Get Free Shipping on orders over $79
Skipjack : The Story of America's Last Sailing Oystermen - Christopher P. White

Skipjack

The Story of America's Last Sailing Oystermen

By: Christopher P. White

Paperback | 16 December 2011

At a Glance

Paperback


$37.99

or 4 interest-free payments of $9.50 with

 or 

Ships in 5 to 10 business days

In Skipjack, Christopher White spends a pivotal year with three memorable captains as they battle man and nature to control the fate of their island villages and oyster fleet. Through these lively characters, White paints a vivid picture of life on a skipjack, a wooden oystering sailboat . But this last vestige of American sailing culture is rapidly dying. These captains must set aside their rivalry to fight for their very livelihood. With so many obstacles, it is not certain the fleet will survive the season. Hinging on its success, the viability of the nation's premiere estuary and the survival of a classic American town hang dangerously in the balance.
Industry Reviews
[An] evocative portrait of the nation's most beautiful and poignant vocational anachronism. It's an action-packed tale, complete with waterborne grudge matches, on-deck shootouts, fierce winter storms and suspenseful escapes. * The Washington Post *
[A] colorful, comprehensive, and valuable piece of Americana. -- Peter Matthiessen, novelist and non-fiction writer, twice winner of the National Book Award
The world has almost run out of fish, as modern technology strips our oceans bare. Christopher White's Skipjack is a compelling story about how the wisdom of the past can help us protect the future of our fisheries. If you savor seafood, White's chronicle of the gritty life aboard America's last sailboat fishing fleet is a tale you need to hear. -- Trevor Corson, he author of Secret Life of Lobsters and The Story of Sushi
Well written, and carefully researched.... Chris White's brilliant use of the waterman's vernacular and his intimate knowledge of multiple generations of watermen combine to make this an excellent treatise on a culture that is clearly disappearing. -- Gilbert M. Grosvenor, former editor and Chairman of National Geographic Society
At a time when the last great wildernesses are melting or going up in smoke, it's comforting to know that these watermen still exist-and that a writer as insightful and lyrical as Christopher White is on hand to document their fiercely independent way of life. -- George Reiger, Wanderer on My Native Shore, and former Conservation Editor, Field & Stream
The author spent a year with the captains of three skipjacks, as they balanced politics and tradition, environmental and economic issues in their struggle to harvest oysters from their wooden sailboats. * Wooden Boat *
A stunning portrait...(White's) keen eye and lively prose together draw a clear image of a place where work, nature, and a deep connection to regional history are interwoven. Join the author as he rides along with the last vestiges of a great American tradition. * National Fisherman *
Exciting and poignant as a few aging men and boats struggle to keep a remarkable way of life alive just a little longer. * Bay Journal *

More in History of the Americas

The Shortest History of the United States of America - Don Watson
107 Days - Kamala Harris

Hardcover

RRP $49.99

$28.75

42%
OFF
The Witches : Salem, 1692 - Stacy Schiff

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF
Ask Not : The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed - Maureen Callahan
The Maginot Line : A New History of the Fall of France - Kevin Passmore
Dragon on Centre Street : New York vs. Donald J. Trump - Jonah Bromwich
The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy - John J Mearsheimer
Generation Kill - Evan Wright

$29.75

Alexander Hamilton - Ron Chernow

RRP $36.99

$22.75

38%
OFF
The Rest is History Returns : An A-Z of Historical Curiosities - Dominic Sandbrook