Islands

by Lance Long

“Islands have always been part of my life. I’ve always been happiest within the sight and smell of tidal salt water……Salt water must run in my veins. This book is about seventy-plus years of island experiences and memories…not souvenirs. …Let me tell you about some of the islands that have shaped my life.”—Lance LongSo begins this riveting memoir by Lance Long, author of the NOEL Trilogy, the apocalyptic adventure saga set in the Florida he knows and loves. Islands gives an intimate glimpse into the author’s life at the boundary where land meets salt water, from his childhood on the shores of Long Island, through career stints in Manhattan and the Merchant Marine Academy in Maine, to his years as a successful builder in St. Augustine, Florida, and TV personality, to his extensive travels to the South Pacific, Australia, the islands of the Caribbean and South America, and finally, life in the Florida Keys. Travel, exploring, boats, and cruising are lifelong passions. We step into the cockpit and grab the gunwales as the author learns seamanship the hard way, eventually graduating to bigger and bigger yachts. Some of his experiences are truly harrowing—others are deeply humorous. As his family grows, they travel with him around the world, as he seeks new islands, knowledge, and adventure, eventually ending up back home in Florida. Islands is an engrossing story of one man’s love not just of the sea, but of boats, exploration, islands, beaches, dogs, travel, and arcane knowledge.

478 pages, Paperback

Published April 28, 2018