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may 2018cruisingworld.com24
by N. Slavinski (2017; Rolling
Hitch Press; paperback $12.99,
e-book from Amazon and
others $5.99)Money can’t buy happiness
— or can it? Nick, a network-
security specialist, and Kate,
an archaeologist, have ditched
their careers to follow the
cruising dream aboard Aurora,
their Valiant 32. After arriving
in Panama, an overlooked fare-
well gift box aboard Aurora
reveals letters and a journal
written by Nick’s great-grand-
father, a lifelong adventurer
who helped build the Panama
Canal. They are stunned to
discover a series of cryptic
clues that sets Kate’s archae-ologist heart racing: Nick’s an-
cestor might have stumbled
on a long-sought, priceless
pirate’s treasure in Panama —
a treasure that still remains
hidden. As they decipher the
clues, the ensuing drama offers
plenty of sailing, competition
from treasure-seeking crooks
and cartels, and a host of shady
characters, all interspersed
with regional history and de-
scriptions of cruising locales.
Woven throughout are the
dilemmas and adjustments
faced by many couples new to
small-boat cruising; as a result,
the characters come to life. A
hair-raising race to the nov-
el’s conclusion addresses ques-
tions about retribution, justice
and the real meaning of riches.
In the hands of Slavinski (her-
self a seasoned cruising sail-
or and an archaeologist) what
could have been an average
novel with an often-used
theme is one of the best sea-
faring mystery-adventure
novels to surf down the swells
in a very long time. Read it!
—Lynda Morris ChildressCCRRUUI LDYAAMM
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O OThe Silent Landscape:
The scientifi c voyage
of HMS Challenger
by Richard Corfi eld(2003; Joseph
Henry Press; paperback $16)Long before NOAA began
sending out ocean research
vessels, the British ship HMS
Challenger circled the globe,
taking soundings and dredging
on a four-year expedition in
the early 1870s.
In The Silent Landscape: The
scientifi c voyage of HMS Chal-
lenger, author Richard Corfi eld
uses entries from original jour-
nals and brings the Challenger
voyage up to date while writ-
ing a very good sea story, one
that kept this offshore sailor
fi xed until the end.
Among dealing with storms
and anchorages in unlikely
places in the middle of oceans,
daily dredgings brought up
strange objects known as man-
ganese nodules, a valuable re-
source for potential deep-
sea mining. The ship crossedthe Bermuda Triangle, and
Corfi eld discusses present-day
theories about disappearing
vessels and aircraft.
Perhaps the voyage’s most
lasting legacy was the deepest
part of the ocean in the
Marianas Trench in the far
western Pacifi c, now known as
the Challenger Deep, where
the ship recorded a staggering
27,000 feet. It’s hard to believe
that the Challenger crew man-
aged that with a lump of lead
on the bottom of hemp rope
and steel piano wire.
—Ann HoffnerCOVERS COURTESY OF THE PUBLISHERS&
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