Kayaking the Vermilion Sea: Eight Hundred Miles Down the Baja (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Sweat trickles out of my armpits and down my sides until tee shirt and skin become one..." (more)
Key Phrases: spray skirts, shrimp trawlers, Sea of Cortés, Baja California, Colorado River (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Disenchanted with life in general, Waterman and his wife of one year, Deborah, sought a wilderness adventure to renew their spirits. They spent two months paddling kayaks down the coastline of Baja California on the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California), an area rich in history. Waterman (In the Shadow of Denali) recounts their journey in vivid detail. It was a challenging voyage?choppy seas, turbulent tides, storms and biting insects. They met expatriate Americans, windsurfers, a group of kayakers, yachtsmen. They paddled with dolphins and observed a sea-lion nursery. Waterman notes that Isla Espirita Santo is being marketed as a haven for kayakers; other places are looking for the tourist trade. Guess what he finds at the end of the journey? How much work and communication are necessary in marriage. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Following a rigorous climb of Mt. Denali (In the Shadow of Denali, LJ 3/1/94), Waterman and his new wife, Deborah, decided sunshine was in order and drove south. Their goal: to kayak one of the lowest points on Earth, the arid coastline of the legendary Sea of Cortes off Baja California, Mexico. They chronicle their two-month voyage here in brief chapters detailing their adventures. Quotations from Spanish explorers and missionaries tell the often depressing story of the Baja natives. Waterman depicts the environmental debacle of a sea that is overfished while laws to protect it ignored. The couple struggles to survive the raging waters and their rocky relationship, battling storms and sea lions one moment, their stressed emotions the next. This book is a pleasant addition to the sparse collection of literature on this subject. Recommended for travel and Southwest collections.
Kathy Ellerton, Missouri Research & Education Network, Columbia
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (December 10, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684803380
• ISBN-13: 978-0684803388
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,214,352 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Love on the Rocks, November 10, 2002

By	David Martin (Noyo Harbor, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kayaking the Vermilion Sea: Eight Hundred Miles Down the Baja (Hardcover)

I read the book after sailing the Sea of Cortez. It was a depressing book by a disenchanted romantic written during what appears to be the breakup of his marrage. The wife sounds great but he can't maintain her paddling pace and she does not share his penchant for whining.) If you are looking for a guide book to the Sea of Cortez, this book has little to offer. I meet some folks at Bay of Conception who were among the few who had received favorable remarks from the author. They were furious that he had totally distorted their comments. Save yourself the greif and try something else.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More about male angst than kayaking, November 3, 2000

By A Customer

This book is a depressing story of a failing marriage. The fact that the relationship unravels during a kayak trip in Baja does not in any way make this a good read for kayakers interested in paddling Baja. If, on the other hand, you'd like to experience that miserable feeling of a relationship going down the tubes, this is your book! Enjoy.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A kayakers narcissistic journey of disappointment., December 12, 1998

By A Customer

About an inexperienced sea kayaker with a great facility for solociting sponsors. The authors personal struggle with his wife and general disappointment with all that he encounters overshadows what might have been a fine adventure story.