Recommended by reader David C.: "On Sailing. On the Sea. On Sailors. On Boats. On Weather. On Engines. On Racing. On Philosophy."

Recommended by my very good friend Clint Wells. Orwell's true story of being penniless on the streets. He's the best.

Recommended Ben Shaw as a great book to read with his daughter and for being the book that Disney’s movie Moana is based on. Also recommended by Captain Bill Pinkney during his On the Wind episode for “awakening his spirit of adventure.”

By Amazon: “A boy tries to overcome his fear of the sea in this treasured classic and winner of the Newbery Medal.”

Recommended by Sven Finnis: "Author John Guzzwell sailing a home built 20ft boat around the world. Great book and shows that anyone can sail around the world if they really want to."

Recommended by Gary Finn: "The definitive guide to understanding weather. Not only does it cover theory and basics, it delves into the latest weather forecasting technologies relevant to sailors everywhere. A must for planning cruises and passage making."

As recommended by Rory Finneran: "A riveting account of the 1968 Golden Globe race."

Recommended by Jim Burns: "They were stranded on the other side of Antarctica with the goal of establishing depots for Shackleton's trip. Once their ship disappeared from the anchorage, how would they survive the coming winter? Would they consume Shackleton's supplies or establish the depots?"

Recommended by Bruce McClellan: "Clare Francis is an interesting woman. She was trained as a ballet dancer and economist, but took to sailing and crossed the Atlantic solo in 1973. She then embarked on an ocean racing career which led to being the first woman to skipper a boat in the Whitbread Race (1977-78), finishing in fifth place in her Swan 65 ADC 'Accutrac'."

Recommended by Bruce McClellan: "A very detailed book about commercial square-rigged ships. Includes information on topics ranging from design, rigging, life on board, commercial considerations, record passages, record daily runs, and much, much more."

Recommended by Bruce McClellan: "Account of life aboard one of the last full rigged commercial ships."

Recommended by Bruce McLellan: "A "gripping and authentic" story of a race around Cape Horn aboard the clipper Flying Cloud."

Thanks, James U. for the great recommendation.

"An exuberant, headlong, exhausting ride . . . more than a book about sailboat racing; it's also about a dream ferociously pursued and the price paid for realizing it . . . impossible to put down."

--Derek Lundy, author, Godforsaken Sea

"A story of mythic shape--of a young girl who receives a call to adventure and sets out on a compulsive journey, and finds mentors, tests, dark caves, despair, a supreme ordeal, and triumph."

--Peter Nichols, author, A Voyage for Madmen

"Reese Palley, who passed away last year, wrote this great read about sailing experiences and overcoming fears. Great insights and well written." -Don P.

Recommended by Hugh Miller: "Awesome and inspiring sailing adventure into a an area where few cruisers have been. This couple have also circumnavigated, equally good book called 'Under the Endless Sky.'"

Pearson covers William Willis' exploits during the golden age of rafting. It is quick read and inspiring example of the human spirit and ingenuity. 

Recommended by Scott Shipman

Recommended by James B., ISBJORN’s former skipper back in her Naval Academy days!

Racing yachts, white Navy uniforms, sports cars, pretty girls, and a mission to win and have fun. Year of adventure for Midshipmen of the US Naval Academy Offshore Sailing Team in the year of USA's Bicentennial (1976).

Isbjorn (under her former name, Insurgente) plays a central part as the vessel that these young men and women race up and down the Chesapeake Bay and as far north as Halifax, Nova Scotia against larger boats with more experienced crews.

Recommended by Chris Heath, ‘I Can Sail Circles’ is the story of David Beard.

In 1990, David Beard of Russell Island in Moreton Bay set a record for the first solo, non-stop circumnavigation of Australia by yacht in his 11-meter Skaffie 11. Before this, Beard underwent a series of nautical adventures solo and with his family through the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.

Recommended by Dan R.

Amazon Synopsis:

Carsten Jensen’s debut novel has taken the world by storm. Already hailed in Europe as an instant classic, We, the Drowned is the story of the port town of Marstal, whose inhabitants have sailed the world’s oceans aboard freight ships for centuries. Spanning over a hundred years, from the mid-nineteenth century to the end of the Second World War, and from the barren rocks of Newfoundland to the lush plantations of Samoa, from the roughest bars in Tasmania, to the frozen coasts of northern Russia, We, the Drowned spins a magnificent tale of love, war, and adventure, a tale of the men who go to sea and the women they leave behind.

Ships are wrecked at sea and blown up during wars, they are places of terror and violence, yet they continue to lure each generation of Marstal men—fathers and sons—away. Strong, resilient, women raise families alone and sometimes take history into their own hands. There are cannibals here, shrunken heads, prophetic dreams, forbidden passions, cowards, heroes, devastating tragedies, and miraculous survivals—everything that a town like Marstal has actually experienced, and that makes We, the Drowned an unforgettable novel, destined to take its place among the greatest seafaring literature.

Thanks Craig B. for the recommendation!

In the late 1950’s, very few “middle class” sailors had taken small sailing craft on long voyages. British Sailors, Eric & Susan Hiscock became pioneers in making long trans-oceanic passages in a small sailboat to what was then quite remote destinations. Their circumnavigation paved the way for future generations of cruising sailors who would follow in their wake, making blue water passage-making the more common experience it has become today. The Hiscocks shared their sailing adventures in several books and made this 16mm color documentary about their second circumnavigation aboard their 30 foot sloop, Wanderer III. The couple departed from Yarmouth Isle of Wight on the 19th of July 1959 and returned on August 8th, 1962.

Thank you Michael S. for the recommendation! And check out Andy interviewing Lin Pardey for his ‘On the Wind’ podcast; check out the episode here!

From Michael:

Long considered elder states (wo)men of cruising, Lin & Larry are the real deal - they built two boats themselves out of wood (you remember that stuff), no engine, then sailed them around the world. Very well written by Herb McCormick of Cruising World magazine. Great title too!

From Amazon:

In As Long as It’s Fun, the biography of Lin and Larry Pardey, Herb McCormick recounts their remarkable sailing career from their early days in Southern California to their two circumnavigations to their current life in a quiet cove in New Zealand. Through interviews with their families, friends, and critics, McCormick delves deeply into the couple’s often-controversial opinions, sometimes-tenuous marriage, and amazing list of accomplishments. As Long as It’s Fun is as much a love story as it is a sea yarn, and, like all such stories, it’s not without complications . . . which makes it not only a sailing tale but also a human one.

Atlantic is a biography of a tremendous space that has been central to the ambitions of explorers, scientists, and warriors, and continues to affect profoundly our character, attitudes, and dreams. Spanning the ocean's story, from its geological origins to the age of exploration, from World War II battles to today's struggles with pollution and over-fishing, Winchester's narrative is epic, intimate, and awe-inspiring.

Until a thousand years ago, few humans ventured into the Atlantic or imagined traversing its vast infinity. But once the first daring mariners successfully navigated to its far shores - whether they were Vikings, the Irish, the Basques, John Cabot, or Christopher Columbus in the north, or the Portuguese and the Spanish in the south - the Atlantic swiftly evolved in the world's growing consciousness of itself as an enclosed body of water. Soon it became the fulcrum of Western civilization. More than a mere history, Atlantic is an unforgettable journey of unprecedented scope by one of the most gifted writers in the English language.