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From: Gene Gruender (no email)
Date: Thu Sep 13 2001 - 19:07:05 EDT
>What strikes me as odd about that book is how little it sounds like Tom
>Neale the Sail magazine writer. His book is staid, humorless, and even a
>bit mean spirited or grumpy, completely unlike his columns.
I met Tom in George Town. I can't say we're good friends, but we did get
aquainted. He is not at all what you'd think from his columns. He's a very
low key, soft spoken man who has no ego problem, unlike some authors I've
met. It was quite plain he was very proud of his book. However, being a
very modest man, he was embarrassed when I asked him to autograph my copy.
(Just background to help people know what sort of person he is.)
I, to, was surprised at the content, expecting a larger version of his
columns as entertainment. However, there is still a lot of good stuff in
there.
>But what sets Tom's book off from other boat books is that Tom's focus is
>not on cruising, but living aboard. His boats are really just water bourn
>doublewide trailers that he drags from one trailer park anchorage to
>another.
I'd say tripple wide! I've been aboard, and my gosh, does he have room!
I'm jealous.
> Mostly his cruising is limited to poking along the ICW with an
>occasional quick trip to the Bahamas and anchoring for long
periods--months
>on end.
Although this may be true, when we were around him, he moved frequently.
He does know how to change the view before it gets boring.
> His emphasis, therefore, is on spacious if not lavish living
>accommodations and is enormously systems driven--gensets, lots of AC,
>freezers, reefers, etc.
This is true, but unlike most cruisers who do it for a year or two (or 5),
then return to land, this is the only home they've had for about 20 years,
and I don't think there are any plans in the works to move back in the
future. Also, he knows where he wants to be and what he wants to do, and
has his boat (and his custom dinghy) arranged to accomplish his goals, not
set up for a bunch of things he may never do. We could learn from that.
>I'm not saying that his approach is wrong, that Tom lacks experience, or
>that his advice isn't good. I'm just saying that his book has a bias that
>doesn't really suit long-term, ocean spanning cruisers. Which means that,
>in reality, most of us on this list should buy Tom's book and follow his
>example and dump the Pardeys as a role model.
This is, after all, the "liveaboard list", not the "worldcruising list", so
I'd say Rick has hit it exactly on the head. I just wish I could be out
there where Tom is, doing it again. His way or any way.
Gene Gruender
Rainbow Chaser
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