In the summer of 1920, the public following the latest America’s Cup series were frustrated to find that every time the wind got up, the organizers called off the race. There was muttering in the taverns of Halifax and Lunenburg: why not show these fancy yachtsmen what real sailors can do? A Nova Scotia newspaper donated a trophy and put out a challenge to their rivals in New England, inviting them to meet the Maritimes’ best in a “race for real sailors.” A Race for Real Sailors is a vibrant history of the Fishermen’s Cup series, which dominated sporting headlines between the two world wars. The salt spray practically blows off the page as the author’s arresting style captures the drama of each race and the personalities of the ships that contested them: the Delawana and the Esperanto, the Columbia and the Gertrude L. Thebaud, and dominating them all the Bluenose, the big brute from Lunenburg whose image shines on the Canadian dime to this day. Vying for the spotlight are the boats’ larger-than-life skippers, among them Marty Welch, the hard-charging American who first took the cup; Ben Pine, the Gloucester scrap dealer whose passion kept the races afloat when they seemed destined to fade away; and the irascible, impossible Angus Walters, master of the Bluenose, who repeatedly broke American hearts but whose own heart was broken by Canada’s refusal to come to the rescue of his beloved vessel. This stirring and poignant tale is illustrated with 51 historical photographs and five maps, and rounded out by a glossary of sailing terms and an appendix of the ever-changing race rules. This is a story that will keep even confirmed landlubbers pegged to their seats, a tale of iron men and wooden ships whose time will never come again.

In the tradition of Into Thin Air and The Perfect Storm, an intensely gripping account of the round-the-world single-handed yacht race that claimed the life of Canadian sailor Gerry Roufs in a make-or-break dash through 12,000 miles of terror in the Southern Ocean.

Championship Tactics gives expert advice in a collection of stories from the greatest sailing races of recent decades, and includes profusely diagrammed professional secrets that even the Wednesday-night club racer can use. All boat racers will benefit from this professional collection of tips!

When Ellen finished the Vendee Globe, yachting's toughest race aged just 24 the nation took her to it's heart. The depth of the affection for Ellen is extraordinary - she makes people feel like they can do anything! This is her story, written intrue Ellen style, in her own words, without the help of a ghost writer. Passionate, dramatic and and deeply affecting, her story will move and inspire all who read it.

A lavish, full-color chronicle of the most grueling single-handed yacht races in the world Ever since Joshua Slocum circumnavigated the globe in 1895-98, sailors have dreamed of taking to the high seas alone. Many have devoted their lives to the dream; some have given their lives. With gorgeous, full-color photography and dramatic prose, Sailing Solo pays homage to the world's greatest sailors as it explores every major single-handed race, from the pioneering Ostar to the grueling Figaro, to the ultimate of all solo competitions, the Vendee Globe, in which sailors surf down40-foot waves at speeds in excess of 20knots, thousands of miles from any help. Single-handed racing has never been more popular. As many as 200,000 people braved winter weather to witness Ellen Macarthur's completion of the Vendee Globe in 2001. The author, a veteran single hander, traces the history of each race, introducing the skippers and the incredible boats they fly solo--offering readers a unique and awe inspiring glimpse into what makes sailors tackle that ultimate of all challenges: sailing alone.