Sail Cowabunga!: A Family's 10 Years at Sea

by Janis Couvreux

From Bordeaux France to San Francisco, California, Sail Cowabunga! A Family’s Ten Years at Sea follows a Franco-American couple and their two young sons across the Atlantic Ocean and into a ten-year journey at sea. Through their adventures and misadventures, tragedies, and glories across four continents, the Couvreux family rarely had a dull moment living on the water.

Janis chronicles in vivid and lively detail how they fended off a midnight intruder, sailed to the microscopic St. Peter and St. Paul rocks on the equator, explored the jungles of French Guiana and Devil’s Island, and sailed through Cuba in the turmoil of the late 80s.

Their adventure was not without hardship, however, as Janis recounts battling medical emergencies that required sending her husband across the globe for treatment (twice), leaving her to single-handedly orchestrate a Panama Canal passage amid pre-war chaos. While living in the close quarters of their 42-foot sailboat, the Cowabunga, the Couvreux family was able to maintain sanity and a normal daily routine of cooking, schooling, and sleeping at sea, knowing all the while that something unexpected might be waiting just around the next peninsula.

300 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 14, 2017

About the author

Janis Lasky Couvreux is an award-winning writer, journalist, Franco-American, lover of languages, travel and adventure addict, and sailor. Formerly a newspaper reporter and freelance journalist, Janis currently blogs at Huffington Post, Pryme Magazine, and The Lady Alliance, writing about living bilingually, crossing oceans, backpacking adventures, and raising kids outside the box. Her debut book, "Sail Cowabunga! A Family’s Ten Years at Sea," chronicles her 10 years on a sailboat with her husband and two small boys as they lived and sailed from France to San Francisco. The story originally began as vignettes on her blog, some of which were published in Luna Luna Magazine, Longreads, and Foliate Oak Literary Magazine. She won the first place Adult Nonfiction award at the 2017 San Francisco Writers Conference for a segment of her book, released in October 2017 by Filles Vertes Publishing.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not a sailor. Never wanted to be one - but I'm fascinated by sailing memoirs, and this is up with the best I've read. Janis and her husband Michel want to do long distance sailing - with a toddler and a tiny baby. I have to applaud their courage and determination. Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean and around the coast of South America and the Caribbean is not something most people would attempt - even without children. I loved learning about their life on board, the people they met (sometimes forging lifelong friendships), the places they visited, and how they managed to educate their two boys. But it's not all plain sailing. Health scares and the possibility of getting caught in a war zone add to the problems they face. Fascinating story, I definitely recommend this book.

[Gabriel Y. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how Janis balanced the breathtaking travel moments with the challenges of family life at sea. It’s honest, funny, and deeply touching.

[Ira L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me want to pack up and sail away. The freedom, the fear, the wonder of it all are so vividly described that I felt every emotion right along with the family.

[Dixie C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring and deeply human story. I closed the book feeling grateful for my own life and amazed by what one family accomplished with courage and hope.

[Aurelia Quintana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each chapter is its own adventure, full of suspense, humor, and warmth. It’s the kind of book that makes you dream bigger and live bolder.

[Karen D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt such admiration for Janis and her family. Their ability to keep going despite storms, illness, and isolation is truly inspiring.

[Pam J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the jungles of French Guiana to the canals of Panama, every scene felt alive. Janis made me care deeply for her family, and that’s the magic of this book.

[Laura Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few books have touched me like this one. It’s about so much more than sailing. It’s about love, loss, resilience, and the unbreakable bond of family.

[Terri Inskip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally in Awe

Being an ex long distant sailor myself from the 60/70’s, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the Couvreux family’s ten year life on the high seas in the 80’s, particularly as the author writes in such a fluid and easy way. It’s one thing just looking after oneself on a yacht, but to do it with two young children left me totally in awe. It was wonderful that their travels covered so many places I too had visited, prompting many memories. Having also experienced the Panama Canal, I was incredibly impressed that Janis ended up having to take the boat through without her husband Michel. That was no easy feat! I also admired and envied them sailing round Cuba. I thoroughly recommend this worthy five star rated book, not only to those that love sailing, but to anyone that enjoys reading about amazing adventures that include many highs and lows.

[Val Richman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page-turner adventure, all the more exciting because it's true! The book is a compelling mixture of descriptions of crazy situations, wonderful encounters, foreign shores, and the practical side of preparing for 10 years (!) at sea with 2 kids (!). The book is as much about a remarkable family and their dream as it is about the events that occurred during their wanderings. I "lost" a Saturday reading it.... couldn't put it down.

[Christin Couvreux · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written adventure story. Even though I was previously aware of the story before I read it, I felt really drawn into the places and people throughout the book. As the end came near, I found myself teary eyed and wishing for more. A terrific read!

[Ally Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read. I loved it. Beautifully written. Tears in my eyes at the end because the adventure was over. I couldn't put it down.

[Janis Couvreux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I’m biased, since I wrote it!

[Albert Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

By the end, I felt like I had sailed across the world myself. It’s one of those rare books that leaves your heart full and your spirit lighter.