Rating: 
Summary: Living Large Aboard Palemon
Review: For those of us who have only played at sailing, a cruise from Connecticut to a southernmost point of Grenada aboard a 36 foot boat represents the zenith of sailing experience among us "regular sailors." But, in fact, the story shared by Mashaw and MacClintock is anything but "regular". That these two, even though sharing an educated view of the world and a love of the sea, are able to, not just endure the confines and discomfort of a small boat on the high seas or in crowded harbors, but to find the joy in them and in each other is a remarkable and revitalizing story of what life can be - and should be. The sailing story is exquisite; the life story is more than that!
Rating:
Summary: Living Large Aboard Palemon
Review: For those of us who have only played at sailing, a cruise from Connecticut to a southernmost point of Grenada aboard a 36 foot boat represents the zenith of sailing experience among us "regular sailors." But, in fact, the story shared by Mashaw and MacClintock is anything but "regular". That these two, even though sharing an educated view of the world and a love of the sea, are able to, not just endure the confines and discomfort of a small boat on the high seas or in crowded harbors, but to find the joy in them and in each other is a remarkable and revitalizing story of what life can be - and should be. The sailing story is exquisite; the life story is more than that!
Rating: 
Summary: Very little sailing...tons of social commentary
Review: I admit I am a resident of the South - Alabama to be exact. But when I purchased this book, I sincerely wanted to read a story about sailing for a year in the Bahamas. Sadly, this book is more about a spoiled couple that spends about 25% of the time telling you how scared they are about every aspect of the trip and 50% of the time criticizing the social conditions of the "South" as they travel down the ICW on the East Coast. The other 25% of the time is spent talking about random ideas with a few sentences of the sailing trip they are supposedly on. By page 70 I was tired of their liberal slant on a part of the US they claim to be "from". Message to the author, I live in Birmingham. Rosa Parks made her heroic stand against racial injustice in Montgomery. Simple facts like this seem to be trivial to the authors who are more concerned with expressing their overall disgust with a South that has seemingly not changed much since the days of slavery. Well, I certainly wouldn't say everything is perfect here, but as the authors admit, nowhere is perfect. The Southeast is one of the fastest growing regions for economical development and changes are taking place. Birmingham does boast to be the birth place for Civil Rights and we have an excellent Civil Rights museum that I have taken the time to actually visit to learn of the past injustices with the hope that I will be part of a better place for all. I resent being lectured to by the main author who evidently loves his teaching job. And if he does want to lecture this Southerner, I would expect him to take time to at least learn some of the more major details of the Civil Rights movement.
Very little sailing story. Lots of liberal opinions spewed forth as though they were facts when even his facts are wrong. If you want to read about a sailing story....buy Sailing the Dream. I am going to return my copy of this book to the author. I may even take a red pen and mark all of his errors. I would give him a grade of "F" if I were his professor.
Rating:
Summary: Seasoned by Salt
Review: I am not a cruiser nor even a sailor, but I enjoyed this book immensely. Mashaw and MacClintock engross you in their odyssey and serve up some fascinating history of the Caribbean along the way.You will live with them through the highest of highs, the lowest of lows and the moments of sheer terror.Anyone who can give life and voice to a boat and make me give a diddly-squat about how it performs gets my vote for deft writing. Get aboard Palemon for a very good read.
Rating:
Summary: Just One of Life's Adventures
Review: I enjoyed this book immensely. As I have only known Anne professionally by working with her in corporate life, it was very rewarding to gain an additional perspective about her as a person and as part of her life's team (Jerry & Anne) by reading this wonderful story. It was also very educational to learn of this couple's preparation for such an undertaking and then to read of the experience almost hour by hour as they lived it. I have to say that the passage to Bermuda and on to the BVI's was exceptional. I also enjoyed Jerry's perspective when he included the background on Caribbean history and that area's relationship to America's struggle for freedom in breaking away from England. It was refreshing to learn more about the culture of the islands by Anne & Jerry's exploration & invesigation of the current political and economic conditions of the islands and the people. The passages concerning their encounters with customs & immigration were hilarious. In many ways I was sorry that they only got to spend 10 months on this portion of life's journey in the Caribbean. Who knows maybe they will have a sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Dreams Do Come True
Review: Read this book if you have ever had a "dream voyage" that you have wanted to take! Mashaw and Maclintock show us that two professionals can do something magical other than work and make money! Sail with them from Connecticut to the Caribbean and back and you will feel like you made their dream voyage every step of the way with them. It might encourage you to finally organize that trip you have always wanted to take. If not, you will certainly enjoy being an armchair sailor.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: SEASONED BY SALT is beautifully written, fun to read, exciting, throught-provoking and well-illustrated. What more could a reader want? I have spent the last three days virtually unable to put the book down. An absolutely stunning piece of writing
Rating:
Summary: A Great Read!
Review: SEASONED BY SALT is beautifully written, fun to read, exciting, throught-provoking and well-illustrated. What more could a reader want? I have spent the last three days virtually unable to put the book down. An absolutely stunning piece of writing
Rating:
Summary: How To Do Life
Review: This book and story is not just for sailors, but for anyone who loves life and wants to live it to its fullest. What better way would there be to learn what life has to offer, and how to respond to its challenges and opportunities, than to set off in a sailboat, into strange waters (the ocean, no less), with only your spouse on board (yikes!). As the authors' adventure unfolds, you become completely engaged with them and their boat, the other cruisers they meet, their family, and the coves and ports and islands (and the bars, too) they pass through. Their yarns are laugh-out-loud, tears-down-the-cheeks, just-plain-funny. And also heart-warming, choke-you-up-with-tears, and totally-revealing-and-exposed. Along the way, you get insights into such topics as the legal profession, the history of slavery, the economics of the marine industry and the Caribbean, hurricanes and weather, family dynamics, spousal dynamics, emergency medicine, ocean and coastal navigation, marine life, and temperamental machinery. Then there is the glorious sailing and being completely one with your boat, the water and your partner. This is the Zen of ocean cruising. This is the Zen of life. You have to read this book. I will again, and soon.
Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: This is a book about a middle-aged couple who, over a ten-month period, sail from their home in Connecticut through the Caribbean islands and back. They had not spent their lives as adventurers-he is a professor at Yale, she a recently retired business executive. Mashaw and MacClintock were experienced sailors, or so they thought, before leaving their home. But as the voyage unfolds they are tested time and time again-by hurricanes, biting flies, seasickness, broken equipment, fatigue, and boredom punctuated by moments of terror. Why would anyone want to do this? By the end of the book you will appreciate why even if you would never, ever think of doing something like this yourself. Along the way the couple meets a cast of characters from other sailors to the local folks sometimes hilariously, sometimes poignantly drawn by Jerry Mashaw. He also provides interesting historical information about the areas through which they sail. Anne MacClintock lends her voice in the "Passage Notes" at the end of the chapters with her more personal slant on the goings-on. And the book has a number of her charming pen and ink illustrations. Before I read Seasoned by Salt I used to daydream about living aboard a sailboat, gently sailing from one tropical paradise to another. While this book disabused me of my notions of sailing life, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip with Jerry Mashaw and Anne MacClintock.
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