I was saddened to hear of Farley Mowat’s death, at the age of 92. Many will remember him as an environmentalist and a champion of the rights of native Canadians, as indeed he was. I will remember him for his books about sailing and the sea. He wrote 45 books, most of which were not about the sea. He may be best known for Never Cry Wolf, which was also made into a movie.
Nevertheless, his books Grey Seas Under and The Serpent’s Coil are classic accounts of the little understood business of deep-sea salvage. Mowat’s very funny book about his misnamed schooner, Happy Adventure, in the The Boat Who Wouldn’t Float should be required reading for any boat owner. Whatever his subject, Mowat was a master storyteller. He will be long remembered.
He was, indeed, a great story teller.
whenever i need a good laugh . . the roll on the floor kind . . i read the boat who wouldn’t float. for an insightful account of entering a foreign society . . really entering it . . i read people of the deer.
The great thing about “The Boat that Wouldn’t Float” is that, in addition to being hilarious, it makes every problem I have ever had with a boat seem not quite so terrible.