Catboat Summers

Wonderful read we really enjoyed.

Once I started reading this book, I had a hard time putting it down. It's a series of short stories that suck you in so that you feel as though you're part of it. It brought back memories of my early sailing misadventures.

I have read this book 3 times to my daughter. We love it and each time I read it, I have to explain a little less of the terminology. We are cat sailors as well and can relate to the adventures. John has a very clean and easy style of writing with a great sense of humor. A great read during those cold New England winters.

Since we sail our Freedom32 in the very waters this book refers to - and actually live in Westport, MA, this book is pure fun to read. When we overnight at Tarpaulin Cove with guests aboard, we always read the "ghost" story! We enjoyed the adventures and the information about various locations in Buzzards Bay and the Sounds.

Makes you wish you were a part of this family and their varied adventures. Great read and the history of their Catboat is in itself worth the price of the book. I have passed the book onto my other sailing friends for their enjoyment also. Only wish it were on Kindle.

Engaging family adventures in a vintage wooden catboat.

"In the winter of 1993 our family did something impetuously reckless by purchasing BUCKRAMMER, an almost 100-year old,leak-rust-plagued,repair-hungry wooden boat.What were we thinking?"John Conway and his family bought an old 24 foot wooden catboat with one enormous gaff sail, and sailed and repaired, and explored, and cruised buzzard Bay, Cape Cod waters, Long Island Sound, islands, coves, and estuaries. This book is just delightful. It's for anyone who sails, or who would like to sail, or who just likes reading good sailing stories. The star of the boat is an old Crosby Catboat first launched in 1908, and first used as a fishing boat, later converted to yacht use and owned by a succession of owners culminating in the Conway family. Incidentally, the cover pisture is of a Beetle Cat, a 12 foot wooden catboat that John Conway bought used and rebuilt before they bought the big Crosby catboat. This is a fun book and a good read. I enjoyed it and certainly recomend it.

John Conway has captured the essence of family sailing ... This book is a joy to read. As a wooden boat owner myself you can't help but relate to the stories, the woes, and the satisfaction of owning a classic "woodpile". I must read for any boat owner, wooden or otherwise.