Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

His adventures have been many and varied, and this book recounts them with optimism and humor, the two most important tools in any delivery skipper's bag. The result is as fascinating a sailing story as you can imagine.

Average Customer Rating:

Absolute favorite book of all time

Customer Rating:

Kretschmer earns your respect, grabs your heart and opens your soul with this book. This guy bares it all. After I read through his 'Used boat notebook' I expected this book to be filled with all the little details I needed in order to function as a liveaboard cruising sailor. It didn't. Instead I sat in the cockpit of John's boat and listened to him tell me a story about people and places, love and work. From it, I know each step I take closer to my goal (liveaboard) is the right step. I'll find the details I need, but they won't amount to the value of this book. This book is so extraordinary I am beginning to doubt that he's a better sailor than a writer! Not bad for a guy from Detroit!

Not a sailor myself, but...

Customer Rating:

I have no experience with sailing but I do have experience in traveling; this book might be set on sailboats but is in no way a technical book about sailing. I can't express how enjoyable this book was to read and found the author very expresive and full of interesting stories. He seems to be the type of person that anyone would love to have as a good friend. I found it easy to relate to his stories and found the occasional mention of specific sailboat parts, descriptions, etc. interesting and thought that they only added to the stories. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read about world travel on land or by water. It's a great read.

A truly enjoyable read!	Customer Rating:
I was surprised how much I liked this book! It is nicely told and very entertaining. It even threw in some romantic situations that I usually run from in a book. I say "Good Job" to you Mr. Kretschmer on a very fun book!

Salt Water Dreaming

Customer Rating:

Before I wrote my review, I read all the others. Be assured this is a great book for people who love being on the ocean, and can enjoy anything that is written about it. If you're flicking through the channels and stop to watch the Bounty for the 100th time or salt water fishing, this book you will love. Every Captain that has spent anytime at sea can identify with every single circumstance presented is this book. To agree with one fellow, I hated when it ended. And heck, even if it was all made up, I'd look up to him, he's better at telling "sea stories" than me!! Enjoy, it goes fast!!

Sorry to be so blunt but.....................

Customer Rating:

I bought the book hoping to learn something more about sailing. The book is an entertaining read if you like 10 stories of bad storms at sea. No real wisdom is passed on. (except maybe to stay away from sailboats) On the bright side, it is written in such a way as I did not mind reading it cover to cover and it would make good 4 hr flight reading material. Don't miss the fact that it is only 200 pages.