THE GENTLEMEN'S GUIDE TO PASSAGES SOUTH

by Bruce Van Sant

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320 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1995

About the author

Orphaned by World War II, Van Sant worked his way through childhood at dozens of crazy jobs. He learned to sail early by borrowing sailing skiffs from beach lifeguards. After university he got a job and a sailboat with a plan that, when the sailboats got big enough, he'd get out of the rat race and go sailing to simpler places for a simpler life.
He spent four decades of cruising, working, writing and speaking in countries of Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, picking up six languages along the way, four of which he used well enough to make a living on local economies. By 1979 he had settled into cruising the myriad islands between Florida and South America.
Having long ago "copped out" or "gone Galt", Van Sant no longer copes as a tiny cog in the big machines of the so-called developed countries. He got used to living freely, without every step insured or hobbled by cat's cradles of regulations, government programs, monthly bills and nettling bosses. He lives without ever-present signs of "NO smoking", "NO fishinig", "No swimming, loitering, littering, entry, passing, parking in the park — NO!".
The younger, freer America where he grew up haunts visits home, where he finds himself longing to escape to the America of his youth. He always did the next best thing and sailed away again. If you want to escape, he can tell you how. You can read some of his and others' adventures in world cruising in Margarita Cat.
Van Sant has, alas, sold his last boat and lives ashore with his wife Rosa in their home, Kembali ke Tanah, high over the sea in the Dominican Republic.

Reviews

[Jenny S · Rating 5 out of 5]

The very best guide and tips for sailing and motorsailing to windward. It really is recommended reading and we found it essential to have this guide on our journey south to the Caribbean from the US. It made our trip so much better knowing how to navigate the coasts of the DR and PR, when to go, what to do, what not to do etc. For us it was easier to skim at first then read each relevant section in detail prior to handling that part of the journey as it makes more sense and is easier to relate when you're almost there. A little difficult to read at first but when you get to the areas discussed, it becomes a lot more understandable.

[Ethan J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some useful information but much of this book is now outdated.

[Sandy T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative for boaters cruising. Well written and researched and easy to use. It came highly recommended and it did not disappoint.

[Sculptor For Fun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, written with arrogance and condescending lecturing. The author's style diluted his message for me. As a sailor, I wanted to like this book but found it hard to get past the style. That said, there is still a lot of good information to glean from reading it.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I was looking for!

[Lucy]

Long winded, helpful, even though we were going the other way.