Blown Away

by Herb Payson, Lin Pardey (foreword)

This special 35th anniversary edition is enhanced with a foreword by Lin Pardey plus Herb's reflections on how cruising affected his children and his relationship with his determined, lifelong partner/wife Nancy.

At Middle age, Herb and Nancy Payson decided they needed a change, why not give up life on shore, quit their in jobs in the smoky nightclubs of Los Angeles and take up the cruising life. In Sea Foam, their 36-foot ketch, the Payson's and their large brood of teenage children cruised the Pacific for six and a half years. They experienced a certain amount of stark terror, but their delights far outbalanced the draw backs. Anyone seriously dreaming of setting off to sea should read Blown Away. Families who are already out there should make it bedtime reading as Herb shows the way families interact in the close quarters of a sailing boat at sea. But even those who find their ordered onshore existences good and fulfilling can hardly escape a twinge of envy while reading this amusing, instructive and wholly delightful adventure.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Travel

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Numidica · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world has a little less gentle humor in it since Herb Payson died a couple of years ago. I never met the man, but I met people who did, and they all said he was exactly as he seems in this book - witty, happy-go-lucky, self-deprecating, and kind. As a sailor, I appreciate his stories a little more, but anyone can read this book and enjoy it's hilarity. I'm sorry we never met.

[James Morrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blown Away by Herb Payson is an interesting study of contrasts. My wife didn't particularly care for the book, but my feelings were different. She thought it was a story of a poorly prepared couple who went sailing across the ocean in an old boat that was a poor design and not properly tested, inspected or maintained. (Two such boats actually.) She thought the extraordinary hardships outweighed the rewards in spite of Payson's repeated efforts to say otherwise. For me it was an honest account of and amazing trip with minimal luxuries and great perseverance. Perseverance that sometimes put the boat and crew in extreme danger. I liked the style of writing and my book mark moved quickly through the 251 pages. My wife thought it was the same thing over and over again, just different ports, different crossings. It is certainly not a "how to" book (perhaps even a "how not to"), but it was entertaining to me and written from a very different perspective than other books I have read by blue water cruisers. No pictures. No proper map of the route(s).

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

boring, boring, boring! This book was described to me as hilariously funny and entertaining. It met neither of those criteria. Granted this man wrote for a sailing magazine, and I expected there would be "technical" things I wouldn't understand, but his delivery was dry and lifeless, and even a half explanation of what they had to do technically to overcome a situation would have been welcomed. I was hoping to be transported to their adventure on the high seas and felt nothing. I'm usually not so harsh in my view of books but this had me crawling to get to the end.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totally the book to read if you intend to someday liveaboard a sailboat and have a feeling a severely shruken budget will lead to a shrunken boat and lifestyle. He's way too enamoured with sailing vocabulary. I don't know if it is a quirk of his or he's nervous to be judged by the rest of the sailing community, or what. I would love for him to have dulled it down a bit for us laymen. Paragraph after paragraph of verbage can bore you. But I intend to read the next 2 books, and wish I was on a sailboat in the 1970's snorkeling for lobster, rather than watching snow fall in Colorado today.

[Ronnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fast and fun read for anyone who's been sailing or knows the language of sailing. Otherwise it might get a little tedious as he describes in detail the challenges he and his family faced while cruising the world in a small sailboat in the 1970's. For those who sail, it's very interesting and gets your heart pumping to read about their adventures and the way sailors had to navigate without the modern navigational tools that are available now or any of the amenities one would expect to have on board today.

[Spencer Haas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on a true story, a family decided to get out of Los Angeles and buy a boat and sail around the world. It gives the reader a vivid picture of what it would be like for a family with kids (teenagers) to sail around the world. But there is more to it than just that, many thrilling and parts with action, I would recommend this to anyone who likes a book with action and adventure.

[Chuck Swackhammer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second time I have read Blown away. I was fortunate enough to go for a sail on the Sea Foam when it was purchased by a family member

It’s a wonderful book and Herb has a great sense of humor. I know you will enjoy the book. I have recently bought a Fuji 32, very similar to Herbs first sail in a Mariner 32. Pretty much the same boat and we plan to sail to Port Townsend this summer and maybe even cross paths with Herb! Time will tell.

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and informative, often teetering on the brink of disaster, this account of the Payson family's risky exploits in a sailboat that was "not quite ready" for the rigors of ocean travel makes one realize that, while it takes luck to survive the wild sea, one must never count on it, as Herb P. says.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced tale, and especially appreciated the technical detail and the authentic nautical jargon.

[Robert Mallett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good read. Laughed the whole time!

"If it can go wrong, it will go wrong," seems to sum up their sailing luck, but they get through and have a good time. Would recommend to any fellow armchair skippers as a great escape until you get your own boat.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

A family decides to sell off all their belongings, buy a boat and sail around the world with little money and less sailing experience.

What could possibly go wrong?

[Steve Van Slyke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this laugh-out-loud book. As a wanna-be cruiser at the time I not only learned important things about the life, but I got a ton of chuckles out of it at the same time.

[Patrick Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read of a several year South Pacific sailing adventure.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well-written and inspires one to opt for adventure over security.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fun to read if you are a cruising sailor or have a bit of cruising experience. Very amusing.

[Bonnie Odin · Rating 1 out of 5]

The beginning was good but then I lost interest and didn't finish