Into the Light: A Family's Epic Journey

by Dave Martin, Jaja Martin

A remarkable story of a conventional family of five living a very unconventional life afloat.

Into the Light chronicles the inspiring adventures of Dave and Jaja Martin and their crew of three young children as they refit a 33-foot sailboat on a shoestring budget, then test their limits sailing to the pack ice above the Arctic Circle.

With their rugged self-sufficiency, commitment to family, and warm sense of humor, the unique approach to life chronicled in Dave and Jaja's book will resonate for sailors and shore-based families alike.

Whether you're looking for an outdoor/adventure page-turner, or for the inspiration to choose an unconventional path of your own, you'll find in Into the Light one of those rare books that has the power to touch your heart and soul - while keeping you on the edge of your seat.

"Welcome to a radical world of adventure. We realized our dreams by maintaining a spontaneous lifestyle while raising our family. We hope our stories will inspire you to take a chance and live for today." - authors Dave & Jaja Martin

(This is the book that inspired the PBS documentary Ice Blink.)

330 pages, Hardcover

First published April 4, 2002

Reviews

[Rob Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

On my vacation in Maine my uncle in passing said to me " if you're looking for a good book. Read this". I was put off a little by the title and worried that it was a spiritualistic book. I gave it a shot anyhow. The book engaged me from page 1. As I read the story it brought back memories of a sailing trip years ago with my father an uncle from Beverly MA to Round Pond ME. This story is amazing and inspiring. I hope that one day I would have an opportunity half as good as the Martin family's travels. Great summer book.

[Mr. Wakiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book... ironically one of the dramas for me was when they were in port and the Norwegian Government was forcing a family of five to sail away in dangerous winter...

The most enjoyable part of this is the fact Holly Martin was just a child in this book, now a grown woman with a sailing vlog


https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnJ3...

[Michelle Chenard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was given to Jim Black by the buyer of his boat. She was the daughter of the authors. My brother Tom gave it to me for Christmas since we are traveling to Iceland in May. It is a true story of Dave & Jaja Martin and their 3 children's trip to Iceland, Norway and Svalbad in a 33 foot steel boat. They wintered in Iceland and Norway. They traveled to Svalbad and went to the ice fields north of Svalbad. The whole trip was fraught with danger from the sea as well as polar bears. They lived on the edge and survived because of their knowledge of the sea and their boat.

[Ovi Sacasan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful account of the Martin family ( of 5!)who despite being poor, found a way to achieve their dreams of offshore cruising on a small boat.

Hard work, persistence and a vivid dream can make the impossible....Possible!

[stephen d whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty awesome - could have been a little shorter

[Edwin Priest · Rating 3 out of 5]

We all love adventure books: the power and challenge of the wild, the beauty of nature, the personal tests of hardship, and the strength of the human spirit. All of this and more can be found in the Marin's saga. It makes for great reading.

But pervading all of this adventure and beauty is a philosophy. For some, it appears, this philosophy is enlightening, uplifting and "enriching", speaking to our desires to be free from the pathos of our modern world. For me, this philosophy of rejection by the Martins comes across a little heavy-handed, with inverted narcissism (hey, look at us, look how simple and humbly we can live), a touch of hypocrisy (ooh, let's keep our children out those American schools in North Carolina, but wow, wouldn't it be culturally uplifting to enroll them in an Icelandic and a Norwegian school), and an air of superiority.

OK, maybe I'm being overly critical. We all at times seek a simpler life and I too envy the Martin's freedom, spirit and sense of adventure and this really is an enjoyable book. But hey, let's not take ourselves too seriously here.

I give Into the Light 3 stars: 4 or 5 for the great adventure, and 2 for the overdose of "Martinism".