Kathryn Lasky, a midwesterner descended from a long line of recently arrived Russian Jews, married Christopher Knight, a sailor descended from a long line of Grand Banks fishermen and Nantucket whaling captains. Neither fully understood what they were getting into.
As a wedding present they were given a thirty-foot ketch, and as they began their honeymoon on Leucothea, Kathryn had a lovely vision of island hopping in Penobscot Bay, Maine. Chris, however, was a voyager, and what began as an idyllic honeymoon extended into an Atlantic crossing, three years of sailing in Europe, and a long voyage home. Ten years and one child later, the voyage was finished, the Atlantic circle completed. And the marriage was still going.
Of all the accounts of blue water sail boat cruising, this stands apart. Kathryn did not become a "salt." She remains baffled about a bowline and a mortal enemy of the gimbaled alcohol stove - Her account is a wonderful breath of fresh air; a welcome sound of laughter, and a frank look at life afloat. It is also the story of a marriage, of self-discovery, and of understanding of what a voyage truly means. She says it is unromantic, and yet it is romantic in its look at sailing and what it meant to two very different people and their marriage.
A Dolphin Book of the Month Club Selection
