A wonderful book...

[alsantini]

I am into sailing stories and did a search on Barnes and Noble after reading a review in Sail.  The book is Light on Dark Waters by Stephan Hayes.  It is an amazing story about a sail with Vietnam flashbacks.  It is a well written and I will tell you in advance that it is not all fair winds but it is a true story and one that sailors will probably enjoy.  It is a short read - only 100 pages and only a couple of bucks. The last book that I read that was also very good was A Lone Sailor's Race Toward Home by Peter Bourke.  It was also a great book and one that I highly recommend.
Any other good sailing books out there? 

[capt_nemo]

Check out the Kydd series by Julian Stockwin if you are into historical fiction.

This series differs from others in that it starts with Kydd as a "pressed" seaman and goes on from there. Presents great insight into life aboard as an ordinary seaman during the age of Fighting Sail. You won't be disappointed.

capt_nemo

[Elk River]

     Books; oh my, where to start?

     The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers and the follow-up The Shadow In The Sands by Sam Llewellyn; Voyages of the Damn Foole by Tom McGrath (his writings appeared in Messing About In Boats); Longitude by Dava Sobel; The Magic of the Swatchways by Maurice Griffiths (shallow water sailing in the U.K. in the very early 1900's); Down Channel by Richard Turrell McMullen (similar to Swatchways, but late 1800's); The Boy, Me and the Cat by Henry Plummer; Secrets of the Viking Navigators by Leif K. Karlsen; anything by Bernard Moitessier, the Pardeys, Eric Hiscock; Alongshore by John R. Stilgoe (a lot of small boat stuff as the title suggests); Tinkerbelle by Robert Manry; The Curve Of Time by M. Wylie Blanchet (O.K., so it's a powerboat, but it is about a widow and her five children along the British Columbia coast just before the depression).   The Small Craft Advisor magazine store has a lot of interesting titles listed.  Sensible Cruising, The Thoreau Approach by Don Casey & Lew Hackler is also good.

     O.K., O.K., so I'll stop here for now.

     Enjoy,

     Elk River

[crazycarl]

my favorite tale of a small boat adventure...

The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow by A.J. Mckinnon.

larger boat voyage...

Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi.

CC

[csugg]

Anything by L. Francis Herrshoff.  My favorite might be "The Compleat Cruiser"

Charles Stock's book, "Sailing just for fun"

and, although it's a bit dated, "Single handed Cruising" by Francis B. Cooke

Ches

[MaritimeElevation]

The Boat Who Wouldn't Float and Grey Seas Under, both by Farley Mowat. These are my two favorite books of all time.

[TedW]

Hey thanks Maritime. I didn't know of Mowat's book..."Grey Seas Under". I will start looking for it tomorrow. I second your comment on Mowat. Great author. "The Boat Who Wouldn't Float" is a classic. Sad to hear we lost Farley a year or so ago.

[Bob23]

  Jack London's "Sea Wolf" and I just started "Cruise of the Snark". "Cape Horn Breed" by Capt William S. Jones (hard to find). And let's not forget "Lone Voyager" the story of Howard Blackburn by Joseph E. Garland. And this is for anyone who may not respect the sea as they should "Survive the Savage Sea" by Douglas Robertson, a true story.
  As Mr. Elk noted- sooo many books.
Bob23

[Mike]

Let's not forget Tristan Jones...much maligned recently but all books are a great read.

[kahpho]

Reading all the great suggestions here, I was reminded of a book I really enjoyed wwaaayyyy back in high school, Captains Courageous, Rudyard Kipling. I think it sent me on a lifetime of adventures.

[MaritimeElevation]

Hey thanks Maritime. I didn't know of Mowat's book..."Grey Seas Under". I will start looking for it tomorrow. I second your comment on Mowat. Great author. "The Boat Who Wouldn't Float" is a classic. Sad to hear we lost Farley a year or so ago.

Grey Sea Under is out of print so look for a used copy. It is a very impressive set of chronicles of blue water salvage tug work during the golden age.

[rbh1515]

Have read lots of good sailing books...can't remember all the titles.  Here is one I have not heard anyone talk about:
Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas, by Burnett.
Read it some years ago, and thought it was quite interesting!
Rob