Quest on the Thorny Path: A True Caribbean Sailing Adventure

Quest and Crew #2

by David Beaupre

What would a sailing challenge be without green water over the bow and a hard beat to windward? ‘Quest on the Thorny Path’ is the second book of the Quest series. You are now on the feared and fabled Thorny Path. Leave the laid back cruiser hangout of Georgetown, Bahamas behind and hit the big ocean waves for the first time. From Georgetown we take the path less traveled through the deserted and desolate out islands of the southern Bahamas. After a short stay in the Turks and Caicos, our course takes us to the north coast of Hispaniola. Christopher Columbus appropriately named this stretch of boat-eating ocean the ‘Thorny Path’. The book is a true adventure about overcoming fear and dealing with dangerous challenges in one of sailing’s harshest proving grounds. Bashing through heavy seas and strong headwinds on a lee shore isn’t for everyone. But at least you can read about it.

Genres: Adventure

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[JoAnn Plante · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It is a combination of facts, personal adventures, great character descriptions, and the reality of visiting another country. This book is mainly concerned with the Turks & Caicos islands, and the Dominican Republic.

It's easy to read. The story moves along. The characters are genuine and the events are true-to-life at-sea adventures. It doesn't get into the complexity of sailing but does describe some of the things that boaters have to do. It also contains a glossary of nautical terms at the end of the book. It is a great way to learn about sailing while enjoying a great story about life at sea for ex-pats.

[Eric J Palm · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Beaupre is an extremely relatable author. I appreciate his sharing the experiences he went through to disconnect from the common life path and instead live an alternatively inspiring and rewarding lifestyle aboard a cruising sailboat. His transparency into the efforts involved and the amount of learning on the fly required has been very helpful in my quest for a future sailing life.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting

This book does just like the title says and takes you down the thorny patch. It's a book of true experiences by the author and not all of them are resting and living the leasure boating life.

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun sailing book

I really enjoyed the story. The sail sounds fun and scary and interesting. I look forward to writing my own story sometime in the future.

[Terry Crissey · Rating 5 out of 5]

it’s like you’re there!

Having gone from a sailor to an armchair sailor, I thoroughly enjoyed this adventure. It’s well written and lively. Thanks for the sail down memory lane.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Quest on the Thorny Path’ is the second book in David Beaupre’s Quest series. ‘Quest on the Thorny Path’ takes the reader on a journey of adventure and discovery sailing in the Southern Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and Dominican Republic. Like ‘Quest and Crew’, the first book in the series, it is a true story that is extremely well-written and compelling – it can be scary, funny, or educational, as real life challenges often are, but it is always interesting. The ‘thorny path’ follows portions of Columbus’ route against wind and wave on the way to the Caribbean, stopping at rarely visited anchorages on a voyage that even few experienced sailors undertake. If you like travel adventures, armchair sailing, or sea stories, you will like this book.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Quest on the Thorny Path’ is the second book in David Beaupre’s Quest series. ‘Quest on the Thorny Path’ takes the reader on a journey of adventure and discovery sailing in the Southern Bahamas, Turks and Caicos and Dominican Republic. Like ‘Quest and Crew’, the first book in the series, it is a true story that is extremely well-written and compelling – it can be scary, funny, or educational, as real life challenges often are, but it is always interesting. The ‘thorny path’ follows portions of Columbus’ route against wind and wave on the way to the Caribbean, stopping at rarely visited anchorages on a voyage that even few experienced sailors undertake. If you like travel adventures, armchair sailing, or sea stories, you will like this book.

[Kristen Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read!

This book was a great mix of sailing, travel, and adventure. If you're dreaming of leaving it all behind and cruising this is for you. I recommend starting with the first book in the series and reading them through. It can be a little dry at times, but I still enjoyed it and it definitely fed the escapist/gypsy/adventurer beast with in me!