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NEWS FROM THE MIAMI BOAT SHOW

Marlin Bree has been awarded a

 

Merit Award 

 

for  "The Lure of High Ice"

 from Boating Writers International

in its annual writing contest.

The article appeared in The Ensign magazine and is now

in Marlin's latest book, Bold Sea Stories 2.

 

 

 "An adrenaline surge." --- Soundings

 "A knack for writing about the world's wildest waters." ---Boating Writers International

"Fascinating." ---Canadian Yachting

"Wonderful book." --- Horst Vollman

 

Action-packed boating & sailing tales, 

from the North Atlantic to the Northwest Passage.

Special coverage: Lake Superior

 

Inside 20-foot long Persistence, the Author has a writing desk and a "nav" station. He writes many of his book chapters and magazine articles while his boat is at anchor, a "particularly restful time." The author is seated on his forward V bunk. To his left is the ultralight's centerboard trunk, on which is mounted one of the small craft's four compasses. Radios shown are the Ham Band radio, VHF (in white), and AM-FM radio.  His favorite personal book is Wake of the Green Storm (green cover, beside telegraph key). Note "ring frame" which ties in boat portside, cabin side, cabin top, mast support (with light) and centerboard trunk. 

 

 

 

New: Bold Sea Stories 2

True boating tales of adventure and survival

 

"WONDERFUL BOOK"

 

"Bold Sea Stories 2 may very well have been Marlin Bree's finest book. He has reached almost 90 years of age and his reminiscences are masterfully written.

     He was particularly taken by the history of the voyageurs. They were thriving from the 17th to the 18th centuries. They were mostly of French extraction, very few could read or write. But they were incredibly powerful and none of them would be hired if they were not at least capable of carrying two bales each weighing 90 pounds. Legend has it that one voyageur was able to carry 630 pounds for a distance of half a mile. They were transporting bales of pelts in birch canoes through the waterways of Lake Huron and Lake Superior. Marlin Bree has a longing to have lived with them, to sing their songs, to be transported back to the centuries. It comes through the pages of this wonderful book.

But there is also an incredible sadness when Marlin Bree describes the final moments of the Coyote, a boat that was flawed and should never have had that fatal battle with the North Atlantic. Mike Plant was the owner of the Coyote and he was also a close friend of the author. The lone racer was driven by forces he no longer could control. When he heard those noises he must have known what they meant. When his 4-ton bulb was stuck in the mud in Annapolis and 2 work boats yanked her off the bottom, deep in his soul he must have know that the right thing would have been to take her to a boat yard, inspect her for damage, lose a few days and maybe miss the race altogether. There were many more. These noises did not bode well and he must have known their meaning. But he ignored them. There was no time to be wasted. The race was beckoning. Fate did not allow a delay. The searches for Mike Plant have long been abandoned. His final rest is somewhere in the depths of the North Atlantic Ocean.

It is interesting that we both love Farley Mowat. He is one hell of a writer."

  ---Horst Vollman, Book Reviewer

 

 

 

 

 

Also on this website:

 

*DAS BOOT: See photos of Marlin's hand-built wood veneer boat, Persistence. Includes building details, step-by-step layup, and diagrams. Includes an explanation of this boat's fight in a 123 mph. storm on Lake Superior. 

 

BOAT TIPS:  See boat-building techniques, tips, and innovations. You might find a surprise or two you can use.  

 

 

 

Plus: more award-winning

Boating adventures! Explorations by boat!

 

*     *    *

 

Read Marlin's

first book

in his Bold Sea Stories Series:

 

BOLD

SEA

STORIES

 

"Brave and True" ---The Ensign

 

"Marlin Bree brings a mariner's insight to 21 stories that will keep you turning pages. The stories are written in Bree's Style, which means you can't put the story down until it's finished. All the stories capture the drama and inspiration of dealing with challenges on the Water."

--Dave Olmolsky, The Ensign