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Charting the Unknown: Family, Fear, and One Long Boat Ride
This is Kim Petersen’s memoir recounting how she and her family navigated through death of a child, facing fear of the water, personally building a sixty-five-foot power catamaran and a four thousand mile crossing of the Atlantic Ocean with her husband and two teenaged kids. It’s Eat, Pray, Love on the water.
- GenresMemoir
306 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 29, 2010
A beautiful tale of courage and family spirit, Charting the Unknown describes the adventures of Kim Petersen, a Colorado native, and her husband, Mike, who sold everything they owned and took their two preteen children on a sailing journey across the Atlantic aboard the 65-foot power catamaran, Chrysalis. Although they had never sailed or built a boat before, they constructed the engine room, plumbing, and interior of the Chrysalis, which they discovered as an unfinished hull in a farmer’s field in New Zealand, and moved aboard full-time as a family in 2005.
The Petersens crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 2007, journeying to England, Zambia, Bahamas, Bermuda, Morocco, Gibraltar, Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and Israel. Along the way, Kim documents the family’s joys, as well as their tribulations, and how she comes to terms with her own fears and sorrows. Told in an open and touching voice, Charting the Unknown chronicles not only Kim Petersen’s physical dream of sailing across the globe, but also her spiritual odyssey through motherhood, marriage, the loss of a child, and the understanding of her own personal strengths and weaknesses.
In one of my favorite chapters, Kim describes how sailors use charts, rather than maps, to help them recognize the ocean’s depths, currents, buoys, anchor spots, and landmarks. Charts also provide lines of longitude and latitude, lending a sense of security to what can be a frightening and chaotic world on water and on land. In the final line of the chapter, Kim marvels at her feelings of reassurance: ‘“Look,” I would say while pointing to a coordinate, “there I am and all is well.”’
If you enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love, you will treasure Kim Petersen’s journey of self-discovery aboard the Chrysalis in Charting the Unknown.
The Petersens crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 2007, journeying to England, Zambia, Bahamas, Bermuda, Morocco, Gibraltar, Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Italy, Malta, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, and Israel. Along the way, Kim documents the family’s joys, as well as their tribulations, and how she comes to terms with her own fears and sorrows. Told in an open and touching voice, Charting the Unknown chronicles not only Kim Petersen’s physical dream of sailing across the globe, but also her spiritual odyssey through motherhood, marriage, the loss of a child, and the understanding of her own personal strengths and weaknesses.
In one of my favorite chapters, Kim describes how sailors use charts, rather than maps, to help them recognize the ocean’s depths, currents, buoys, anchor spots, and landmarks. Charts also provide lines of longitude and latitude, lending a sense of security to what can be a frightening and chaotic world on water and on land. In the final line of the chapter, Kim marvels at her feelings of reassurance: ‘“Look,” I would say while pointing to a coordinate, “there I am and all is well.”’
If you enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love, you will treasure Kim Petersen’s journey of self-discovery aboard the Chrysalis in Charting the Unknown.
February 8, 2011
Charting the Unknown is as much an inward journey into becoming a tight-knit family as it is an outward adventure. It is a thorough account of learning how to become a live-aboard.
As I read the well-written account of Kim's journey, I laughed out loud at calling her family the crew and cried openly at the heartbreak of losing a child. This book is an emotional adventure.
This is a book, not only for those of us already on the water, but those on the shore who will recognize the familiar fears and learning curve Kim went through. It is a book for all of us who want to conquer our fears and experience life.
Victoria Allman
SEAsoned: A Chefs Journey with Her Captain
As I read the well-written account of Kim's journey, I laughed out loud at calling her family the crew and cried openly at the heartbreak of losing a child. This book is an emotional adventure.
This is a book, not only for those of us already on the water, but those on the shore who will recognize the familiar fears and learning curve Kim went through. It is a book for all of us who want to conquer our fears and experience life.
Victoria Allman
SEAsoned: A Chefs Journey with Her Captain
July 11, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed Charting the Unknown, the true story of a family that sells everything they have, then buys a catamaran and lives on it. I love nonconventional people and this memoir has cemented that love even more. It also was the perfect read for me right now, with my family and I making another move that to some seems a bit strange. I loved how Kim faced her fears and grew so much, which helped me face my new unknowns with more courage. I would really like to give this book 5 stars, but the ending was a bit abrupt as I wanted the rest of their story. Kim apparently is working on another book, but I'm eager and want it now! :) So I will give it 4.5 stars. There also is some typos throughout.
July 25, 2014
This book made me want to sell all of our things and purchase a catamaran to live on! I also enjoyed all the insights the author and her family reached while on such a long journey and made a few bookmarks and highlights. I was really amazed that they knew nothing about sailing, boats, or traveling on the ocean and they taught themselves everything and built the boat to boot!
November 5, 2014
An enjoyable story.
December 27, 2016
Skill and courage - an impressive story about a young adventurer!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews