A few good reads for cold fall nights

bveneri@hotmail.com

These sunny, summer-like days in the fall are beckoning boaters to take that trip across the bay, to the Elizabeth Islands, Martha's Vineyard, or Nantucket. The tourists are gone, the prices are lower, and the number of boats competing for a mooring is way down. So, do it -- the ever colder nights are a reminder that summer's gone, fall is upon us, and you'll be hauling the boat out soon enough.
But, before you go -- be sure to bring the long johns. It's co-o-o-o-old out there after dark (which comes at around 6 to 6:30 p.m. now that the fall equinox has passed). And, if you do voyage overnight across the bay, and want something to do to pass the time after dark, read on.

As the cold weather approaches, you may want to think of how to pass the time in a boating frame of mind. For that, a visit to your local bookstore or library can make those days when you wish you had a second home in Florida or the Caribbean (or know someone who does) pass like nothing. Try one or more of the suggested readings below, and before you know it, it will be time to uncover your pride and joy and get the boat ready for the water next spring.
Self-described "nautically obsessed artist-father" Jeff Lindemann has come up with a list of recommended reading for a long winter's night. I've excerpted some of his choices for this week's Sea Notes and put in some of my own. You can find more by searching on "boating" at amazon.com.
1. Godforsaken Sea: The True Story of a Race through the World's Most Dangerous Waters by Derek Lundy. The Godforsaken Sea is the story of the 1996-1997 Vendee-Globe competition. Fourteen men and two women began the race in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France. Six officially finished; three were wrecked and rescued; one sailor performed emergency surgery on himself mid-race and one perished. Even a novice will emerge understanding the architecture of racing vessels, the evolution of storms, the physical and psychological courage required to survive five-and-a half months battling the ocean alone.
2. A Voyage for Madmen by Peter Nichols. In 1968 as Apollo 8 soared to the moon, there remained one major nautical challenge yet to be accomplished: sailing single-handedly nonstop around the world. Nine men set out to achieve it in one of the most widely publicized yacht races. What could possess nine otherwise sane and responsible men to risk their lives, careers, and the well-being of their families by undertaking such a reckless endeavor?
3. Fatal Storm: The Inside Story of the Tragic Sydney-Hobart Race by Rob Mundle. On Boxing Day 1998, the 115 boats jockeying at the starting line off Sydney's Nielsen Park Beach for the annual race from Sydney, Australia, to Hobart, Tasmania, had been warned that low-pressure weather systems were conspiring to guarantee a wild and chancy race. Few sailors anticipated the ferocity of the storm that descended around two o'clock the next morning. The race quickly devolved into the worst sailing disaster in recent memory.
4. Fastnet, Force 10: The Deadliest Storm in the History of Modern Sailing, New Edition by John Rousmaniere. In August 1979, 303 yachts began the 600-mile Fastnet Race from the Isle of Wight off the southwest coast of England to Fastnet Rock off the Irish coast and back. It began in fine weather, then suddenly became a terrifying ordeal. By the time the race was over, 15 people perished, 24 crews abandoned ship, five yachts sank, 136 sailors were rescued, and only 85 boats completed the race.
5. The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst by Nicholas Tomalin, Ron Hall, and Robin Knox-Johnston. Donald Crowhurst left England on October 31, 1968 to participate in an around-the-world, nonstop, solo sailing race. He was the next to last competitor to leave, just before the deadline. He sailed at a disappointingly slow speed for a while and then reported a few amazingly fast days. On July 10, 1969, his boat was found drifting in the Atlantic, with no sign of Crowhurst on board.
6. In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors by Doug Stanton. Stanton offers a well-researched chronicle of what is widely regarded as the worst naval disaster in U.S. history, rendering vividly the combatants' hellish ordeal during the sinking, and the ensuing days at sea as well as attempts to cope with the traumatic aftermath. Stanton documents the facts of the case, embellishing his story with lurid details gleaned from interviews with survivors.
7. Sea Change: Alone Across the Atlantic in a Wooden Boat by Peter Nichols.
Nichols, who has spent years sailing small boats but who is far from a wealthy yachtsman, lovingly restored his 27-foot boat, Toad, with his former wife. At sea, he reflects upon his busted marriage and upon the odd turns his life has taken. This book is very well written, and as Nichols slowly realizes that Toad has a flaw below the waterline making her less than seaworthy, it turns into a poignant battle for survival on the open ocean.
8. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick. If you still haven't read this tragic tale of a sperm whale's attack on a the whaleship Essex out of Nantucket (it is said this story inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick), then by all means, pick it up this winter. In this tale, you'll find derring-do, cannibalism, and rescue, learn about the importance and mechanics of blubber production, and the nuts and bolts of harpooning and life aboard whalers.
9. Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebe. An 18 year-old dropout and barfly, Tania Aebe was going nowhere until her father offered her a challenge. She could go to college or sail around the world alone in a 26-foot sloop. She chose the boat and for two years it was her home, as she negotiated weather, illness, fear and a spiritual quest that brought her home to herself.
10. The Hungry Ocean: A Swordboat Captain's Journey by Linda Greenlaw. The term fisherwoman does not exactly roll trippingly off the tongue, and Linda Greenlaw, the world's only female swordfish boat captain, isn't flattered when people insist on calling her one. "I am a woman. I am a fisherman ... I am not a fisherwoman, fisherlady, or fishergirl. If anything else, I am a 37-year-old tomboy. It's a word I have never outgrown." The Hungry Ocean is Greenlaw's account of a month-long swordfishing trip over 1,000 nautical miles out to sea, tells the story of what happens when things go right. There is the weather, the constant danger of mechanical failure, the perils of controlling five sleep-, women-, and booze-deprived young fishermen in close quarters, not to mention the threat of a bad fishing run: "If we don't catch fish, we don't get paid, period. In short, there is no labor union."
Barbara Veneri sails a 28 ft. Soverel yawl in Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound. To reach her, send e-mail to: bveneri@hotmail.com, fax (508) 997-7491, or call the Standard-Times Sports Dept. at: 508-979-4460.