Tiller and the Pen: A Collection of Sailors' Stories Review

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(More customer reviews)Tiller and the Pen, edited by John Ellsworth, is a wonderful collection of sea stories that transported me to sea onto the pitching deck of a sailboat. While reading the stories I could smell the salt air and feel the sea spray on my face.
Following are my favorite stories:
"Three Men and a Boat" by Elton Churchill promised to be a traditional sailing tale, from the first look at the beautiful illustration and the sleek lines of a classic wooden yawl.
Then the opening sentence grabbed my attention: "The smell of oak in the last of the winter fires is intoxicating; like an aphrodisiac it arouses deeper memories of summer."
What a fantastic story of three generations and the family tradition of owning, maintaining, sailing and racing a classic yacht.
"A Daughter of the Tradewind" by Richard Morris Dey described the illusive beauty and free spirit of an island girl who sailed a boat as an artistic endeavor. "She looked the part to live the island life, all right, and carried the silver flute like a talisman in those early days. And when she played that flute the island was hers for the asking; seemed reflected in the bays of her clear blue eyes."
"Island Hunter" by Christine Kling had me walking around the boatyard of Ventura Harbor (my home port) and gazing out across the Santa Barbara Channel at the majestic mountain peaks of the Channel Islands, long before the story mentioned the harbor as the location.
This is the story of a single captain's dream: to find a beautiful, young, woman willing to help him prepare his boat for the adventure of a life time, then to sail off on a cruise of the Pacific Islands together.
"La Corona del Diablo" by Ray Bradley takes us back to the eighteenth century and sailing aboard a Spanish treasure galleon. It is the yarn of a spell cast upon the captain of the King's treasure ship and their perilous journey. It conveys the mystical, magical power of a magnificent golden crown, rimmed with emeralds and dazzling jewels.
This collection works. All authors obviously have been there and lived the life. With colorful descriptions and dramatic moments, these stories deliver. You, too, will smell the salt and feel the spray.

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Short fiction in a sailing milieu. . . In these stories, characters undergo change amidst the drama of sailing, natural forces and human influence.Themes of tradition, romance and mystery, the lure of faraway and the quest for adventure are woven throughout.The illustrations, drawn in a wood-cut style, are evocative. Although intended for sailors, the general reader will enjoy and gain insight from many of the pieces.Among the contributors are established nautical writers Dan Spurr, Michael Badham, Richard Morris Dey and Marian Blue.Contributor profiles and a glossary are included.