Along the way are hurricanes in the Atlantic, typhoons and earthquakes in the Pacific and the Orient, wild times on Navy ships and on Navy liberty ashore, as well as rescues at sea--including the famous sinking of the Mary E in the 1976 Miami-Nassau race. There are also evocative stories of idyllic cruises and places, like Nantucket, Scandinavia, Greece, and the coasts of the United States.

Robinson's stories are peopled with a warm, amusing, and frequently dramatic cast of characters, including yachts themselves--ranging from sailing skiffs to large ocean-racing machines,...