Kids for Sail

Laurence Steven is Chairman of the English Department at Laurentian
University and author of Dissociation and Wholeness in Patrick White’s
Fiction.

Kids for Sail is a nonfiction adventure written by a mother and son
team. Sam and his little brother Charlie find that their parents have
sold their home and most of their belongings to buy a 40-foot sailboat
in order to sail around the Pacific ocean. Sam and his family sail from
Victoria, B.C. to the Hawaiian Islands, then on to New Zealand with
numerous places in between.

This real-life adventure, written from Sam’s perspective, focuses on
the children’s sailing experiences, the interesting people and places
they encounter, and the extremely stormy seas they sometimes endure. It
also includes information about many of the things Sam learns, such as
the nomenclature of a sailboat, how to tie “neat” sailor’s knots,
all the uses of the coconut tree, what celestial navigation is, and all
about volcanos. Excellent drawings and charts illustrate the text. (The
line drawings were done by Sam as part of his on-board school
curriculum.)

Kids for Sail is easy to read, informative, and enjoyable. Though
written for a younger audience, it is also suitable for adults learning
about sailing at the beginner level.