This is our just released, hot-off-the press book. 230 pages long, with numerous photos and illustrations.

Title: "Buy, Outfit, and Sail" by Cap'n Fatty Goodlander

Full subtitle: "How to Inexpensively and Safely BUY, OUTFIT, and SAIL a Small Vessel Around the World."

Overview of book:

The primary aim of this book is to assist the frugal, safety-conscious sailor in the purchase and repair of a modest sailboat capable of circumnavigating.

The core premise: there is little correlation between dollars spent and pleasure received when it comes to cruising offshore. Cheaper boats can be far more seaworthy than their expensive counterparts if the skipper’s money is spent wisely.

It is also a practical step-by-step guide to circumnavigating inexpensively—written by a freedom-loving sailor who has sailed twice around the world on a $3,000 salvaged boat.

What equipment do you really to sail offshore? How can you acquire much of this gear for free or inexpensively? What items are cheap where? How can you earn "freedom chips" as you cruise? Which routes are best? What common cruising gear do you NOT need? Why?

It even points out the advantages of being on a tight budget: more friends, sharing, destinations, time, culture, freedom, fun, camaraderie, parties, and a clearer cruising focus.

In addition, it opens up a completely new, fresh “sea gypsy” world to the landlubber—a wonderful, wacky, watery world of international brotherhood upon the high seas.

Of special interest is the unusual, non-PC section on earning-as-you-go.

The book is divided into three main sections: how-to buy a boat for peanuts, how-to safely outfit that vessel cheaply, and how-to happily sail around the world on a handful of pennies. The focus is on simple, effective, practical, inexpensive solutions that allow the sailor-on-a-shoestring to have twice the fun on half the money.

The dream of leisurely sailing around the world is neither an impossible nor unrealistic one. Dozens of sailors escape to paradise every day. Why not you?

The book is available in both paper and electronic versions via Amazon.com.


The Kindle Edition is currently available here for Kindle, PC, Mac, and iPad.

The Print book is here.

Another of my books, released Nov 2010, is 'RED SEA RUN: Two Sailors in a Sea of Trouble.' It is available through Amazon.com in both print and Kindles editions. It chronicles our 2010 Indian ocean passage, our transit of the dreaded Gulf of Aden, and our trip up the Red Sea to the Suez Canal. It pulls no punches, and describes our fear of the Somali pirates and our disgust with the Suez Canal officials as honestly and straight-forward as possible. While parts of it are funny, some of it is deadly serious. We hope you enjoy it. We enjoyed living it... well, most parts, anyway.

Chasing the Horizon was written in 1990 (with a new illustrated edition in spring of '08) and is one of the wildest life stories and cruising yarns ever written. This is still, after 22 years, my favorite book! Click on either image to go to Amazon.com and learn more.

New: Cap'n Fatty's May Cruising World video

Here's the FAT story...

We need money. But we like to sail. And we know that working can interfere with sailing if you're not careful.

...so we're very careful.

This means a job-job is out.  (Frankly, I've never had a job that didn't look good in my rear view mirror.)

Plus, we prefer to shun the shore... too many dirt-dwellers, shore-huggers and dock-queens for our tastes.

So instead we live by our wits. At sea. On landless atolls. Anchored off primitive islands. Far up uncharted rivers. In deserted safe harbors.

...just beyond the jagged rim of civilization.

...aboard the 52-foot schooner Elizabeth (built 1924), the 22-foot double-ender (1932) Corina, the 36-foot Endurance ketch Carlotta (1974) and our current $3,000 hurricane-salvaged S&S-designed 38-foot sloop Wild Card.

...we chase the horizon.

Eternally.

The question is, can this web site help us continue to do so in grand style? If so, it will grow. If not...

Here's the scam...

We need you to buy one of our books, or if you really don't have any literary criteria, all of 'em! Don't send us the money. We'd just spent it like, well, like drunken sailors. Instead, buy a book HERE.

Eventually, the money will trickle down to us, and we'll be able to buy some food or some more duct tape to repair Wild Card's mainsail. (After 50,000+ ocean miles, that rag is... well, exactly that.)

Oh, yeah. Most of the photographs are for sail...er, sale. Send me an email here for more info.

Eventually, our little devious minds will probably come up with more clever ways of shaking you down for spare change. But for now, this will have to do.

I know. I know.This web site may strike you as kinda casual and laid back. That's fine. We like being silly and irreverent. In reality, that's sort-of our message. Carolyn and I sail around the world and never get too serious. Not even about money. Instead, we just have fun and allow the rest of it to take care of itself.

Remember: The trick is to live while you're alive!