A memoir of Annette Brock Daviss life at sea as the first female crew member of a commercial sailing line.

When Tom Galley, a successful career thief, befriends the lovely computer savvy Kate Kincaid, he feels he has found the perfect accomplice for a heist he has planned. Kates technical expertise as a securities analyst does not exempt her from his charm and a smile that could sell things. She agrees to a summer sail with Tom and his best friend Nathan Gage. They are joined by the witty, upbeat Gretchen Tillane who is only too willing to escape a vindictive ex-husband. Beyond The Mast is one part romance adventure, one part sophisticated heist and one part murder. On a cruise to the stark, exotic beauty of the Sea of Cortez the two couples develop a closeness and familiarity that can only be found in sailing. Along the way they encounter a host of unexpected characters from adventurers and knock abouts to bandits and expatriates. The action turns sinister when the group is forced to execute two young Indian pirates, an act which follows them back to California. Only upon the return voyage do they learn graphically, the value of a single life. The book concludes with a murder investigation in San Diego and an intriguing cat and mouse game in the financial centers of Atlanta. Ultimately, the characters must determine at which point loyalty compromises ones sense of integrity and when does trust override personal ambition.

In 1838, seaman Charles Erskine joined the exploring expedition of Charles Wilkes who was setting out on a voyage of discovery around the world. Here he shares his adventures as a sailor as he traveled to unexplored regions of the world.

Stories and recipes from the Mast Brothers, makers and purveyors of America's finest craft chocolate. The Mast Brothers are pioneers of the bean-to-bar craft chocolate movement. Sourcing cocoa with unique flavor profiles from around the equator, they roast the beans in small batches to create truly handmade chocolate, one of the very few chocolate makers to do so. At their flagship factory and retail shop in Brooklyn, their distinctive bars are wrapped in exquisite custom papers that they have designed and are sold at specialty food shops around the country and around the world. Many of the world's pre-eminent chefs, including Thomas Keller, Dan Barber, Daniel Humm, Alice Waters, and Alain Ducasse choose Mast Brothers Chocolate for cooking for its purity and distinctive tasting notes. In Mast Brothers Chocolate: A Family Cookbook, they share their unique story and recipes for classic American desserts like chocolate cookies and cakes, brownies, bars, milkshakes, and even home-made whoopie pie. There are mouthwatering savory dishes as well, like Pan-seared Scallops with Cocoa Nibs and Cocoa Coq au Vin. With striking color photographs throughout, this cookbook celebrates the vision and allure of Mast Brothers Chocolate, the leaders of the American craft chocolate movement and the choice of the world's great chefs.

Under New York City's Throgs Neck Bridge lies a spit of land dominated by a pentagonal, 19th-century fortress that today houses a school that has trained mariners since the age of sail. Within Fort Schuyler's walls are stories of heroism and mutinies, shipwrecks and desertions. In Four Years Before the Mast, author Joseph A. Williams uses his access to archival materials to tell the tale of that institution known today as SUNY Maritime College.

In 1834 Harvard dropout Richard Henry Dana Jr. became a common seaman, and soon his Two Years Before the Mast became a classic. Literary acclaim did not erase the young lawyer’s memory of floggings he witnessed aboard ship or undermine his vow to combat injustice. Jeffrey Amestoy tells the story of Dana’s determination to keep that vow.