Around the World In 80 Years by Harry L. Heckel Jr.

[okawbow]

Not exactly a sailFar boat, but Harry L. Heckel completed his first solo circumnavigation at the age of 78, and his second at the age of 89!, in a Dreadnought 32 he finished himself. The book goes back to the beginning of his sailing life with his wife, and the building of his boat, "Idle Queen II".

Enjoyable and inspiring reading. Maybe it's not too late after all??????

I paid $4.99 on my Kindle.

[s/v Faith]

Sounds like a good read!

  I love talking to folks who have been "out there" for a long time. Often people have distilled things down to the minimum, I notice many older cruisers have abandoned outboards... 

  Others have little "tricks" for doing things, like the couple I met last year who used a pair of snatch blocks and their primary wench as a windlass...

[Jim_ME]

It does sound like a good read. Thanks for sharing it. I had not heard of it, maybe because it is so recent.

Around the World in 80 Years:
The Oldest Man to Sail Alone Around the World - Twice!
by Harry L Heckel Jr, Florence Heckel Russell
Rambling Star Publishing, 2013

Here's the synopsis of the book from Alibris...

The Oldest Singlehander in the World! At the advanced ages of 78 and 89, Harry L. Heckel, Jr., fulfilled a dream: he sailed alone around the world, not once, but twice! This Old Man of the Sea goes global, describing with a dry wit and a keen eye, the 54 countries and islands he visited, plus the sail to get there. Armchair travelers and sailors alike will be enthralled by the adventures of this Ancient Mariner: from the Killing Fields of Cambodia to the Great Wall of China, from avoiding pirates off Somalia to almost capsizing off Madagascar. An inspiring tale that proves that age is no deterrent to fulfilling your dream!

[okawbow]

I've finished the book, and it's well worth reading. I'm 60, and I'm not sure I could handle some of the things he experienced in his late 80's.

[Jim_ME]

Chuck, I am definitely putting the book on my "to-read" list.

Looking at Amazon, I see that the book reviews are very high, with 13 reviewers (out of a total of 16) giving it a 5 out of 5. The actual reviews can be read here and there seems to be a special offer for Kindle readers of $0.99. [Edit: offer seems to be gone, or I may have misread it...?]

I still read actual books, and saw that new trade paperback editions are available on Alibris, new for starting at under $10 (excluding shipping). I sometimes like to wait for a hardcover edition to come out.

I'll repost the About the Author paragraph here, since it is quite interesting...

Harry Heckel, Jr., sailed solo around the world twice. He was 78 when he completed his first circumnavigation. He was 89 when he completed his second. After his wife's death in 1989, Harry became a solo sailor. In all, Harry visited 54 countries and islands, including China, South Korea, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. He evaded pirates off Somalia, and was deliberately sideswiped by Chinese fishing boats. In Yemen, Harry was presented with a burqa-shrouded woman since he had no wife. A small village in Japan threw him a reception as the oldest sailor in the world. In June 2007 in Newport News, Harry received the Joshua Slocum Society International?s Golden Circle Award for his solo circumnavigations. Now 97, Harry lives with his son and daughter-in-law in Virginia. Florence Heckel Russell, a former reporter and copywriter, is the co-author (and better typist) of her father's travel memoir. Florence lives in Ohio with her old husband and even older cat.

Again, Thank you for suggesting what appears to be an excellent book. [And grog to you!] :)

-Jim

[Norman]

Harry Hickel ll passed away recently at 97.  His grandson, a fledgling author was there to tell grandad that he had just sold his first book, just before his death.

He was in better health at 90 than I am at 80.

Norman