Imperfect Passage

A Sailing Story of Vision, Terror, and Redemption

By: Michael Cosgrove

Narrated by: Peter Powlus

Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

Michael Cosgrove had a beautiful family, a successful career, and a lovely Southern California home overlooking the Pacific Ocean. At the age sixty, he decided to leave that all behind to sail around the world. In spite of his romanticized vision of rugged individualism and salty tales to share with his grandchildren, Cosgrove quickly realizes that sailing around the world isn’t going to be as easy as he’d imagined. From a psychotic crewmate, sleep deprivation, and mental breakdowns, to stormy weather and hallucinations, Cosgrove rides the waves, holding on as best he can to his dream of “doing something grand.” Alone, and thousands of miles away from everyone and everything he loves, he is forced to ask himself one question: What in God’s name am I doing here?

In his attempt to avoid the inevitable (growing old, weak, frail), Cosgrove runs amok. He breaks his budget to outfit the boat and then refuses to read the manuals. He enters unfamiliar harbors in the dead of night, hires a violent first mate, and sails headlong into ferocious storms. In the midst of his adventures, he longs for the simpler days when his four daughters were still children, when his first marriage was still intact, and when his future still seemed bright and expansive. Though driven by scenes of sheer terror, absurd folly, and deep inner searching, Cosgrove keeps his sense of humor throughout his harrowing journey.

Imperfect Passage is the story of one man’s perseverance against Father Time and Mother Nature, proving that with enough will, one can, in his or her own way, conquer the unconquerable.

©2012 Michael Cosgrove (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Great story, but author is a whiner.

The author has some great stories, but you’d think he only had bad experiences and that’s he’s a whiner. If his attitude in real time was like he wrote, no wonder his time was horrible. If you can put up with his whining, it’s an okay book.

Conquering the Seas

This book is about a man who has a crisis and decides to sail. I did not like how this was just a thing to accomplish for him. He often would say things like conquering the storm or achieving the tough passage. I definitely would not want to be this guy’s friend. He is arrogant and always right. He even talks about hitting a right of way boat and then says that the other boat set him up. That is a convenient excuse for being negligent and then running away from his responsibility.

He does have an interesting story to tell. His descriptions of the sailing experience and some of the tough parts were well written. He has some epiphanies that are worth hearing about.

His story was inconsistent at times and barely believable. Read this book with caution. This is not about someone who loves and appreciates the sea. He is not very knowledgeable about sailing. It is a sixty year old man who decides to sail away and considers any accomplishment as conquering something. The book focuses more on his thoughts than the sailing I was hoping to read about.

Good read, well worth the time

The ending leaves a bad taste in my mouth but I understand why it was done.

Tough to go into it further without spoiling the
Read though.

Excellent book

Narrator is good, story line is great. Humor, adventure, and danger throughout. A sensational tale that will leave you wondering what will happen next.

sail0R

As a hopeful beginner cruiser, I enjoyed the story, the character, the sailing adventure and the narrator.

So-So Sail Tale

One man's experience with the yachting fantasy come true.
A middling story fairly well told but not a modern trans-oceanic swashbuckler.
It made my return list unfortunately.
Narrator did fair reading.

gets better and better

It is a lesson in life for every man with the realization of getting older.

A Coastal Sailor's Prospective

I can empathize with Cosgrove as a coastal sailor in Hawaii. Enjoyed the accurate descriptions of the places he visited. I don't think you could dream up the adventure he had - and the "End Game". A very good good read for yachties.

Well done

I really enjoyed both the story and the narration. I love sailing and this book did a fine job explaining some of the details relating to sailing and the emotion associated with crossings and being alone.

Interesting for a sailor

Would you try another book from Michael Cosgrove and/or Peter Powlus?

Perhaps if it was sailing. Not the best writer.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Is factual.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Not the best.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes because I like true sailing stories

Any additional comments?

Worth reading as a sailor.