Rating: 
Summary: A spiritual journey
Review: I am an old maid schoolteacher/artist/printmaker/watercolorist/dollmaker and now a wannabe children's author. I sold some stories to a Dublin publisher and in order to fulfill their expectations began to read all I could about Ireland when I came upon Chris Duff's book. Now, I hated Moby Dick, and refuse to read Ahab's Wife, but I picked this up and got captured. What was most important to me was not so much the sea journey but the spirtual journey of the writer. I was moved when he was moved. I have felt his hunger for God and reached out as he reached out. His vivid descriptions of the places he visited stay with me still. I long for the life of acceptance that he felt among the Irish people. I checked the book out of the library but will buy it so I can read it over and over and refresh my soul by sharing in Chris' journey. I long for such a journey. There is no way I could combat the forces of nature as Mr. Duff did, but by reading the book I can share in his adventure.
Rating:
Summary: a true gem
Review: I read every kayak book I could find during a winter away from my boat. This was one of the very best books I've ever read. Another reviewer said there's too much 'head stuff' and 'sappy' but I must disagree.
Chris immersed himself in this trip so he could fully appreciate it. He didn't just do the movie scene where Chevy Chase looks at the Grand Canyon & says "Nice, can we go?" Chris took extra time to imagine what history had happened on each spot he found. He quickly became friends with people there and allowed them to enrich his experience. He took none of the panoramic landscape for granted. He was not a window-shopper by any means, but a participant throughout his whole being. He made an effort to touch and be touched by everything in his path.
I've recommended this book to kayakers as well as people with an interest in Ireland. It's also great for anyone who wants a lesson in how to live without letting life pass you by.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice Birthday Read
Review: I received this book as a birthday gift. Being a fellow kayaker and having done a solo boat trip down a river myself I enjoyed Chris Duff's descriptions of the wild parts of Ireland. I enjoyed hearing about the people and lands he discovered on his journey. His somewhat overemphasized spiritual reliefs when he met up with his monk friends felt a bit saccharine as I read it and I begin to avoid the paragraphs where he wrote about still more water and wave movement but otherwise I quite envy Chris his solitary adventure. I wish him luck down under on his next circunavigation (if he hasn't already completed that one!).
Rating:
Summary: Farewell
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed On Celtic Tides and was drawn to it first for my love and admiration of the Irish people, second, for the beauty of their country, lastly for my passion for the sea. Mr. Duff quotes Lord Byron's meaning of the word "farewell", sharing a reluctance of parting, but the inevitability of the an ending. I too savored the journey, was reluctant to end it, but thank the author for sharing a fabulously exhilarating journey most of us will only experience second-hand.
Rating:
Summary: Farewell
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed On Celtic Tides and was drawn to it first for my love and admiration of the Irish people, second, for the beauty of their country, lastly for my passion for the sea. Mr. Duff quotes Lord Byron's meaning of the word "farewell", sharing a reluctance of parting, but the inevitability of the an ending. I too savored the journey, was reluctant to end it, but thank the author for sharing a fabulously exhilarating journey most of us will only experience second-hand.
Rating:
Summary: Marriage of a Kayakers Mind and the Ocean
Review: In July of 2000 at a kayak skills course in Peekskill, NY I had lunch with Chris Duff and he told me and two others of his latest adventure, his sole navigation of the South Island of New Zealand by sea kayak. I came away impressed by the man and his daring. His book On Celtic Tides was being sold by his sponser at the course, I bought it. I am a paddler and have paddled the ocean in my sea kayak, but to have Duff write in the mind of a paddler as he battles the seas around Ireland was awe inspiring. If you paddle and want to know what a paddler thinks and feels as he reacts to the six footers as they roll in on him in mind and body is joyful. He is also a teacher of the skils and mind set needed for those who venture out in the wilderness of the ocean. I was sorry his journey ended as I braced with him as each roller came in. One suggestion to those who read the book is to have a photocopy of the map of Ireland as you read. Duff's journey becomes more alive as you follow his progress around Ireland. A great read for a paddler and for those who want to set forth and read about the daring.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a kayaker
Review: Let me rpeface this review by stating that I am not a kayaker. I received this book more on the subject of the trip (Ireland) than the actual means of the trip.
I found some of the portions of this book to be very interesting. Especially, Duff's encounters with the open ocean and the weather condtions. I did not find all of Duff's thoughts on the people he met to be of much interest.
Duff's detailed descriptions of the trip, the climate, the terrain, and coastline were excellant. However, when Duff tries to wax poetically about his personal thought and opinions he loses me. Perhaps the fact that I am not a kayaker has something to due with my review. Unfortunately, it wasn't the details of being on the water that formed my opinion.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a good read
Review: One sappy paragraph after another. Pick up one chapter and interchange it with any other. The book is fine where Duff sticks to the facts of his journey, but his musings are more useful as an emetic than good reading.
Rating:
Summary: A failed attempt
Review: Reading other reviews of this book I seem to be the only one not to enjoy it. I found the constant "spiritual" comments too much to take. I have been out there in a kayak, nothing comparable to this trip ofcourse. Problem is that there doesn't seem to be a good way to describe the experience. Trying to may be admirable, but I found the book pretty boring and in fact stopped reading it half way. If you want to know about kayaks get into one. If you want to read about travel and meeting people try example Blue Highways (William Least Heat Moon, was it?), but then again, you probably already have....
Rating:
Summary: Thrilling and beautiful!
Review: The author is a fantastic writer and I recommend this book to anyone who likes true adventure. I really enjoyed it!
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