We Ran Away to Sea: A Memoir and Letters

by George Kent Kedl, Pamela Thompson Kedl

Would you give up your comfortable life and worldly goods to sail into the unknown?

Pam and Kent sell everything, give up their jobs, take their two children, and embark on what they hope will be a new life of adventure and discovery, What could possibly go wrong? They've read books. With no experience of the sea or sailing, these inexperienced mid-westerners cross the Atlantic Ocean in a small sailboat using only celestial navigation in the days before GPS. Miraculously, they arrive safely in the Caribbean, but their troubles are far from over.

Kent's goal is to traverse the Panama Canal and explore the vast Pacific, but Pam harbors deep-seated fears, and fourteen-year-old Jake craves the familiarity of friends and home. Despite memorable family adventures, the family gives up after a year. But this is not the end of the dream.

Once the children are grown Pam and Kent again sell their home and possessions, this time venturing through the Great Lakes and the Bahamas to the Caribbean. For over six years they travel to offbeat destinations, making daring overland journeys through Central America, Venezuela, and Colombia—a country then known as one of the world's most dangerous. Confronted with equipment failures, storms, illness, financial worries, and family complications, Kent still wants to cross Panama and sail the Pacific. Pam has doubts. Can he win her over?

Their gripping story told in two voices (his and hers) will hold your attention to the very end.

377 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2023

Reviews

[Cornelia Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not just a book about sailing, or about traveling to exotic locations, although both are covered in this intriguing book. It is really about relationships, ups and downs, good and bad, while sailing to those exotic locations. The first page was so touching that it made me cry. All in all, a very enjoyable read.

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: We Ran Away to Sea: A Memoir and Letters
Author: George Kent Kedl, Pamela Thompson Kedl

Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers:
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Writing Style: 7/10
Content: 7/10
Cover: 3/5
Of the 15 readers:
11 would read another book by this author.
10 thought the cover was good or excellent.
14 felt it was easy to follow.
11 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 8 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘subject knowledge’.
Of all the readers, 4 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
Of all the readers, 3 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘clarity of message’.
13 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
11 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.

Readers’ Comments
“Enjoyed this ‘travel’ book very much. The authors, in a mix of prose and letters, describe the many parts of the world they visit. They also highlight how difficult it is. I must say, they were very brave to just – go for it! Fun for sofa travellers who don’t want to take the risks but want to share in the adventure. That’d be me then.” Male reader, aged 54
“With it’s underlying ‘environmental’ message, this is a satisfying read exploring the world with these two educated explorers. I did feel a few of the lands they went to were only skimmed over in terms of culture but, hey, that would be a very long book. Accessibly written, interesting, and highly original.” Female reader, aged 39
“Nobody can accuse the writers of having a boring life! Very enjoyable. I have been to Trinidad myself; fun to revisit.” Female reader, aged 68
“Being a professor myself, I understand why they decided to up sticks and travel the world. Simply written, offering readers an insight into life on a small boat in a very big sea! What a wonderful adventure they all had!” Male reader, aged 59

To Sum It Up:
‘A compelling insight into a family’s life on a boat as they travel all over the world. A RED RIBBON WINNER and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Henning Tegner · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an interesting read, at times enjoyable, at times infuriating, but always interesting.

The part that was interesting to me was the insight you get of what it's really like to live on a sailboat. There is a cost to every lifestyle choice and it's easy to romanticise it and believe it's all low-cost, low-rent, fancy free living filled with cocktails and sunsets.

The infuriating bit was the single-mindedness with which the husband let his midlife crisis complete upend everyone's life. He came up with many good reasons for why this new lifestyle would be good for everyone, but only as an afterthought and there did not seem to be any plan as to what to do when the money ran out.

It hit a bit of a nerve with me, because I know what it's like to live with someone task-oriented like that. They love a project and once they're into it it's like a game/challenge they have to win/complete and they become completely blinkered and they must make progress regardless of other people's feelings, priorities or laws.

If you like travelogues then you will find things to enjoy about this book. It's much more about sailing and travelling to certain destinations than it is about people though. I come away feeling like I don't really know Kent and Pam as people very well after reading it.

Pam's passing also barely receives a mention. It's handled very matter-of-factly. She became very ill and then she died. And then Kent met another partner. I thought for having been a life-long partner standing by her man through most of her life, I thought Pam deserved more than that.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book gives a very realistic picture of what it means to uproot one's life (and family) to try something completely new, all the while learning along the way. The balance is skillfully handled between the retrospective narrative and the contemporary letters written during the actual times of traveling and living on the boat.

The two points of view provide a refreshing back-and-forth that creates a multi-dimensional picture of the interpersonal relationships and how they affected, and were affected by, the travels. These aspects carry the book beyond a simple travelogue or adventure tale and convey the human and technical complexities of the experience.

The mechanical and technical descriptions give a clear picture of the many challenges and unforeseen situations that result from such a project. The incomprehensibility (to the reader) of some details underlines the difficulties that the authors faced in preparing and traveling on the boat(s).

[Nancy Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was incredible to me what this couple gave up for an adventure on the sea especially when they had no experience sailing. As I read this story, I found it all the more incredible that they continued on with this adventure as they dealt with sickness, mechanical problems, bad weather, missing their sons, and so much more. It was more Kent's dream of this couple then Pam's yet it was her letters that made up the bulk of this story. It was sometime difficult to read through the mechanical issues but nevertheless this adventure story is one I would recommend.

[Amy Timm · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to this book for a book club. It's not my style and I wouldn't have chosen it based on the description.

This story is about learning to own a boat and leaving your lifestyle to go do that. As you can imagine, they were inexperienced and ran into problems. Nothing grand to learn or share - just life and decisions made

[Mary Kamrath · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very interesting account of a family's years at sea and the joy and travails of their journey. I especially liked that the husband and wife both spoke in different fonts so the reader could easily decide who of the two voices was writing.