The Water Sports category has 123 audiobooks on Listento.it, with an average listener rating of 4.4★ across 448 ratings. The most-rated is The Art of Resilience.
Two Years Before the Mast
Summary
Richard Henry Dana referred to this book as "a voice from the sea". It influenced Conrad and Melville, and has become a maritime classic that has inspired legions of men with a passion for the sea. Dana, a law student turned sailor for health reasons, sailed in 1834 aboard the brig Pilgrim on a voyage from Boston around Cape Horn to California. (Hence the city name Dana Point.) Drawing from his journals, Two Years Before the Mast gives a vivid and detailed account, shrewdly observed and beautifully described, of a common sailor's wretched treatment at sea, and of a way of life virtually unknown at that time.
(P)1995 Blackstone Audio Inc.
Bound for Distant Seas
Summary
Bound for Distant Seas begins sailing author James Baldwin's epic tale of his second circumnavigation. His story is seasoned by his adventures during his first circumnavigation in 1984-86 as told in Across Islands and Oceans. Alone with little money aboard Atom, his now-engineless 28-foot sailboat, James embarks on his odyssey without the comforts and equipment most sailors consider essential. Challenging himself to live as closely with the sea as possible, the author sets sail in 1987 from Florida, bound for new adventures on the distant shores of Asia. He does not return home again for 15 years. In this paean to the sea and foreign lands, the author recounts the best and worst of life on the ocean, visits to far-flung islands, and adventures amid throngs of humanity in some of the world's most densely populated cities. This unvarnished physical and philosophical saga includes encounters with dead-eyed bureaucrats, native angels of mercy, newly discovered WWII wreckage, fellow expat adventurers, rogues and misfits. The journey takes many unplanned turns as the author faces near misses with lurking dangers, hikes across islands, finds temporary employment ashore, and immerses himself in foreign cultures. Along the way he is tested by sea and society, and he ultimately discovers the priceless treasures of heart and mind that he seeks. James invites you to come aboard Atom for the journey of a lifetime.
©2015 James Baldwin (P)2015 David N. Olberding
Cruising in Seraffyn
Summary
The cruising tale is full of the sights and sounds, the fragrances and native customs of foreign lands, especially Central American and the Caribbean. It is a story of a leisurely sail through the Gulf of Cortez and on through Panama Canal to the Azores and England. Cruising in Seraffyn is also a carefully thought out guide to living aboard a small boat, with fun and economy as the guiding principles. Four appendices provide data that is vital for anyone comtemplating long-distance cruising.
©2001 Lin and Larry Pardey (P)2014 New Street Communications, LLC
Love with a Chance of Drowning
Summary
New love. Exotic destinations. A once-in-a-lifetime adventure. What could go wrong? City girl Torre DeRoche isn’t looking for love, but a chance encounter in a San Francisco bar sparks an instant connection with a soulful Argentinean man who unexpectedly sweeps her off her feet. The problem? He’s just about to cast the dock lines and voyage around the world on his small sailboat, and Torre is terrified of deep water. However, lovesick Torre determines that to keep the man of her dreams, she must embark on the voyage of her nightmares, so she waves good-bye to dry land and braces for a life-changing journey that’s as exhilarating as it is terrifying. This sometimes hilarious, often harrowing, and always poignant memoir is set against a backdrop of the world’s most beautiful and remote destinations. Equal parts love story and travel memoir, Love with a Chance of Drowning is witty, charming, and proof positive that there are some risks worth taking.
©2013 Torre DeRoche (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Blue Water, Green Skipper
Summary
Stuart Woods had never owned more than a dinghy before setting out on one of the world's most demanding sea voyages, navigating single-handedly across the Atlantic. How, at the age of 37, did this self-proclaimed novice go from small ponds to the big sea? Now with a new afterword that looks back at how one transatlantic race changed his life, Woods takes listeners on a spectacular journey not just of traveling across the world, but of being tried in fire, learning by accepting challenges, appreciating the beauty of the open water, and living to tell about it.
©2012 Stuart Woods (P)2012 Penguin Audiobooks
Cape Horn to Starboard
Summary
Legendary account of the author's voyage around Cape Horn in a 32-foot sailboat, sailing east to west (thus the Horn is to starboard, or on the right). This is a notoriously difficult and dangerous passage, especially in a boat this size.
©1986 John Kretschmer (P)2020 Tantor
F--k it All and Go Sailing: Everything You Need to Know to Use Sailing to Get Away from Life
Summary
Are you tired of life? Ready to walk away from it all just for a little while? Do you dream of white sandy beaches and blue waters? It is time to say F--k it All and Go Sailing. Go find out where the sky meets the ocean. Take in scenic views of the mountains. Watch the whales as the spout water. It doesn't matter what you do as long as your phone is off, your stress is gone, and you get a break from life. Need to know more? This book is designed to help you sail away from it all. From it you will learn: All you need to know about sailing The top places to go sailing Nautical terms you NEED to know Tips on how to find a boat for you The latest developments in equipment Safety guidelines Sailing activities How to maintain your boat Worldwide rules How to discover the best spots
©2019 Karen Kauffmann (P)2019 Karen Kauffmann
One Breath
Summary
One Breath is a gripping and powerful exploration of the strange and fascinating sport of freediving, and of the tragic, untimely death of America's greatest freediver. Competitive freediving - a sport built on diving as deep as possible on a single breath - tests the limits of human ability in the most hostile environment on earth. The unique and eclectic breed of individuals who freedive at the highest level regularly dive hundreds of feet below the ocean's surface, reaching such depths that their organs compress, light disappears, and one mistake could kill them. Even among freedivers, few have ever gone as deep as Nicholas Mevoli. A handsome young American with an unmatched talent for the sport, Nick was among freediving's brightest stars. He was also an extraordinary individual, one who rebelled against the vapid and commoditized society around him by relentlessly questing for something more meaningful and authentic, whatever the risks. So when Nick Mevoli arrived at Vertical Blue in 2013, the world's premier freediving competition, he was widely expected to challenge records and continue his meteoric rise to stardom. Instead, before the end of that fateful competition Nick Mevoli had died, a victim of the sport that had made him a star, and the very future of free diving was called into question. With unparalleled access and masterfully crafted prose, One Breath tells his unforgettable story, and of the sport which shaped and ultimately destroyed him.
©2016 Adam Skolnick (P)2016 Audible, Inc.
Sailing Alone Around the World
Summary
Joshua Slocum was believed to be the first man to sail single-handed around the world. After a distinguished career, where he worked his way up from cabin boy to captain, Joshua Slocum wrecked his ship off the coast of Brazil. Turning this catastrophe to his advantage, he built a sailing canoe from the wreckage and sailed back to New York. Moreover, he wrote Voyage of the Liberdad, a chronicle of his trip, and earned some literary success. This was the spur to attempt his perilous voyage alone around the world. Having lost his fortune in the shipwreck, Slocum began his adventure nearly penniless. He was given the Spray, a century old oyster boat that "wants some repairs". Two years and $500 later he had rebuilt the wreck into an oceangoing wonder. On his 40,000 mile, three year voyage, Slocum visited six of the seven continents where he met cannibals, presidents, outlaws, and ambassadors. Amazingly, throughout he lived 'off the land' as it were, fishing, trading, and giving lectures to keep his pantry full. He also met some remarkable people including Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson and Paul Kruger, who, believing the world was flat, warned Slocum not to fall off! This adventure will captivate sailors and landlubbers alike.
Public Domain (P)2003 Tantor Media, Inc.
Imperfect Passage
Summary
Michael Cosgrove had a beautiful family, a successful career, and a lovely Southern California home overlooking the Pacific Ocean. At the age sixty, he decided to leave that all behind to sail around the world. In spite of his romanticized vision of rugged individualism and salty tales to share with his grandchildren, Cosgrove quickly realizes that sailing around the world isn’t going to be as easy as he’d imagined. From a psychotic crewmate, sleep deprivation, and mental breakdowns, to stormy weather and hallucinations, Cosgrove rides the waves, holding on as best he can to his dream of “doing something grand.” Alone, and thousands of miles away from everyone and everything he loves, he is forced to ask himself one question: What in God’s name am I doing here? In his attempt to avoid the inevitable (growing old, weak, frail), Cosgrove runs amok. He breaks his budget to outfit the boat and then refuses to read the manuals. He enters unfamiliar harbors in the dead of night, hires a violent first mate, and sails headlong into ferocious storms. In the midst of his adventures, he longs for the simpler days when his four daughters were still children, when his first marriage was still intact, and when his future still seemed bright and expansive. Though driven by scenes of sheer terror, absurd folly, and deep inner searching, Cosgrove keeps his sense of humor throughout his harrowing journey. Imperfect Passage is the story of one man’s perseverance against Father Time and Mother Nature, proving that with enough will, one can, in his or her own way, conquer the unconquerable.
©2012 Michael Cosgrove (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Sailing
Summary
Sailing is an international sport that offers many rewards. Imagine white sails billowing against a clear sky, the brisk feel of the breeze on your face, and the gentle motions of the boat as it cleanly slices through the water. While sailing is a great way to enjoy the outdoors, it also requires you to be an active participant more than almost any other type of boating. When you learn how to sail, you will not only become intimately familiar with all aspects of your boat, but also how your boat relates to its environment in terms of everything from the wind to the weather. Sailing can be terrific exercise that is both invigorating and relaxing.
©2015 Kurt Fenton (P)2016 Kurt Fenton
Of Foreign Build
Summary
After suffering an emotionally-brutal bereavement and against her counselor's advice, Jackie ran away. Suddenly within a new culture, with a new husband and no friends, she was living in the obscure world of cruising with zero knowledge of boats. Crashing within the first 24 hours, Jackie realized life would never be the same again: a floating home with no fridge or hot water, and with a dinghy instead of a car. Suffering self-doubts, she became fearful of her new world. The first off-shore voyage took Jackie into a ferocious storm, which battered her physically and mentally. Amid the raging seas, Jackie shed the fear she'd been harboring. Soon she was blissfully voyaging around the world, but she still carried the mixed emotions of losing one man, while falling head over heels in love with another. Not only did Jackie deal successfully with the challenges of her new existence, she also battled with the testosterone-fueled nautical world to become both a professional captain and a qualified maritime teacher. Most importantly, Jackie found herself.
©2015 New Street Communications, LLC (P)2015 New Street Communications, LLC
Scuba Fundamental
Summary
If you do not yet scuba dive but are thinking of learning, then this book is for you. It takes you from the germ of the idea that you might like to try scuba diving up to the point where you have done around 20 dives. This is not your standard how-to manual. It is very different. The purpose of Scuba Fundamental is not to teach you how to dive. A dive instructor will do that. But this book will make the learning process much easier. It will help you make the right choices and avoid the pitfalls that await new and uninformed divers coming into the sport. It will also set you well on the road to becoming a capable and competent lifelong diver. Scuba Fundamental tells you how to make sure you are prepared for a scuba diving course and what a good beginners course should entail. It tells you how to choose a good instructor, how to decide which operators to dive with after you have finished your course and what sort of dives you should be doing when you first start diving. You will learn the many ways in which diving will change your life and also acquire some extremely valuable advice on the etiquette involved in the sport. Throughout the book you will be entertained, educated and encouraged by anecdotes from people who are now experienced divers but were once beginners too. There is also an entire section devoted to diving safety, much of which covers vitally important aspects of scuba diving that standard training manuals don't emphasize enough or even leave out completely. The book's message is: start scuba diving the right way and you will be relaxed and ready for the adventure. You will have more fun, make fewer mistakes and be confident in the fact that you are well informed, have made the best choices and have spent your money wisely.
©2016 Simon Pridmore (P)2016 Simon Pridmore
Get Her on Board
Summary
He wants to buy a sailboat and head off into the sunset for a life of adventure on white sandy beaches and crystal clear blue water, but she's not so sure about this wild plan. If she's not on board with the cruising dream, the boat won't leave the dock. Your wife is more important to The Dream than any piece of cruising gear. Save yourself hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of life by investing both in to make sure she's on board. There is a right way and a wrong way to Get Her on Board the cruising dream, and your author has done it both ways. Learn from his pain as well as his triumphs. If you're dreaming of great adventures on the high seas and distant ports of call, but your wife would rather garden, you need to read this book!
©2010 Nick O'Kelly (P)2013 David N. Olberding
In Search of Captain Zero
Summary
In 1996, Allan Weisbecker sold his home and his possessions, loaded his dog and surfboards into his truck, and set off in search of his longtime friend and surfing companion, Christopher, who had vanished into the depths of Central America. In this rollicking memoir of his quest from Mexico to Costa Rica to unravel the circumstances of Christopher's disappearance, Weisbecker intimately describes the people he befriended, the bandits he evaded, and the waves he caught and lost en route to finding his friend. Along the way, he shares hilarious stories of his adventures with Christopher in their carefree youth as globetrotting, pot-dealing beach bums. A tale of lost innocence and enduring friendship, In Search of Captain Zero is a trip unlike any other.
©2001 Allan C. Weisbecker (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Kook
Summary
With grit, poetry, and humor, Peter Heller, acclaimed author of The Whale Warriors, recounts his remarkable journey of discovery - of surfing, an entirely new challenge; of the ocean's beauty and power; of the strange surf subculture; of love; and, most of all, of how to seek adventure while crafting a meaningful life. Having resolved to master a big - hollow wave - that is, to go from kook (surfese for beginner) to shredder-in a single year, Heller travels from Southern California down the coast of Mexico in the company of his girlfriend and the eccentric surfers they meet. Exuberant and fearless, Heller explores the technique and science of surfing the secrets of its culture, and the environmental ravages to the stunning coastline he visits. As Heller plumbs the working of his own heart and finds joy in both love and surfing, he affords listeners vivid insight into this fascinating world, with all of its perils and pleasures, its absurdity and wonder. Exhilarating, entertaining, and moving, Kook is a love story between a man and his surfboard, a man and his girlfriend, a not-so-old man and the sea.
©2010 Peter Heller (P)2016 Tantor
No Limits
Summary
For years the world has followed his progress, from teen sensation in Sydney to bona fide phenom in Athens, and now as a living Olympic legend in Beijing with a peerless record of gold medals, more than any Olympic athlete throughout history. In No Limits, Michael Phelps - the greatest competitor we've seen since Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, or Lance Armstrong - will share with listeners the secrets to his remarkable success, from training to execution. Behind his tally of Olympic gold medals lies a consistent approach to competition, a determination to win, mental preparation, and a straightforward passion for his sport. One of his mottos is "Performance is Reality," and it typifies his attitude about swimming. No Limits goes behind the scenes to explore the hard work, sacrifice, and dedication that catapulted Phelps into the international spotlight. Phelps will share remarkable anecdotes about family, his coach, his passion for the sport, and the wisdom that he has gained from unexpected challenges and obstacles. Highlighting memorable races and valuable lessons from throughout his career, Phelps offers candid insight into the mind and experiences of a world champion. Phelps's success is imbued with the perspective of overcoming obstacles and doing whatever it takes to realize a dream. As his coach, Bob Bowman, says, Phelps has made a habit out of things other people aren't willing to do. No Limits will show listeners just how he does that, and will inspire anyone to follow their passion straight to the finish line.
©2008 Michael Phelps (P)2008 Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Lost!
Summary
In July 1973, Bob Tininenko, his wife Linda, and his brother in-law Jim Fisher set sail from Tacoma, Washington, on a 31-foot trimaran, down the West Coast to Costa Rica. The journey was expected to take a matter of weeks, but 10 days into the cruise, the party encountered a freak storm off the coast of Northern California. When gale-force winds and 50-foot waves capsized their boat, the voyage became a nightmare. For 72 days, the trio was lost at sea. Challenged by nature and compromised by a bitter rivalry, their courage and will to live was put to the ultimate test. Jim, the owner and skipper of the boat, was a devout fundamentalist whose recognition of God's will in every event brought him into increasing conflict with his brother-in-law. As the two men battled to take control of a dire situation, Linda kept a secret that would lead to heartrending tragedy. A "hair-raising" (Houston Chronicle) account of shipwreck and survival and a searing portrait of faith without reason, Lost! is an unforgettable true story from "a writer of tremendous power and achievement" (Detroit Free Press).
©1975 Thomas Thompson (P)2019 Tantor
Sailing, Yachts and Yarns
Summary
Sailing, Yachts and Yarns is a selection of Tom Cunliffe’s funniest, wisest and most thought-provoking writing from the pages of Yachting Monthly. Tom’s love of language and sense of humour shine through as he recalls the wealth of sinners and saints he has met on docksides from Southampton to South America, Greenwich to Greenland and Newtown to New York. He has a gift for capturing the magic of sail and finding pearls of practical wisdom in the most unlikely nautical adventures. Sailing, Yachts and Yarns is a lively miscellany of a wit, wisdom and wonder. It will make you laugh and make you think – and make you want to cast off to enjoy the delights of life afloat.
©2012 Tom Cunliffe (P)2012 Audible Ltd
Scuba Confidential
Summary
Scuba Confidential is a unique audiobook packed full of valuable tips and expert advice, giving you unprecedented access to the secrets of dive professionals and technical divers. With Scuba Confidential, you will learn how to master skills and techniques that will make you a more confident, capable, and safe diver. It offers an informed, balanced view on some of scuba diving's most contentious issues like going solo, deep diving, and rebreathers and includes a comprehensive analysis of how diving accidents happen and how to make sure you do not become a statistic. Scuba Confidential also gives you valuable insights on a vast range of topics such as what it is like to do a cave diving course, how to make sure you buy the right equipment, what to consider when choosing an instructor, things even the pros get wrong, and where to find the best diving in the world. This is candid, no-nonsense practical advice from a professional who has been involved over the last three decades with virtually every aspect of the sport. Scuba Confidential answers a whole host of questions. For example, have you ever wondered... How the professionals look so comfortable in the water? What it is like to dive under ice and inside shipwrecks? Which training courses are worthwhile and which might just be a waste of time? If you would make a good technical diver? If you should be considering a rebreather? How you can reduce your air consumption? Whether you might actually be safer without a buddy sometimes? Or: How muck diving can possibly be any fun? Scuba Confidential has the answers to all these and many more.
©2013, 2014 Simon Pridmore (P)2014 Simon Pridmore