Sail with yacht designer and builder Nat Benjamin as he recounts a 4,500-mile voyage he took as a young skipper in 1968.

Its September 1968, and Nat Benjamin, a 21-year-old aspiring sailor, has just been offered the challenge of a lifetime: to captain a schooner on a transatlantic delivery from the eastern Mediterranean to Newport, Rhode Island. Soon Nat learns that he has undertaken more than he bargained for and that the poorly equipped, leaky old boat, Tappan Zee, is unfit to go to sea.

Determined to complete the voyage, Nat undertakes the 4,500-mile quest from Malta to the US, navigating by the sun and stars and without auxiliary power.

The book includes:

• An account of Nats harrowing journey through the Mediterranean, parts of Africa, and, finally, across the Atlanticincluding encounters with European aristocracy, drug smugglers, and con artists, as well as romance and heartbreak.

• A collection of stunning ships drawings depicting the Tappan Zee, plus 26 beautiful illustrations.

• A detailed glossary of nautical terms to help readers on their way.

Set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War, this timeless coming-of-age story is an ode to ingenuity, adventure, and the call of the sea.

[AuthorName]By Nat Benjamin[/AuthorName][AuthorBio]Nat Benjaminfounded Gannon and Benjamin Marine Railway, a boatyard specializing in the design, construction, repair, and maintenance of traditional wooden boats. He has served as a trustee at the Mystic Seaport Museum, Marthas Vineyard Museum, and others. Nat and his wife, Pam, live on Marthas Vineyard.[/AuthorBio][NumIllustration]26 hand-drawn illustrations[/NumIllustration][CoAuthor][/CoAuthor][SubTitle]A Young Man, an Old Schooner, and an Audacious Journey Across the Atlantic[/SubTitle][ColorPattern]26 hand-drawn illustrations[/ColorPattern]