SWORD! Cried the Mastheader from his perch high above the swaying schooner as looked below at the silhouette of a 15-foot swordfish in cobalt blue waters near the edge of the Gulf Stream. Then all hell broke loose as the striker ran forward then out into the “stand” on the bowsprit some 30 feet forward of the schooner’s stem. He raised his harpoon and peered at the ocean Gladiator slowly undulating 10 feet below him in the crystalline water. He swam slowly unaware of the fate that awaited him. Then at just the right moment, the striker thrust his harpoon down into the back of the unsuspecting quarry and when the dart hit home, the mighty fish bolted and sounded for deep water trying to lose the dart and evade the hunter. It was exhilarating but dangerous. Despite this danger, the striker knew he had successfully darted another of the prized swordfish. This was the action along the south coast of New England and on Georges Bank in the summer months for more than 100 years as stalwart New England and Canadian swordfishermen hunted the powerful, unpredictable Xiphias gladius, the Atlantic swordfish. It was an exciting and lucrative trade that rewarded the skipper and crew handsomely in terms of excitement and remuneration. In this treatise, we trace this fishery from its ancient beginnings along the coast of Maine by Indigenous people some 5000 years ago through its commercial beginnings aboard the late 19th century schooners to the modern-day steel longliners that land an annual swordfish catch worth 30 million dollars. We have borrowed from many sources and old reports to recount the technical and human story of this fascinating fish and fishery.

This is a historical account of three pivotal, 20th century Fairhaven boat builders, Major J. Casey, William H. Hand Jr. and Palmer Scott. Their work influenced the fourth protagonist in this story, the famous C. Raymond Hunt who was the designer and moving force behind many famous, revolutionary yacht designs such as the Concordia yawl, Boston Whaler, and the Bertram Moppie. Major Casey was a rough old “meat and potatoes” builder who manufactured a plethora of fast sailing vessels, rum-runners and more than 100 military rescue boats during World War Two. William Hand invented the V-hull power boat in 1909 and perfected the motorsailer yacht. He was an avid swordfisherman which was a powerful motivation in his designs. Palmer Scott was a pioneer in the use of marine plywood and fiberglass for building boats. What they all had in common was Fairhaven which was the catalyst for their ultimate success.

Felony Flats is a small town in Texas located on Galveston Bay that officially goes by the name San Leon. It’s an interesting, colorful place with a curious history and a great seafood restaurant called the Top Water Grill. Up the road a piece from Felony Flats is another town named League City where my daughter Julie chose to reside providing my family's introduction to the great state of Texas. This book re-counts a twelve-year period when we bounced back and forth between summers in Oregon and winters in Texas and includes a large cast of characters.

Chesapeake Bay Sailing

“The Best Way Out” is a stirring tale of the misfortunes and triumphs of a young English/Argentine sailor from Devon in his quest to sail around Cape Horn. William Spyre defies the odds as he survives the ‘79 Fastnet Race debacle, then later arrest by the Argentine Junta as an English spy. Unable to psychologically break William, his sadistic Argentine Navy tormentor forces him into the Argentine Army as part of the invasion of the the Falkland Islands. William survives combat, is rescued by a B