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Sailing In A Spoonful of Water | 
 enlarge | Author: Joe Coomer
Publisher: Picador
Category: Book
List Price: $13.00
Buy Used: $5.95
You Save: $7.05 (54%)
New (3) Used (13) from $5.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 694503
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1 Pbk ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8
ISBN: 0312186975
Dewey Decimal Number: 797.124092
EAN: 9780312186975
ASIN: 0312186975
Publication Date: April 15, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Spine is cracked in one place. Otherwise the book is in excellent condition with only minor cover & edge wear.
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Product Description
Joe Coomer whose fiction includes the beloved New England novel Beachcombing for a Shipwrecked God, is a writer of rare warmth, generosity, and insight. Sailing in a Spoongful of Water is his memior of your years spent aboard his vintage motorsailor, Yonder, off the coast of Maine.
This is a book that will entrance lovers of the sea, yet more deeply is it's abook about family: In prose rich with humor and awe, Coomer revisits the signal moments in his life and finds in his wife and their parents and grandparents his own safest harbor. The work of a writer whose powers grow with each book, Sailing in a Spoonful of Water is that uncommon thing--a book full of welcome and joy.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Joe Coomer continues to blow me away July 25, 2006
I just finished this wonderful book last night. It's not a piece of fiction as other Coomer stories. It's actually autobiographical. Joe Coomer writes about getting his first boat, and it's all about him, his family, and his experiences as a brand new boat owner. Sounds bland if you aren't a boat person. But he writes so beautifully and pulls you right into it. I also loved how he talked about his fears and insecurities as he was learning to be a sailor and a boat owner. I grew up with ski boats that my dad built, and this book brought me back to my childhood days on the water. I was never afraid back then, feeling perfect childhood faith in my dad to keep us safe. Now I wonder if my dad felt all the same fears and thrills that Coomer shares in this absorbing book.
As with other Joe Coomer books, I find myself uncovering phrases that make me want to stop and read them again in the hopes that they will absorb into my memory. I feel like writing him a fan letter. He's that good!
 A rose wtihout a thorn. Beautiful... but.... March 14, 2002
I have read dozens of books of boating, mostly books of self discovery through experiences on the water. I haven't always liked the author as a person. I haven't always understood WHY the authors would do something such as sailing an 8 foot boat solo across the ocean. But I always learned something from them. I was challenged. I was amazed. My heart was warmed. Here I could relate to and appreciate the love Joe felt for the boat, for his family, and for nature, but there seemed to be little depth behind it or a more in-depth reason for sharing it. The people in the story buy waterfront homes and expensive motorsailors without blinking an eye. I appreciate the money Joe spent on keeping his beautiful boat afloat, and he does ponder the money spent, but it is clear it is money he can well afford. There is no crime in being wealthy, but perhaps this all came too easily for them. No crime in that either, except it makes for rather slow reading. I love my children, I love my wife, I love that funny old Model T I have in the basement, but I wouldn't write a book about it. ... So in the end, this is a book of a simple love of family and a beautiful old boat. There are a few minor challenges, but things basically go well. When it doesn't you can always pay someone to fix it. A pleasant but unchallenging book.
 Another gem by Coomer. August 18, 2000
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I almost passed this book by, for the simple reason that I'm not a boat person. Having read everything else by Joe Coomer, I gave it a try. It didn't take more than a few pages for me to realize that the author loves this vintage boat and appreciates the history behind it. Read it & you'll find yourself on the boat with him as he manages to master the problems of an old engine. As he sails around the rocky coast & buoy-mined waters of Maine, you can just about feel the dampness & the fog, the waves & the sun. Joe Coomer also introduces us to members of his family throughout the book... colorful characters who will make you laugh, then bring tears to your eyes in the end. Even if you've never been on a sailboat, vintage or "plastic," you will enjoy this vintage Coomer saga.
A Sailor I am Not! August 15, 2000
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Having only sailed a few times with friends, I consider myself an armchair sailor. I picked up this book at a friend's house and couldn't put it down. The story about the wooden boat is wonderful, but the stories about friends and family are so interwoven that you feel you are a part of Mr. Coomer's family. I look forward to reading more of his books.
A Delight to Read! December 14, 1999
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I bought this book on impulse as another addition to my ever-growing nautical library. When I began reading the book, I was delighted to see that the story takes place in the same waters I cruise. Joe Coomer's book tells of the uncertainty a new captain feels when taking command of their first boat. I laughed as he described the very same things I've felt and experienced as a new skipper. My only regret is that I didn't buy the book before getting my cabin cruiser. It showed me that I'm not the only one these things happen to.
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