A Sea Vagabond's World: Boats and Sails Distant Shores Islands and Lagoons

Superb book , lovely writing and a lot of useful information

first class

Good book.

The tips on how to maintain a boat were not so relevant to a landlubber like me, but there were fascinating tales about the whole lifestyle here and there that made it worth the while. For example, who to live on an atoll (tip: bring compost).

Read the foreword and you realise that Moitessier died before this was even written, never mind published. Collected from his notes and writings this lacks coherence and thus any stature. Go and buy Moitessier's 'sailing to the reefs' instead (or as well) and you'll feel better. Maybe I'm just the wrong market for this one.

Moitessier's previous books were all magical, a man doing what he wanted to do for himself. This book is different it is very much a 'How To' manual. While it is all fascinating information a great deal of it is probably only actually relevant if you sail a wooden or steel boat and do all of your own maintenance. If you sail a GRP boat, as most of us do these days and get the yard to do all the hard bits of maintenance (that you feel you do not have the skills for), then it is a much less useful read. For the serious sailor you have to read it becuase it is Moitessier and for the section on ground tackle.

This is not so much a story but a compendium of his experiences with boats and travel on them. Slow reading but a must read if you think there is more to learn.

A maritime encyclopaedia in paperback!! This book covers most everything he learnt and perfected. My hero!!

To be read by everyone going to sea-he relates his experiences in easy to understand prose and he really is a professor of yachting crossing the world's great oceans!!

I'm an unashamed Moitessier fan. Buy this book if you're a sailor, a dreamer, or a Francophile. "The Long Way" is his best, in my view, but this one will round out your collection.

an amazing guide to those who want to learn more about this lifestyle, Bernard brings a very intimate point of view of the ocean, very useful too