Carol Newman Cronin's Blog, page 7

Book Review: The Last Days of the Schooner America

As soon as I started reading The Last Days of the Schooner America by Annapolis sailor Dave Gendell, I wanted to see a map of exactly where the famous schooner spent her final years. Chesapeake locals like the author would already know where the Annapolis Yacht Yard was in 1940, but I wasn’t sure: which of the buildings I pass by on my way to Severn Sailing Association were the ones he says are still in use?

It wasn’t until page 94 that the first map appeared, and by then I was thoroughly caught up in America’s colorful life. She was only a few weeks old when she won the silver ewer now known as the America’s Cup; a decade later, she fought on both sides of the Civil War. She also served as a viewing platform for early 20th century America’s Cup competitions before retiring to a dock at the U.S. Naval Academy. 

In 1940, America was hauled out for a much-needed refit… and it’s hardly a spoiler to identify her final resting place as right near what today is the Chart House Restaurant. But even though the U.S. wouldn’t officially enter World War II for another year, tooling up to build wooden warships was already a much higher priority for the Annapolis Yacht Yard. It’s hard to imagine Spa Creek as either sleepy backwater or warship assembly line, but Gendell deftly weaves together firsthand reminiscences and archival documents to capture a unique moment in history. He also shows the interwoven tension between two seemingly unrelated narratives: the wish to restore a glorious but ancient race boat, and the need to win a world war, all overlaid by the timeless limitations of manpower and waterfront workspace. 

Considering the high quality writing and meticulous research details, I was very surprised by the large number of typos and missing small words (the, an, a). But even if you’ve also got a sharp eye for such things, I strongly recommend this book. History and sailing buffs alike will definitely enjoy learning more about this iconic vessel—and the next time I stroll by her final resting place, I will certainly look at that familiar waterfront with far more perspective. 

Read my other Book Reviews

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Making More Magical Maine Memories

Today marks a significant transition: the midsummer step into August (die she must). We are in Maine, so I’m taking this week off from blogging. Below are some memories based on previous escapes to the Pine Tree State.

Maine paddling. Click in the photo to see more from PaulCroninStudios

Getting away

We live in an amazing place, but in 2016 I finally figured out the true benefit of vacations: perspective. Because “it’s not the actual view that matters; it’s the fact that the view is a different one from home.”

Seasonal shifts

I remember childhood cruises to Maine as chilly and damp, so 2022’s heat advisory was a big surprise.

Sailboat racing

The Eggamoggin Reach Regatta is One Ton of Summer Fun.

Reading reflections

Why I never once mixed up two very similar novels I read the same week.

Slowing Down, Down East

I’m so glad I captured the joys of a Maine cruise with my parents back when it was just a normal part of every summer.

I hope you are fitting in some summer fun as well, because “August won’t last forever no matter where we spend it.” Share your thoughts about this magical time of year in the comments below, or send me an email. I read every single one, with gratitude (though you might not get a response until next week).

Thanks for sharing this amazing journey, and I’ll be back “live” next week!

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Parade in Paris: Let the Inspiration Begin

Tomorrow, the 2024 Olympic Games will be declared officially open. The Olympic flame will be lit, and athletes from around the world will parade in behind their flags. 

A little more than two weeks later, those same athletes will come together again for the closing ceremonies—but this time, as individuals; perhaps arm in arm with a new international friend. It’s one of my favorite symbols of the Games, this transformation from country identity to member of an elite international clan.

Twenty summers ago, I marched into the Athens opening ceremonies surrounded by the height and hype of Team USA; basketball players, swimmers, runners—and of course my fellow sailors. I will never forget the roar of the crowd, the dizzying camera flashes, and how absolutely everyone was smiling; it remains one of my top three memories. I was not your typical Olympian, but in that parade I shared a common joy with all the athletes. 

Not your typical Olympian, because I had recently turned 40. On the Team USA bus to the stadium that night, a gymast first asked me my sport—and then if I was a coach. In her world, I would’ve aged out two decades earlier.

Luckily, sailing remains a lifetime sport. This year, Stu McNay will celebrate his 43rd birthday while sailing his fifth Olympics! This is the first Games with one combined medal in the 470 (one man, one woman on each boat), so Stu has teamed up with 2020ne Olympian Lara Dallman-Weiss. I’m rooting for the entire US team of course, but I’ll be cheering especially loudly for these two veterans, because they have the experience I lacked at my first and only Games; the self-knowledge about how each can best embrace or ignore the hype and hysterics that makes the Olympics more five-ring circus than “just another regatta.” 

The level of professionalism and the hours to prepare and qualify have only increased in the past 20 years, which is inspiring all on its own as I watch from the comfort of my own couch. Good luck to all, and Let the Games Begin!

Read previous Olympic posts

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Looking Back on Our Olympic Trials Win

This post originally appeared as a Throwback Thursday on boats.com

Back in early 2004, there was only one thing that got me out of bed every morning: the goal of winning the U.S. Olympic Trials. Most details had been decided years before: the boat was the Yngling, a 21 foot keelboat making its Olympic debut. The location was Miami’s Biscayne Bay. And the watershed date was Sunday, February 22, 2004, the final day of the event: only when we knew who won would we know what life would be like on February 23, and beyond.

The postcard commemorating our victory as Team Atkins

Along with my teammates, Liz Filter and Nancy Haberland, I’d moved to Miami for the winter in order to spend every possible minute training. We’d all put our regular lives at home on hold: jobs, significant others, and (in Liz’s case) kids. Our sole focus for three months was to make faster what was, in the big picture, a pretty slow and old-fashioned boat. Our dinner conversations and after-practice debriefs all revolved around minutia: how to shave a microsecond off a mark rounding, how to perfect a spinnaker set. But the big picture formed an easy soundbite: “We’re training for the Olympics.”

When the ten-day, winner-take-all Trials began, we were ready. And though there are many, many, incredible moments frozen in my memory about that intense week, my all-time favorite came on day 3, just after we posted two top finishes in conditions that were not usually our strength. I’d already pointed the bow toward the harbor when Nancy turned back to look at Liz and me, a strange look on her face.

“We’re going to win this thing, aren’t we,” she said.

“Hell, yeah!” Liz replied.

Seven days and twelve races later, we made that prediction come true.

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How to Be a Great Snipe Crew

Last weekend I had the chance to sail with Bonnie Shope, a long-time sailing acquaintance who last set foot in a Snipe back in 1998—and that was as skipper, the far easier role. She bravely took on the challenge of crewing for me to help celebrate the Newport Regatta’s 40th Anniversary, and we managed to tie for third overall. It was a lot of fun, but it was also a great reminder of what I first learned more than thirty years ago: crewing in a Snipe is really, really, hard. 

Mechanical techniques can be learned with practice and repetition, but here are four less teachable skills that should be on any aspiring Snipe crew’s resumé.

1. You have to be physically fit

Also, willing to contort yourself into a tiny ball in light air and then hike hard in breeze—and that’s just for straight-line sailing. Add in mark rounding challenges like launching and dousing the pole with both speed and accuracy, pulling up a heavy centerboard, and perching awkwardly on the foredeck to reduce wetted surface downwind (without leaning on the shroud)… what can I say, it’s a full body workout that’s impossible to replicate in a gym.

2. You have to “feel” what the boat needs

This is MUCH harder when not holding onto the tiller. In light air, especially when a sunny Sunday brings out the powerboats, keeping the Snipe going through a constant barrage of irregular waves requires subtle but constant jib sheet and weight adjustments. 

3. You have to fill in the skipper’s blind spots

Locate the next puff, point out other boats and their enormous wind shadows—all while adjusting weight and sails to better navigate over the next wave.  

4. You have to try and bring out the best in your skipper

Even when—especially when—she’s not doing her own job well. 

Perhaps inspired by Bonnie’s willingness to try something completely new, for this week’s fleet racing I committed to the front of the boat. Andrew Pimental and I raced together for several years back in the 1990s, so it wasn’t a completely unfamiliar role for me—and together, we managed to win the first race. But it was both a physical and mental reminder of how hard Snipe crews work. Have you thanked your crew today?

We are never too old to try something new, and curiosity is the key to eternal youth. Yet it’s very hard to step out of our comfort zones…. because they’re so “comfortable.” So thanks to Bonnie for taking on a fresh challenge, and to Andrew for the chance to experience the front of my own boat—if only so I can truly appreciate how much easier it is in the back.

Got a special crew you want to thank? Share their name in the comments below—and also let them know directly. Meanwhile, thanks for being here to read my weekly ponderings, and happy High Summer!

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New Novel Alert: The Astrology House

In the fall of 2020, I took an Advanced Novel Planning course to help me write my next novel more efficiently. Instead, almost four years later, the seminar’s most lasting legacy is quite different: weekly checkins with a fellow classmate. She was working on a book about a group of Manhattanites who gather for a Long Island weekend that ends in murder—and on July 16, that much-revised novel goes out into the world as The Astrology House. 

I’ve never actually met Carinn Jade in person, but after almost four years of weekly emails to share our writing goals (both short- and long-term), I’m really excited to see all of her perseverance rewarded. Looking back, our threads provide a good reminder of the ups and downs of author life: “I reached my goal last week but it was a struggle,” compared to “this story is just pouring out of me!” 

In June 2021, I had this to say about the value of our ongoing accountability:

“It’s the first time I’ve predicted to anyone else how many hours I plan to put into fiction writing… and I’ve found it surprisingly inspiring. There’s a lot to be said for having a weekly check-in, even such a completely casual one.” (Read more in Fiction Writing Restart)

Along the way, I read two different drafts of Carinn’s WIP and fell in love/hate with her fantastically memorable characters. She took any sharpening suggestions in the spirit intended (to make the book better), and a few months later she shared joyous news: she’d signed with an agent. I cheered even louder when, only a few months after that, an email arrived entitled “my best Monday check-in ever:” her book had sold at auction. (That means more than one publisher bid on the manuscript.) 

Fast forward to this past May, when a beautiful Advance Reader Copy arrived in my mailbox… and I dove into a now-tightly-woven thriller that kept me turning pages long after I should’ve turned out the light. The characters I remembered were even more marvelously flawed, and the story had been edited into a completely closed-room murder mystery. No wonder all the copies sold out at Carinn’s first ever booksigning event!

I won’t be at the official launch party on July 16, but I will continue to cheer from afar for both book and author as they wow the world. Writing is not a competition, because no one else can tell our own unique stories. So here’s to Carinn, my wonderful judgment-free Monday accountability partner; I’m so glad you’ve been rewarded for your perseverance!

Order your copy of The Astrology House

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Jerry Kirby: All the Stories are True

Happy July 4th! It feels very patriotic to share with you today the story of a great American sailor.

We were having dinner with a neighbor shortly after I submitted a profile of Jerry Kirby to Seahorse Magazine, and mentioning his name brought on a predictable question: “Wasn’t he the guy who jumped off the Newport Bridge?” I laughed, because that’s how I opened the piece—and absolutely no one had seen it yet except the editor.

Jerry is not just a legend in the sailing world; he’s also a fantastic storyteller, so the hardest part of writing this profile was choosing which tales to include. Sadly, just before publication his younger son lost his life; though we didn’t talk about Seamus very much, I’m glad I got the chance to learn a little bit about him from his very proud Papa.

Seahorse has graciously let me share the article with all of you, but to read Rod Davis’s latest take on why the Olympics can’t be treated like any other regatta, you’ll have to subscribe.

Thanks for reading, and now… here’s… Jerry.

Previous Seahorse Profiles

Peter Harken: What an Amazing Guy

Buddy Melges: He Really Was a Wizard

Toppa Talks: One Job, One (Big) Dream

Circus Minimus: The Rich Life of Bill Mattison

Mark Reynolds: Hard Chines and Unasked Questions

Augie Diaz: Lucky AND Good

Dawn Riley: Setting the Standard

Clicks of Chance: Onne van der Wal

Just Say Yes: Stan and Sally Honey

Rod Davis: Why You Need His Wisdom in 2021

Rod Johnstone: An Amazing Legacy of Yacht Designs

A Final Conversation with Harry Anderson

Life Lessons from Dave Perry

Vince Brun Profile in Seahorse

Only One Jud (Smith)

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Hound in Sailing World: Running with the Pack

A year ago, I shared that I’m working on a book about a boat called Hound. Since then, I’ve become a bit of a groupie… because I so enjoy the people who sail on her.

Which is why I spent far too much time last weekend refreshing the tracker to check their progress in the 2024 Newport to Bermuda Race. The iconic 636 mile race was the first one the boat ever sailed (in 1970), and this was the fourteenth time Hound participated. We went out to watch the start on Coastal Queen, but once they left Narragansett Bay we could only follow electronically. Now I can happily report that they finished first in class (for the second time in a row, and the fourth time ever), and second overall— the boat’s best-ever St. David’s Lighthouse division finish. Nice job, team!

All in the name of research: heading out of Falmouth Harbor, Antigua, for a practice sail with owner Dan Litchfield and navigator Ed Cesare. Photo: PaulCroninStudios

The June issue of Sailing World includes a story about Hound’s Caribbean 600 history and results, and the magazine’s editor has graciously allowed me to share the PDF with you below. I think it shows why this is such an easy boat to root for, as well as how much the crew enjoys pushing hard on such a beautiful classic. It’s also the first time that Paul’s photos have illustrated a story I wrote for a magazine, a wonderful example of how we intertwine work and play into the best possible life.

Got a question about Hound? I can probably answer it! Send me an email, or leave a comment below. And don’t forget to follow this handy QR code to your very own Sailing World subscription; there are plenty of other great stories inside.

Thanks for joining me on this incredible journey, and happy summer.

Read Running with the Pack

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Snipe Sailing and Wingfoiling: It’s All About Community

One of the many commonalities between my book life and my boat life is the need for Community. As a writer, I try to help others navigate the minefields of novel writing and publishing—and I couldn’t have sent 5 books out into the world without receiving similar support. As a sailor, I really enjoy sharing my very specific knowledge—as long as it doesn’t interfere with actually getting on the water. In both cases, no detail is too small to be discussed and dissected; that’s the thing about shared passions. 

Communities don’t just happen; sometimes, we have to put in both short- and long-term time and energy to build them ourselves. This summer, I’m revelling in two: the rebuild of Snipe Fleet 17 in Newport, and a grass-roots wingfoiling group that sails together whenever the wind is stronger than other obligations.

Last year, I told you that Snipes had an evening race series for the first time since the year my crew was born (and along the way, I gained a new Snipe buddy, who now self-describes as the Fleet 17 burger-flipper). This year, we started off the season by racing two Mondays in a row! And though we only had three boats out each night, they weren’t the SAME three boats…

We are also going to have a strong fleet for the Newport Regatta, July 13-14, with folks coming in from all up and down the East Coast. I can’t wait to play host instead of visitor for once!

As for wingfoiling, Paul and I almost always go together—but it’s even more fun when others join the fun too. Last summer, we tried to coordinate with other sailors about our timing, but it was all a bit hit or miss. This year, Paul set up a shared chat with three other sailors. We let each other know when (and where) we’re going to launch, and also share tips and high fives. Since we all come from the competitive sailing world but learn at different rates, the banter is both educational and entertaining. Sharing the experience makes the good days even better, and it takes the sting out of sessions when I fall more often than planned.

What works for one Community doesn’t always work for another, but the adhesive that holds each together is the same: clear and consistent communication. The Snipe fleet has a WhatsApp group, while the (older) foiling gang uses text messaging. Today’s comms options can seem overwhelming, especially when trying to span generational gaps… but the key is to find one system that works for most, and then use it in a way that makes everyone feel included.

Got an example of Community that supports your book or boat habit? Drop me an email, or add a comment below (because those are the two communication channels that work best for me). I read every single one, with gratitude.

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Happy 15th Birthday to Where Books Meet Boats

2024 marks several personal life landmarks. In addition to a “zero” birthday, I’m celebrating the 30th anniversary of starting my life with Paul—and 20 years since I sailed in the Olympics!

This month is also the 15th anniversary of my blog, so even though I agree with Mark Schaefer that nobody cares, I took a stroll back through the archives to highlight some of my favorite posts. Cue the wayback machine to…

2009

The second edition of Oliver’s Surprise comes out, leading to The Best Question a Fourth Grader Ever Asked Me.

2010

Cape Cod Surprise comes off the ways, and I write my 101st blog post.

2011

The first time I try to answer: Where do I get my ideas?

2012

I publish a novel it took 18 years to finish. And compare story writing to parenting, only one of which I know anything about.

2013

A “real” job proves a major distraction to both novels and blogs, but it gives me a larger platform—and a wider perspective! 

2014

We lose three people I still think about almost every day: Robert O. Bigelow, Hugh Elliot, and Bob “Buddha” Billingham. I muse on High Summer, and a book discussion reveals where fiction meets fact.

2015

The year I win my first 2 writing awards for Olympic Broach and Simple Boating, manage to Kill the Blog, and return to self-employment. I also fantasize about Just Writing, and re-commit to a blog every single Thursday.

2016

I start working on the story that didn’t go away, take my first writing research trip, and realize I Speak Sailing

2017

The Safety at Sea manual teaches the value of a deadline, my first Sailing World byline in a decade, and your first tour of Cooperation Island.

2018

The year I become a World Champion and sign with a literary agent! (after hiring a developmental editor)

2019

A publishing contract for Ferry to Cooperation Island, my first Seahorse Profile, and 10 years of blogging

2020

Ferry to Cooperation Island has a barefoot book launch.

2021

Sportsmanship and heroes, the importance of thanking your teammate (again) , and gifts from FERRY. Plus a strange island feels familiar, and we say goodbye to my illustrator-sister-in-law.

2022

My first non-fiction book, 100 Years of Gold Stars, crosses the finish line.

2023

I reveal a new non-fiction project and lose my voice—just when I needed it most. We also lose my Mom, though I still hear her voice in my head.

Thank you

When I started blogging in 2009, social media was brand new. Ebooks were going to replace print. And freelancers were just starting to gain traction as friendly rather than feral. Blogs have been through several evolutions since then, but your continued interest in my weekly musings have encouraged me to keep at it—and both my writing and my distinctive voice have improved as a result. So thanks to all of you, especially those who’ve been subscribers for all 15 years!

2024

is almost half over, and I’ve already had a few zero-worthy celebrations. Looking ahead, there will be plenty of book and sailing news. Do you know someone who’d enjoy my weekly musings? Please encourage them to subscribe, because I still feel like I’m just getting started in this quest to link books with boats. 

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