Book Locker: Dorothy’s picks
Dec 22, 2022
The fine folks at the Nautical Mind have been stocking their shelves and website with one thing – boating books, charts, PORTS guides –boat topics, especially from Canadian sources, exclusively. This dedicated bookstore that has been a fixture on Toronto’s waterfront for years, remains true to its roots. Count us lucky!
Visit and you will be pleasantly surprised to find the wide variety of books about anything and everything nautical.
The Nautical Mind has helped fill CYOB’s Book Locker all year. In this edition, the shop’s guiding light, Dorothy, shares some top picks from the year gone for your winter reading fun.
The Hen Who Sailed Around the World
by Soudee, Guirec
$9.99
In this true story, Frenchman Guirec Soudee shares some of the heartwarming and amazing adventures he had sailing around the world with his brave Tenerife hen, Monique. Simply told and illustrated with beautiful photos, this is a unique and touching tale. Soudee is the author of one of our 2021 bestsellers — A Sailor, A Chicken, An Incredible Voyage — in which he tells the full story of their adventure. This new book aimed at younger readers (ages 3 to 5) delightfully puts Monique front and centre.
Never Say P*g
by MacDonald, R. Bruce
CAD $23.95
Are sailors the most superstitious folks around? You just might think so after reading this charming collection of all the things you must never do when on a boat — if you want the crew to trust you. Early in his extensive sailing career, Bruce was harshly warned off stirring his tea with a knife. And thus, was born a now long-held fascination with all the ways that various cultures and crews attempt to appease (or not annoy) the gods and keep themselves safe at sea.
His stories and tips come from mariners from Canada’s East Coast and Great Lakes as well as the Inuit and First Nations Peoples of the Pacific Northwest. This entertaining book is a great gift for anyone interested in the fascinating details of boats and boating.
Superyacht Captain
by O’Shannassy, Brendan
CAD $24.00
Part inspirational story and part leadership textbook, this is superyacht captain Brendan O’Shannassy’s salute to the privileged world that has given him an amazing livelihood, and which continues to inspire him. He begins his mid-career memoir by describing his roots: messing about in boats in a sleepy coastal Australian town. He shares details of his ambitions, training, and rise through the ranks, as well as his insights and lessons learned. Now regarded as one of the most successful and respected superyacht captains in the World, O’Shannassy remains both humble and driven.
Covering two decades of circling the globe at the helm of vessels most of us can only dream of, his book invites you into the real world of superyachts, their crews, and their owners.
In the Wake of the Gods
by Jefferson, Sam
CAD $37.95
With one eye fixed on the world of the Greek myths, this cruising companion follows the wake of Odysseus, Hercules, and Jason and the Argonauts. Along the way, the author visits and describes the sites where Poseidon lost his trident (off Paxos) and built his temple (on the Saronic Gulf), the cliff where Theseus’s father plunged to his death fearing the minotaur had killed his son, the island where Poseidon turned Odysseus’s ship into rock, and the ruins of Troy, a haunting reminder of the famous city that withstood a 10-year siege.
Sailing by Starlight
by Scher, Rod
CAD $39.95
This is the story of how an American geographer, obsessed with a wild and potentially lethal idea, managed an incredible feat: he sailed around the world without the use of any navigational instruments. That is: no sextant, no compass, and certainly no chart plotter or GPS — just as the first long-distance mariners would have done.
A retired professor, Creamer and his crew made the incredible voyage in the 35-foot cutter Globe Star, completing the immense challenge in 1984. With access to Creamer’s diaries, photos, and memorabilia, Rod Scher writes and excellent account of the 30,000 mile voyage, in which the captain took guidance from his knowledge and observations of wind, water, and waves, and the sun, moon, and stars.
Merchant Kings
by Bown, Stephen R.
CAD $28.95
Over three tumultuous centuries, a handful of powerful merchant kings with access to vast tracts of the globe built far-flung commercial monopolies to generate revenue for their shareholders, all the while also feathering their own nests and satisfying their vanity and curiosity. Their exploits during an age of unfettered globalization would change the world, making this book an exceptional mirror for the scene as we know it today.
In his excellent history, Calgary historian Stephen Bown tells the larger picture through portraits of specific men and their areas of operation: Jan Coen (Indonesia), Pieter Stuyvesant (New York), Robert Clive (India), Aleksandr Baranov (Alaska), George Simpson (Canada), and Cecil Rhodes (Africa).
The Book Locker is curated by:
Nautical Mind Bookstore
249 Queen’s Quay West, Unit 108
Toronto, ON M5J 2N5 Canada
Phone: 416-203-1163
Canada/US: 1-800-463-9951
Email: books@nauticalmind.com
Web: www.nauticalmind.com
