Ocean Passages - Paperback

by Mike Gemus (Author)

In this recollection of a life-time of ocean sailing, Mike Gemus describes his sailing roots racing on the Detroit River, the blinding obsession with sailing he acquired, and the several offshore ocean passages - including three Atlantic crossings - that followed. True stories all of them, Mike brings you aboard to see the storms, the ego-eccentric crew mates, the lunatic captains, and the wonderful folks and experiences that came along during these Ocean Passages. Written for the sailor and the non-sailor alike, Ocean Passages compares with the offshore sailing stories written by the great adventurers. Want to go yourself? Mike tells you how to do it, how NOT to do it, and what surprises to expect along the way.

Author Biography

Mike Gemus grew up in a large French Canadian family, enjoying Canadian and US citizenships and switching residences several times between Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario. Never seeing salt water until his college years, Mike's early marine activities involved rowboats and small power boats as he gunkholed on both sides of the international border, much as slaves seeking freedom and distillers seeking to sell prohibited booze had done throughout history on the Detroit River. Discovering the beauty of sailing in the late seventies, Mike sailed extensively in the Great Lakes, quitting work at the age of 34 and "taking off" for the ocean. More work obligations would follow, but an early retirement allowed him to pursue all of his offshore ocean sailing dreams. Mike still sails extensively - when not riding his bicycle across the country - and lives in historic Ypsilanti, MI.