Over the course of twenty years of delivering sailboats to far-flung quaysides, John Kretschmer has had innumerable adventures, both humorous and terrifying. in Flirting with Mermaids, he recounts the most memorable of them. He crosses the Western Caribbean with a crew of eccentric Swedes researching ancient Mayan mariners, lands in Aden at the outbreak of civil war, and endures a North Atlantic crossing during which he disocvers the existence of Force 13 winds. Approaching Japan at the end of a particularly trying delivery, he finds himself sailing in "a high impact debris zone," but his resolve is unshaken. "If a piece of rocketship jetsam fell out of the sky and sank [me] after encounters with Hurricane Floyd, General Noriega,a tsunami, an erupting volcano, and Typhoon Roy, then it was meant to be."

About the Author
John Kretschmer has been a sailboat delivery skipper for over 25 years and has made over 100 deliveries. He is the author of Cape Horn to Starboard and Used Boat Notebook and has had articles published in numerous boating and travel magazines. He is a contributing editor to 'Sailing' and currently lives in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, with his wife Lesa and their two daughters.

Reviews
John Kretschmer has an easygoing style that will ingratiate the reader from the very start of this book. It is a look at what a life at sea can mean to a person, and it is extremely well-written and easy to follow. Plenty of good insight into what can be expected when you are out there for days at a time. Consisting of anecdotes from his sailing career, this book is highly recommended for those who plan to go cruising. * Latitudes & Attitudes *
Wildly festooned with adventure, romance and outrageous characters. * Miami Herald *
Filled with a myriad of sea stories...all delivered with a wry and self-deprecating sense of humor. * Sailing *
I would highly recommend this book to anyone [with] a sense of adventure and romance. * Good Old Boat *



Book Information
ISBN 9781574091649
Author John Kretschmer
Format Paperback
Page Count 218
Imprint Sheridan House
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 345g
Dimensions(mm) 231mm * 149mm * 17mm