he leaves and does it all over again. very repetive and very boring. I did not like the book at all.on the story tome does the same thing over and over again makiong the story boring and all that.