Hard on the Wind: The True Story of a Boy Who Went to Sea and Came Back a Man

by Russ Hofvendahl

As the San Francisco waterfront struggled in the grip of the Great Depression, fifteen-year-old Russ Hofvendahl talked his way aboard an old fashioned four-masted schooner and sailed out beyond the Golden Gate Bridge to catch cod in the Bering Sea. Full of laconic candor, Hard on the Wind recounts this formative journey with vivid anecdotes depicting a world that exists today only in memory. Featuring many period photos of the ship and crew, Hofvendahl's compelling narrative of seafaring adventure relates the difficult lessons he learned while crashing through raging seas, dodging bloody fights in the fo'c's'le, handlining for cod, navigating through blind fog, and mourning a lost shipmate. Aglow with warmth and humor, Hofvendahl's memoir captures both the romance and reality of the seafaring life, and constitutes a truly unique coming-of-age tale.

Genres: Nonfiction

140 pages, Paperback

Published January 30, 2004

Reviews

[Steeny Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was 19 or 20. It came to mind today as one that might interest one of my sons, so I looked it up to see if a copy might be found.

Hard On The Wind taught me a thing or two about schooners, which was reinforced by being on one many times thereafter.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written; a page-turner. Really gives you a sense of the sea.