Sailing a Serious Ocean

Sailboats, Storms, Stories and Lessons Learned from 30 Years at Sea

By: John Kretschmer

Narrated by: Sean Runnette

Length: 10 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's Summary

After sailing 300,000 miles and weathering dozens of storms in all the world's oceans, John Kretschmer has plenty of stories and advice to share. John's offshore training passages sell out a year in advance, and his entertaining presentations are popular at boat shows and yacht clubs all over the English-speaking world. John's talent for storytelling enchants his audience as it soaks up the lessons he learned during his often challenging voyages. Now you can take a seat next to John - at a lesser cost - and get the knowledge you need to fulfill your own dream of blue-water adventure.  

In Sailing a Serious Ocean, John tells you what to expect when sailing the oceans and shows how to sail safely across them. His tales of storm encounters and other examples of extreme seamanship will help you prepare for your journey and give you confidence to handle any situation - even heavy weather. Through his personal stories, John will guide you through the whole process of choosing the right boat, outfitting with the right gear, planning your route, navigating the ocean, and understanding the nuances of life at sea.  

Our oceans are beautiful yet unpredictable - water that is at one moment a natural mirror for the glowing sun can turn into a foamy, raging wall of fury. John knows our oceans, and he is one of the best teachers of taming and enjoying them. Before you set off across the big blue, turn to John for his inspirational stories and hard-learned advice and discover the serious sailor in you.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2014 John Kretschmer (P)2019 Tantor

Fantastic book on ocean sailing

Loved listening to it while I'm working renovating my own sailboat. I'm relatively new to sailing, and this book made me dream of open oceans. Have dream to circumnavigate the globe some day, and this book have vital information and thougts on how to meet those challanges ahead on a serious ocean. Liked the narrators voice, calm and clear. Kretschmer possesses a ton of information. I also liked the chapter for suggested literature on open ocean sailing. Thank's for sharing your wisdom Kretschmer. I wished Kretschmer could discuss more about pros and cons between long keel boats and modern fin keel boats. Maybe a topic for a book in the future?

Absolutely brilliant!

Absolutely one of the best audio books I've ever heard. I can't decide if the book was more entertaining or informative. I learned so much.. And I was glued to my Bluetooth.. Hanging on every word spoken.

A modern classic

As the fame is this book continues to spread, it will be read for generations to come. An excellent writer, storyteller, and educator, John Kretschmer will be remembered and spoken of long after the storm of his captaining has passed.

Great book, practical advise

Great book that gives practical advise for those who yearn to get their own boat and sail over the horizon. A few minor mispronunciation by the reader.

Delicious Arm Chair Adventures

Wonderful story telling...and filled with wisdom.
As an old sailor who has now washed up on the shore, this book lifted me up and rekindled dreams of adventures past. I couldn’t ask for more.

best sailing book I've listened to so far 😊

I've heard 10 books or so on audible about sailing and this one is the best!

Eh, not-for-me

I certainly have less experience and stories to tell than Mr. Kretschmer, and my rating in no-way reflects adequately his capabilities at sea. While there are moments of great story telling here, there are also chapters where this felt like an itemized to-do list from planning yet another of his passages; like I was listening to a repair manual (no, I did not download all of the recommended materials first). Almost like a textbook someone reads aloud, where you can't see the arrows and references.

If your goal is to make a list of requirements for your own crossing, then this might just be the book for you; apologetically, it just wasn't for me.

great listen

Alot of great story's and alot of useful information. Makes me want to drag up and sell everything to buy a sailboat for my self.

So very insightful

This is the sailors sailing book.

Kretschmer uses sailing terms throughout the book so I had to look up a few things; however, that took nothing away from this book. Very early on, you will learn about the “other” type of sailing, the one that doesn’t involve boat shoes, cocktail dresses and hors d’oeuvres. This book is about sailing as a means to get from one continent to another.

John fills his book with so much useful information and doesn’t sugarcoat the harshness of passage sailing, it was a gripping and eye opening listen.

I’ll be purchasing the actual book to use as a reference guide.

Fantastic

Absolutely one of the best books I’ve ever read! A treat of humor and literary references that brighten a very serious subject. As well as a couple stories that stabbed a father, husband and a man who yearns for the sea directly in the heart.

Great book but poor orator

Unfortunately I found the orator difficult to listen to as he sounds like he has false teeth.

Made me want to goto Sea

I am a dingy instructor but never considered going into the big blue. Listing to this made me really want to take that step.

Useful advice and engaging stories.

very informative.

it was more informative than story, lots of detail on best boats in the authors opinion. Dealing with storms and rigging.

masterpiece

amazing book with an excellent narrator. will.ne loved by sailors and land lubbers alike. highly recommended

** Brilliant **

Wonderful storytelling accompanied by a fantastic narrator. Kretschmer is a master mariner and relays his stories, reflections and practical insights with a gentle humility and moments of laugh out loud humour. Highly recommended, you won't be disappointed.

well thats put me off sailing!

im sure there's some useful information for someone who is already an experienced sailor but I've decided ocean sailing isn't for me. Broken boats bones and lost lives made this thoroughly depressing for me.

adventure, freedom, danger and inspiration

I admit I have now been bitten by the sailing bug. it came on over lockdown and now my husband and I are planning to save and buy a boat. I thought a book in dangerous sailing may deter me, but no, I want to go even more. Wonderful, educational, told with humour, passion and humility. at the end the novel talks about the various ocean deities...it forgot one......John Kretshmer.

Compulsive listening

As a long time blue water sailor I found this book instructive, interesting one of the most enjoyable sailing books I have read or listened to.

A Seriously great book.

The perfect balance of keeping the readers full attention with a mix of learning and fantastic recalls of many passages.
I wanted this book to go on and on brilliant thank you John.

makes you ling for a long salty kiss

informative & funny with a superb voice of authority and kindness from the authors experience and words too the narrator's smooth tones and delivery... how can someone make being in a storm tossed boat sound like something I need to do?