Swan: The Second Voyage

by Jim Moore

Release Date: August, 1998

Edition: Paperback

Price:

More Info

A great read for anyone interested in bluewater sailing!

I found this gem by accident on the shelf of a secondhand store, along with several other books on the subject of cruising (which I also bought). This was by far, the best written of the bunch! They say the key to being a good author, is finding your "voice" on the written page, and Jim Moore has certainly done this. Jim has a narrative style that is entertaining as well as informative. He seemlessly blends together the tale of an adventure and lifestyle story that is full of amusing anecdotes, along with truely useful information about sailing, navigating, and living on a sailing vessel. I also appreciated Jim's ability to maintain continuity throughout the book (something not common in the others I've read). Read it the first time for the shear enjoyment. Read it the second time using a highlighter (if you ever plan to go cruising)!

Entertaining and educational

I'm sorry to say, I haven't read Moore's first book, but I can certainly recommend this one (after reading it twice). Moore has a down to earth writing style and is a real thinking sailor. By that, I mean that he has come up with a lot of good solutions to sailing problems, and he shares them in this book.

Besides a running narrative of his experiences, some of which have little to do with cruising, he shares what he has learned about seamanship and life on a boat. He demonstrates how to make a boat leakproof, how to anchor properly, and how to avoid a knockdown while you're sleeping. He throws in a few fishing tips as well, including one that involves vodka (a surprisingly useful tidbit).

In comparing this to a similar book, Lin Pardey's "Cruising in Serrafyn", I'd have to srongly favor Moore. Pardey wrote intirely too much about personal relationships and not enough about sailing.

I've read some pretty negative reviews about Moore's first book, but, IMHO, this one is worth the read.