Product Review

This book carries a 100% GUARANTEE. We GUARANTEE if you RETURN this book we will get rid of our RETURN POLICY.

Just kidding. We wouldn't get rid of our return policy. We worked too hard coming up with it. But we also don't want irate customers posting really nasty reviews of this book, so if you are not 100% satisfied, send a copy of your receipt and maybe a handwritten note explaining why you think this is the worst boating book ever to Slip None, Whittaker Creek, Oriental, North Carolina. We're not at that address — our boat sank. But they're nice people ... or where ... and hold our mail.

Now, about this business of boating. If you DO NOT own a boat, what are you waiting for? A sign? Okay, here's your sign: Salt water covers over 71% of the earth's surface. That means if you had a boat, you could be, at this very minute, wet. And possibly cold. And sunburned. You might also be financially broke and have a dent in your skull from living in a space the size of a dog house.

You may also be divorced.

Next let's talk about this book you may or may not return. Hard Aground is a collection of boating essays offering a "stuck up" look at the underside of cruising and the frustrations "land-cuffed" sailors experience when their plans for coastal exploration and tropical destinations run aground on the shoals of family, finances and failing health. These columns first appeared in Carolina Cruising and Coastal Cruising Magazine, plus a number of other boating publications — all of which went out of business. Thank you Internet.