What do you think?
Rate this book
Fair Wind and Plenty of It: A Modern-Day Tall-Ship Adventure
In the tradition of Godforsaken Sea and In the Heart of the Sea , Fair Wind and Plenty of It is a virtuoso debut by a sailor turned scribe -- a must-read for lovers of nautical adventure.
On November 25th, 1997, the barque Picton Castle, a three-masted, square-rigged tall ship, headed out from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia on a voyage around the world. Aboard ship a shifting crew of thirty, a combination of professional sailors and paying crew who were out $32,500 for the privilege of working “crew before the mast,” would travel for over a year and half, calling in at ports as exotic and varied as Aruba, Somoa, Bali and Zanzibar.
Fair Wind and Plenty of It tells the story of an obsession, as Captain Dan Moreland, driven by a desire to make his mark in the world of traditional sail, rallies forces to convert a sixty-nine-year-old North Sea trawler into a seaworthy tall ship, and then assembles the crew to sail it. It’s the story of the uneasy balance that is achieved on board, where insubordination and rancour must be kept in line among a crew whose only connection is their common desire to be part of this journey. And it is Rigel’s a man who was conceived the day his father laid the keel for his first boat, whose mother was a sailmaker, and who has to reconcile his family legacy with his own need to understand why he must take part in the voyage of the barque Picton Castle.
In Fair Wind and Plenty of It , Rigel Crockett tells a tale of shipboard camaraderie, gut-wrenching struggles and the near-mutinies that marked the year-and-a half journey -- where fellow shipmates proved to be as perilous as the ever-present sea.
From the Hardcover edition.
On November 25th, 1997, the barque Picton Castle, a three-masted, square-rigged tall ship, headed out from Lunenburg, Nova Scotia on a voyage around the world. Aboard ship a shifting crew of thirty, a combination of professional sailors and paying crew who were out $32,500 for the privilege of working “crew before the mast,” would travel for over a year and half, calling in at ports as exotic and varied as Aruba, Somoa, Bali and Zanzibar.
Fair Wind and Plenty of It tells the story of an obsession, as Captain Dan Moreland, driven by a desire to make his mark in the world of traditional sail, rallies forces to convert a sixty-nine-year-old North Sea trawler into a seaworthy tall ship, and then assembles the crew to sail it. It’s the story of the uneasy balance that is achieved on board, where insubordination and rancour must be kept in line among a crew whose only connection is their common desire to be part of this journey. And it is Rigel’s a man who was conceived the day his father laid the keel for his first boat, whose mother was a sailmaker, and who has to reconcile his family legacy with his own need to understand why he must take part in the voyage of the barque Picton Castle.
In Fair Wind and Plenty of It , Rigel Crockett tells a tale of shipboard camaraderie, gut-wrenching struggles and the near-mutinies that marked the year-and-a half journey -- where fellow shipmates proved to be as perilous as the ever-present sea.
From the Hardcover edition.
416 pages, Paperback
First published May 11, 2004
55 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 10, 2009
Far and away one of my favorite books about sailing the open ocean. The true story of a modern-day square rigger making a round-the-world crossing with half professional crew and half fare-paying crew in 1995. The ship in this book has since made five circumnavigations of the globe and if I had a spare $40,000, I would become a crewman in a heartbeat.
March 19, 2008
There is no doubt that this is a must read for a tall ship adventurer, and it leaves me yearning to run off to explore the pacific islands. However, the author is not a writer, and this becomes a detraction
July 27, 2011
A great peek into what the World Voyages of the Picton Castle are like. This beautifully written narrative is a must read for anyone interested in sailing. Makes me want to sail around the world with this ship all the more.
May 16, 2021
The Picton Castle is a fishing trawler that was converted to a barque for the purpose of sailing around the world on training voyages. Crockett tells the story of the first circumnavigation in 1995.
The story is largely about life onboard. Much of the book is about visiting the islands to get drunk, get tattoos and to simply do some sightseeing.
Many of those that paid to become crew for the sake of the training did not feel that they had signed up as full time crew and were unhappy about putting in long days. The learning and experience they had anticipated did not materialize. The resulting dissatisfaction caused discord with many leaving the ship for periods. In the end it became difficult to keep the ship running, although they did so.
The story is largely about life onboard. Much of the book is about visiting the islands to get drunk, get tattoos and to simply do some sightseeing.
Many of those that paid to become crew for the sake of the training did not feel that they had signed up as full time crew and were unhappy about putting in long days. The learning and experience they had anticipated did not materialize. The resulting dissatisfaction caused discord with many leaving the ship for periods. In the end it became difficult to keep the ship running, although they did so.
May 28, 2020
As an autobiography chronicle of a modern sailor, I enjoyed it. But I went to high school with Rigel, and I have touched this ship with my own hands, and so I'm probably biased. Probably. Doesn't mean it's not a good read though!
February 25, 2015
A good yarn about sailing around the world in a tall ship. He captures the beauty, skills and hard work in sailing a square rigger. Sometimes the crew was the biggest problem – it’s hard spending 18 months with people in a boat. In each port some of the crew jump ship even though they had each paid $32,000 to sail around the world.
April 30, 2009
I enjoyed this book. I had watched the tv series that followed Andrew Younghusband's journey on the ship so I was interested to see a different point of view. It was a good deal on a pretty good read.
April 7, 2016
Rigel Crockett, Fair Wind and Plenty of It : A Modern-Day Tall Ship Adventure, HB-B, @ 2005, Signed Edition, 5/28/15, 392 pgs. The story of the 1st circumnavigation of the Barque Picton Castle, and the coming of age of the author. Very good.
December 14, 2009
Yep, second helmsman Lori, that's me! I never did learn to steer well.
July 28, 2011
A very good book. Not too heavily on nautical terminology to put you asleep but enough to teach you a few things.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews