I thought this book would be a light, fun read about a couple's adventures as they spent almost a year leaving "the real world" behind and sailing through the Caribbean. It was a wonderful book but not always light--Jerry Mashaw loves history and I soon found myself caught up in slavery, revolution, buccaneering, privateering, wars and colonizing. The West Indies changed hands so many times over the centuries between the French, English and Dutch, it almost requires a scorecard. "Seasoned by Salt" alternates back and forth between Jerry & Anne's personal experiences (they have never sailed in open ocean before and faced several harrowing multi-day passages), their dream anchorages in turquoise waters and balmy breezes, and the historical background of whichever set of islands they happened to be visiting. I enjoyed this book tremendously!
A man and a woman, each from their perspective, tell their story of a common dream: taking a year off to sail the Caribbean. If you’re thinking of cruising the Caribbean, or dreaming of someday cruising the Caribbean, this is a helpful book. Unlike some other sailing narratives, this book feels like it was written for you, to give you a feel for what it is like, what it might be like if you did this (as opposed to simply telling the specifics of one person’s particular trip.) Plus, without being distracting or overbearing, the authors give you a bit of history and background of the different islands.