4 out of 4 stars
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Annie Dike, once a lawyer and now a savvy traveler and sailor, recounts her adventures, and often misadventures, in this non-fiction work entitled Salt of a Sailor. With nothing more than her quick wit and her rough-and-tumble nature, Annie dives headfirst into the world of sailing with an eagerness to prove her own “saltiness”.
Life is often one big adventure and Annie wanted to make the most of it. Even while not knowing anything about sailing, or ever having set foot on a sailboat for that matter, she gladly accepted the challenge. She had newfound freedom and a thirst for adventure that grew once she met Philip, the man who would one day make her his First Mate. She just needed to prove she had what it takes to be a sailor and that meant a lot more than just memorizing sailing terms from books. With humor and wit, she recounts how they came to find and purchase their nearly perfect sailboat, and the sweet and salty first voyage through the Gulf of Mexico that then transpired.
Salt of a Sailor is a highly entertaining book that will surely take you on your own adventure. Annie paints the perfect picture of what it’s like to be a newbie sailor and will in no time have you laughing with her remarks or anecdotes. Apart from showing us the hard work that is put into sailing, she shows us her past experiences that give her the saltiness needed for this adventure. I greatly enjoyed all of her childhood stories, from her dad sticking a wad of tobacco on her injured eye, to Big Mom swishing with hydrogen peroxide. All of these show you the real person behind this book and truly make you feel like it is a close friend who is telling you of their life.
You do not need to have any knowledge of sailing in order to enjoy Salt of a Sailor. From the perspective of someone who just discovered sailing, we are introduced to each concept or situation just as Annie was. She takes us along through all of her experiences and writes them with such detail that they become vivid for the reader. I could not help but feel the adrenaline rush as they sailed through a storm, or the peaceful calm of a summer night spent in Pensacola Bay. All of these images, having been made real in your mind, will leave you with a thirst for adventure equal to Annie’s.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed reading Salt of a Sailor. I would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the seas and sailing, or to someone merely looking for a great, real life adventure to be inspired by. I will surely be looking forward to more accounts of the author’s adventures at sea. I give Salt of a Sailor 4 out of 4 stars.
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Salt of a Sailor
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