As Long as It's Fun
The Epic Voyages and Extraordinary Times of Lin and Larry Pardey
- 2014 INDIES Winner
- Honorable Mention, Sports (Adult Nonfiction)
- 2014 INDIES Finalist
- Finalist, Adventure & Recreation (Adult Nonfiction)
- 2014 INDIES Finalist
- Finalist, Biography (Adult Nonfiction)
The adventures of the Pardeys are populated by colorful friends and some shady characters, all of whom have made their seafaring lives that much more exciting.
Lin and Larry Pardey have spent much of their lives sailing around the world on their two homemade sailboats, the Seraffyn and the Taleisin. When once asked how long they would be gone, they agreed, “as long as it’s fun.” The adventurous and often dangerous lives the Pardeys speak of is not for everyone, but this biography is fun from beginning to end. Herb McCormick, former editor-in-chief of Cruising World magazine, author of three previous nautically-themed books, and yachting correspondent for the New York Times, presents a page-turner that will entertain sailors and landlubbers alike.
Mary Lin Zatkin was a rebellious girl from the San Fernando Valley, bored at the college from which she soon dropped out before being introduced to Larry Pardey, a young man with sailing in his blood. They hit it off immediately and were married in 1968. McCormick seamlessly weaves the Pardeys lives together through the challenges they faced on the open seas. A physical fight and many squabbles reveal the tension brought about by living in close quarters and being surrounded by limitless oceans for months at a time.
Two circumnavigations around the globe, each taking more than a decade, receive the most attention, but also vividly retold are the many side trips along the way, including a memorable 1993 South African safari. And there are gripping accounts of navigating storms without engines (neither of the Pardey yachts had them) and equally intense stories of Hurricane Agnes in 1973 and the 1977 typhoon in India.
Readers will be delighted by descriptions of colorful characters who became yachting friends, as well as tales of shady characters, such as the ones who planted drugs on a yacht the Pardeys were transporting. Over the years, Lin and Larry became highly respected writers, coauthoring nine books about yachting.
McCormick is a longtime yachtsman who, despite a few times where he includes too many details for non-nautical audiences, has done a yeoman’s job of capturing the excitement and exotic lives of these two devoted sailors who spent four decades living their dreams of sailing and traveling throughout the world. The Pardeys are now enjoying a Jimmy Buffet life in North Cove, New Zealand, where, as always, they are never too far from the sea.
Reviewed by
Karl Helicher
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
