On July 24, 2013, lobsterman John Aldridge fell overboard 40 miles off Long Island, New York, as his fishing partner aboard Anna Mary, Anthony Sosinski, slept below. Lost in the North Atlantic without a life jacket, fending off sharks and sea birds, Aldridge discovers that his boots can be filled with air, which “changes everything.” Meanwhile, the close-knit Montauk fishing community joins with the Coast Guard to bring home one of their own.
A Speck in the Sea includes Aldridge’s account and Sosinki’s narration of the rescue operation that saved him. (Weinstein Books, $27)
Ice Dodgers
There are seven routes through the Northwest Passage, and David Scott Cowper has sailed all of them — four single-handed. The Frozen Frontier is the story of his fifth transit, and it’s written by crewmember Jane Maufe, the four times great-niece of Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin, who died trying to find the Northwest Passage in 1847. Leaving Ireland in August 2012 on the aluminum 48-footer Polar Bound, a former lifeboat, they became the first private vessel to navigate the most northerly route. (Bloomsbury, $28)
Small Boats, Epic Voyages
In Notable Boats, Nic Compton summarizes the stories of 36 real and fictional small boats and their inspirational voyages, from an 11-foot micro-cruiser built on an apartment balcony and sailed around the world, to a seven-day voyage that changed singer-songwriter John Lennon’s life. There are tales from the Nile to the Poles, and from the Spanish Main across the Seven Seas. Each story includes a color illustration of the boat, the plan view showing its deck layout and a map of its course. (Rizzoli International Publications, $30)
This article originally appeared in the June 2017 issue.
