“ Eight years under the mast ” is the story of a dream fulfilled. A journey around the world on a thirty-three foot sailboat. The author takes the reader from an idea and proceeds in steps facing the reality of pursuing a vision many have. It will not be easy removing oneself from society and walking away from friends and family. Can a man write his own destiny? Is the risk of adventure worth the hardships sure to follow. Is paradise to be found? Maybe some of these questions will be answered in the readers mind as he is transported to new and strange worlds. Explore new thoughts and introspection as the author asks many critical questions of his own life. Sail with Bonnie and Gary on “ The Road Not Taken ” and take a road less traveled and wanting wear.

“ Eight years under the mast ” is the story of a dream fulfilled. A journey around the world on a thirty-three foot sailboat. The author takes the reader from an idea and proceeds in steps facing the reality of pursuing a vision many have. It will not be easy removing oneself from society and walking away from friends and family. Can a man write his own destiny? Is the risk of adventure worth the hardships sure to follow. Is paradise to be found? Maybe some of these questions will be answered in the readers mind as he is transported to new and strange worlds. Explore new thoughts and introspection as the author asks many critical questions of his own life. Sail with Bonnie and Gary on “ The Road Not Taken ” and take a road less traveled and wanting wear.

“ Eight years under the mast ” is the story of a dream fulfilled. A journey around the world on a thirty-three foot sailboat. The author takes the reader from an idea and proceeds in steps facing the reality of pursuing a vision many have. It will not be easy removing oneself from society and walking away from friends and family. Can a man write his own destiny? Is the risk of adventure worth the hardships sure to follow. Is paradise to be found? Maybe some of these questions will be answered in the readers mind as he is transported to new and strange worlds. Explore new thoughts and introspection as the author asks many critical questions of his own life. Sail with Bonnie and Gary on “ The Road Not Taken ” and take a road less traveled and wanting wear.

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No Description Available.

Sea of Cortez, Voyages of Discovery chronicles in words and full-color photography the history, ecology and magnificent beauty of our nearby Sea of Cortez, beginning with the celebrated voyage of Hernan Cortez and continuing through more contemporary accounts such as those of John Steinbeck and Randolf Leigh. The author describes his own sailing in the wake of such famous voyages of discovery in which adventurers sought to probe the tantalizing mysteries of the “island of California” and its giant female warriors, the Amazons. Malcolm Harris examines the very words of the great explorers and compares them with his own 20th and 21st Century observations from the deck of his world-class sailing vessel, Lai Sien. The book provides startling descriptions and beautiful photography to delight those who dream of sailing upon the Sea of Cortez.

Sea of Cortez, Voyages of Discovery chronicles in words and full-color photography the history, ecology and magnificent beauty of our nearby Sea of Cortez, beginning with the celebrated voyage of Hernan Cortez and continuing through more contemporary accounts such as those of John Steinbeck and Randolf Leigh. The author describes his own sailing in the wake of such famous voyages of discovery in which adventurers sought to probe the tantalizing mysteries of the “island of California” and its giant female warriors, the Amazons. Malcolm Harris examines the very words of the great explorers and compares them with his own 20th and 21st Century observations from the deck of his world-class sailing vessel, Lai Sien. The book provides startling descriptions and beautiful photography to delight those who dream of sailing upon the Sea of Cortez.

A middle-aged old sea dog finds the sailing schooner he has dreamed about, converts it from a cargo vessel to a beautiful passenger cruiser. He takes a number of guests on short cruises around the Gulf of Mexico, until he is approached for a circumnavigating cruise around the Gulf and the Caribbean. He, his first mate, and three couples encounter a variety of adventures, including an encounter with Columbian pirates. They barely escape, only to be chased by a hurricane up to the Yucatan peninsula, where they are forced to ground Lazy Daze in a river estuary.
There they encounter two groups who turn out to be opposing forces, plus an ancient pirate treasure. The latter they load onto there boat with the help of one group whom they have befriended. When they salvaged and repaired Lazy Daze they attempted to leave the area. They were attacked by the other group, and after a battle for their lives, they barely make it away.
From there they headed directly to the United States and a hospital to repair the damage done in the battle. There they had a number of more pleasant adventures.


Book Review

The Cruise of the Lazy Daze
Review by William H.P. Smith

           The Lazy Daze is a good read, especially for an afternoon at the beach, a plane trip or a pleasant few hours in your favorite chair.
           This book by new novelist Roger Cooke will keep you reading long after you should have put it down to do other things you had planned. Cooke’s clear, straight forward writing foregoes long descriptions with the major burden of moving the story along left to the characters themselves.
          Cooke obviously has had ample sailing experience and those who love sailing ships will appreciate his expert command of the terms of boats and the sea.
           The story tells of a middle aged old sea dog who realizes a lifelong dream of owning a sailing ship and operating a charter cruising business. He finds a derelict old ship in a boat yard and rebuilds it into a beautiful ship with teak decks, brass fittings and tall white sails. He signs on a first mate and three couples for a cruise of Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
          But this cruise turns into a fast-moving story of heavy storms at sea, shipwreck on an island inhabited by two warring camps—a native Mayan tribe and the descendents of French settlers. While on the island the discovery of a long buried pirates’ treasure of gold adds to the experience.
           Telling more of the story would dampen your suspense, but there are many unexpected twists, turns and challenges before the sailors of the Lazy Daze return to home port.
           I recommend Lazy Daze. You can look forward to a suspenseful and enjoyable story.

A middle-aged old sea dog finds the sailing schooner he has dreamed about, converts it from a cargo vessel to a beautiful passenger cruiser. He takes a number of guests on short cruises around the Gulf of Mexico, until he is approached for a circumnavigating cruise around the Gulf and the Caribbean. He, his first mate, and three couples encounter a variety of adventures, including an encounter with Columbian pirates. They barely escape, only to be chased by a hurricane up to the Yucatan peninsula, where they are forced to ground Lazy Daze in a river estuary.
There they encounter two groups who turn out to be opposing forces, plus an ancient pirate treasure. The latter they load onto there boat with the help of one group whom they have befriended. When they salvaged and repaired Lazy Daze they attempted to leave the area. They were attacked by the other group, and after a battle for their lives, they barely make it away.
From there they headed directly to the United States and a hospital to repair the damage done in the battle. There they had a number of more pleasant adventures.


Book Review

The Cruise of the Lazy Daze
Review by William H.P. Smith

           The Lazy Daze is a good read, especially for an afternoon at the beach, a plane trip or a pleasant few hours in your favorite chair.
           This book by new novelist Roger Cooke will keep you reading long after you should have put it down to do other things you had planned. Cooke’s clear, straight forward writing foregoes long descriptions with the major burden of moving the story along left to the characters themselves.
          Cooke obviously has had ample sailing experience and those who love sailing ships will appreciate his expert command of the terms of boats and the sea.
           The story tells of a middle aged old sea dog who realizes a lifelong dream of owning a sailing ship and operating a charter cruising business. He finds a derelict old ship in a boat yard and rebuilds it into a beautiful ship with teak decks, brass fittings and tall white sails. He signs on a first mate and three couples for a cruise of Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
          But this cruise turns into a fast-moving story of heavy storms at sea, shipwreck on an island inhabited by two warring camps—a native Mayan tribe and the descendents of French settlers. While on the island the discovery of a long buried pirates’ treasure of gold adds to the experience.
           Telling more of the story would dampen your suspense, but there are many unexpected twists, turns and challenges before the sailors of the Lazy Daze return to home port.
           I recommend Lazy Daze. You can look forward to a suspenseful and enjoyable story.

“Sail Tales” is about the adventures a humble sailboat owner had over the years. So where does one start writing about these adventures? You start at the beginning. That beginning was in 1967 when I was helping a friend of mine, Frank, re-build an old wooden boat that he had bought. Frank took the whole boat apart and then rebuilt it from the frames up. It was a sleek little craft and I found myself involved in his project. Frank found a similar craft and with his promise of help, I bought it. I spent the whole winter and most of the spring doing the things that had to be done to the boat to get it ready for the summer of 69. I knew nothing about about sailing. But how hard could it be to learn? I soon found out.My sailing adventures started that summer. I learned quickly that unlike a power boat, a sailboat is not a craft that you get aboard, turn a key and then drive it like a car. You have to sail the boat. You have to do what the wind lets you do. You can’t go directly where you want to go because the wind won’t allow it. You have to finesse, you have be diplomatic, you have to learn to tweak a sail rather than over trim. Well, I learned to get that sailboat from point to point. I also learned that time on a sailboat is not the same as time on land and I learned this on my very first trip on my first sailboat. That three hour trip ended up taking thirteen hours. Read about it. The time of a sailboat trip can not be predicted. If you need to get to a certain place at a certain time take a bus not a sailboat. An afternoon trip has more than once become a late nighter. “ Leave your watches ashore.” That’s what I tell everyone before they step foot aboard. I don’t know what time we’ll be back but I’m certain that we will be back. My very first sailboat trip was not a late nighter but rather an early morning return.Speaking of time, How long does it take you to hang a calender on your wall? You get a stick pin and put it through a hole in the calender and stick the pin in the cork board. Thirty seconds? It took me the better part of three hours to hang a calender on the boat. First I had to get the tape from the old calender off the wall. For this project I had to find the razor blade scrapper. Then I had to run to the hardware store to get new blades for it. The scrapper got the top layer of the tape off the wall but the sticky part of the tape just rolled up into little balls. I had to go back to the hardware store for some solvent to get the sticky balls off the wall. Then and only then was I able to re-tape the new calender to the wall. I have since put the scrapper in it’s place so I can find it next time. I hope I remember that place. Imagine what a project it is to install a new pedestal steering system or an new diesel engine. Imagine the time it takes to make an old boat a safe craft, a boat ready to sail, and the keyword is safe. It took me the better part of four years to make my Morgan 38 the boat I wanted it to be. And notice I’m not saying anything about the cost. That’s another story. And these are some of the stories I tell. This is the third boat I have redone. But it is the last boat that I will redo. I’m getting too old for this rebuilding stuff. Parts of “Sail Tales” tells about projects such as what I have just described. But the majority of the stories are about sailing trips where something happens. If you are a sailor or if you own a sailboat, sit back and try to remember trips that were dull and boring. They don’t pop into your mind. But what does pop are the adventures, the thrill of the wind that is blowing just a bit harder than you would like. You remember the trips where the rail is in the water for most of the day and how you were able to keep the boat under control. You remember the trips where there was no wind and the day became a motor day. You remember entering an anchorage and finding someone there from your marina or someone there from two years ago that you met at a different anchorage. These are the tales you tell your friends, these are the tales you remember and these are the tales I tell.Where did you find the name for your boat. A name has to have some meaning and it has to be a name that does not demean the boat in any way. I found the name Felicity for my Morgan 30 from a poem by Emily Dickinson. I found the name Evening Star for my Morgan 38 at a store that sold pizza cutters. Both names were perfect. I say I found these names but in reality they found me. When naming a boat you have to have patience. Wait and the proper name, the only name, the magical name, will find you.My son Matthew grew up on my sailboats. He was born then he toddling around and falling and all of a sudden he’s sixteen years old, sitting at the kitchen table during dinner asking if he can take the boat out by him self. What do you say? How do you answer? Where did the years go? I bought a boat with the help of a bank. At that time I wasn’t making a lot of money. I was a school teacher with a sick kid. But the bank gave me the loan anyway. During the winter months I defaulted on the loan and the bank called and wanted me to sail the boat to a town near them so they could repossess it. I told them no way. It’s my job to make the payments and I didn’t do that. It’s your job to repossess it. This is not a sailing story but it is about a sailboat that I owned. Another story is about the time I had to abandon a bachelor cruise because of a death in the family. I insisted that my crew take my boat and continue. They had one great adventure and I missed the whole damn thing. And the “Sail Tales” go on and on. They are stories about the things that I remember. They are all sailboat stories. These are my stories but I know that they will start you remembering your sailboat stories, your Sail Tales.

“Sail Tales” is about the adventures a humble sailboat owner had over the years. So where does one start writing about these adventures? You start at the beginning. That beginning was in 1967 when I was helping a friend of mine, Frank, re-build an old wooden boat that he had bought. Frank took the whole boat apart and then rebuilt it from the frames up. It was a sleek little craft and I found myself involved in his project. Frank found a similar craft and with his promise of help, I bought it. I spent the whole winter and most of the spring doing the things that had to be done to the boat to get it ready for the summer of 69. I knew nothing about about sailing. But how hard could it be to learn? I soon found out.My sailing adventures started that summer. I learned quickly that unlike a power boat, a sailboat is not a craft that you get aboard, turn a key and then drive it like a car. You have to sail the boat. You have to do what the wind lets you do. You can’t go directly where you want to go because the wind won’t allow it. You have to finesse, you have be diplomatic, you have to learn to tweak a sail rather than over trim. Well, I learned to get that sailboat from point to point. I also learned that time on a sailboat is not the same as time on land and I learned this on my very first trip on my first sailboat. That three hour trip ended up taking thirteen hours. Read about it. The time of a sailboat trip can not be predicted. If you need to get to a certain place at a certain time take a bus not a sailboat. An afternoon trip has more than once become a late nighter. “ Leave your watches ashore.” That’s what I tell everyone before they step foot aboard. I don’t know what time we’ll be back but I’m certain that we will be back. My very first sailboat trip was not a late nighter but rather an early morning return.Speaking of time, How long does it take you to hang a calender on your wall? You get a stick pin and put it through a hole in the calender and stick the pin in the cork board. Thirty seconds? It took me the better part of three hours to hang a calender on the boat. First I had to get the tape from the old calender off the wall. For this project I had to find the razor blade scrapper. Then I had to run to the hardware store to get new blades for it. The scrapper got the top layer of the tape off the wall but the sticky part of the tape just rolled up into little balls. I had to go back to the hardware store for some solvent to get the sticky balls off the wall. Then and only then was I able to re-tape the new calender to the wall. I have since put the scrapper in it’s place so I can find it next time. I hope I remember that place. Imagine what a project it is to install a new pedestal steering system or an new diesel engine. Imagine the time it takes to make an old boat a safe craft, a boat ready to sail, and the keyword is safe. It took me the better part of four years to make my Morgan 38 the boat I wanted it to be. And notice I’m not saying anything about the cost. That’s another story. And these are some of the stories I tell. This is the third boat I have redone. But it is the last boat that I will redo. I’m getting too old for this rebuilding stuff. Parts of “Sail Tales” tells about projects such as what I have just described. But the majority of the stories are about sailing trips where something happens. If you are a sailor or if you own a sailboat, sit back and try to remember trips that were dull and boring. They don’t pop into your mind. But what does pop are the adventures, the thrill of the wind that is blowing just a bit harder than you would like. You remember the trips where the rail is in the water for most of the day and how you were able to keep the boat under control. You remember the trips where there was no wind and the day became a motor day. You remember entering an anchorage and finding someone there from your marina or someone there from two years ago that you met at a different anchorage. These are the tales you tell your friends, these are the tales you remember and these are the tales I tell.Where did you find the name for your boat. A name has to have some meaning and it has to be a name that does not demean the boat in any way. I found the name Felicity for my Morgan 30 from a poem by Emily Dickinson. I found the name Evening Star for my Morgan 38 at a store that sold pizza cutters. Both names were perfect. I say I found these names but in reality they found me. When naming a boat you have to have patience. Wait and the proper name, the only name, the magical name, will find you.My son Matthew grew up on my sailboats. He was born then he toddling around and falling and all of a sudden he’s sixteen years old, sitting at the kitchen table during dinner asking if he can take the boat out by him self. What do you say? How do you answer? Where did the years go? I bought a boat with the help of a bank. At that time I wasn’t making a lot of money. I was a school teacher with a sick kid. But the bank gave me the loan anyway. During the winter months I defaulted on the loan and the bank called and wanted me to sail the boat to a town near them so they could repossess it. I told them no way. It’s my job to make the payments and I didn’t do that. It’s your job to repossess it. This is not a sailing story but it is about a sailboat that I owned. Another story is about the time I had to abandon a bachelor cruise because of a death in the family. I insisted that my crew take my boat and continue. They had one great adventure and I missed the whole damn thing. And the “Sail Tales” go on and on. They are stories about the things that I remember. They are all sailboat stories. These are my stories but I know that they will start you remembering your sailboat stories, your Sail Tales.

“Sail Tales” is about the adventures a humble sailboat owner had over the years. So where does one start writing about these adventures? You start at the beginning. That beginning was in 1967 when I was helping a friend of mine, Frank, re-build an old wooden boat that he had bought. Frank took the whole boat apart and then rebuilt it from the frames up. It was a sleek little craft and I found myself involved in his project. Frank found a similar craft and with his promise of help, I bought it. I spent the whole winter and most of the spring doing the things that had to be done to the boat to get it ready for the summer of 69. I knew nothing about about sailing. But how hard could it be to learn? I soon found out.My sailing adventures started that summer. I learned quickly that unlike a power boat, a sailboat is not a craft that you get aboard, turn a key and then drive it like a car. You have to sail the boat. You have to do what the wind lets you do. You can’t go directly where you want to go because the wind won’t allow it. You have to finesse, you have be diplomatic, you have to learn to tweak a sail rather than over trim. Well, I learned to get that sailboat from point to point. I also learned that time on a sailboat is not the same as time on land and I learned this on my very first trip on my first sailboat. That three hour trip ended up taking thirteen hours. Read about it. The time of a sailboat trip can not be predicted. If you need to get to a certain place at a certain time take a bus not a sailboat. An afternoon trip has more than once become a late nighter. “ Leave your watches ashore.” That’s what I tell everyone before they step foot aboard. I don’t know what time we’ll be back but I’m certain that we will be back. My very first sailboat trip was not a late nighter but rather an early morning return.Speaking of time, How long does it take you to hang a calender on your wall? You get a stick pin and put it through a hole in the calender and stick the pin in the cork board. Thirty seconds? It took me the better part of three hours to hang a calender on the boat. First I had to get the tape from the old calender off the wall. For this project I had to find the razor blade scrapper. Then I had to run to the hardware store to get new blades for it. The scrapper got the top layer of the tape off the wall but the sticky part of the tape just rolled up into little balls. I had to go back to the hardware store for some solvent to get the sticky balls off the wall. Then and only then was I able to re-tape the new calender to the wall. I have since put the scrapper in it’s place so I can find it next time. I hope I remember that place. Imagine what a project it is to install a new pedestal steering system or an new diesel engine. Imagine the time it takes to make an old boat a safe craft, a boat ready to sail, and the keyword is safe. It took me the better part of four years to make my Morgan 38 the boat I wanted it to be. And notice I’m not saying anything about the cost. That’s another story. And these are some of the stories I tell. This is the third boat I have redone. But it is the last boat that I will redo. I’m getting too old for this rebuilding stuff. Parts of “Sail Tales” tells about projects such as what I have just described. But the majority of the stories are about sailing trips where something happens. If you are a sailor or if you own a sailboat, sit back and try to remember trips that were dull and boring. They don’t pop into your mind. But what does pop are the adventures, the thrill of the wind that is blowing just a bit harder than you would like. You remember the trips where the rail is in the water for most of the day and how you were able to keep the boat under control. You remember the trips where there was no wind and the day became a motor day. You remember entering an anchorage and finding someone there from your marina or someone there from two years ago that you met at a different anchorage. These are the tales you tell your friends, these are the tales you remember and these are the tales I tell.Where did you find the name for your boat. A name has to have some meaning and it has to be a name that does not demean the boat in any way. I found the name Felicity for my Morgan 30 from a poem by Emily Dickinson. I found the name Evening Star for my Morgan 38 at a store that sold pizza cutters. Both names were perfect. I say I found these names but in reality they found me. When naming a boat you have to have patience. Wait and the proper name, the only name, the magical name, will find you.My son Matthew grew up on my sailboats. He was born then he toddling around and falling and all of a sudden he’s sixteen years old, sitting at the kitchen table during dinner asking if he can take the boat out by him self. What do you say? How do you answer? Where did the years go? I bought a boat with the help of a bank. At that time I wasn’t making a lot of money. I was a school teacher with a sick kid. But the bank gave me the loan anyway. During the winter months I defaulted on the loan and the bank called and wanted me to sail the boat to a town near them so they could repossess it. I told them no way. It’s my job to make the payments and I didn’t do that. It’s your job to repossess it. This is not a sailing story but it is about a sailboat that I owned. Another story is about the time I had to abandon a bachelor cruise because of a death in the family. I insisted that my crew take my boat and continue. They had one great adventure and I missed the whole damn thing. And the “Sail Tales” go on and on. They are stories about the things that I remember. They are all sailboat stories. These are my stories but I know that they will start you remembering your sailboat stories, your Sail Tales.

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