At the Mercy of the River

Author: Peter Stark
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Book Description
Even in this age of extreme sports and made-for-TV survival games, there still exist places on earth where the most intrepid among us can plunge into truly unknown territory. The acclaimed adventure writer Peter Stark had waited all his life for just such an opportunity. But when he was invited to Africa to join a small expedition kayaking down Mozambique’s Lugenda River, he balked. The 750-kilometer rivercourse was largely uncharted–dotted with rapids, waterfalls, and home to deadly crocodiles and hippos; two of his four travel companions were not skilled kayakers; and he had a family to think of, (not to mention that at forty-eight, he himself was feeling a bit old for the life untamed). Suppressing inner doubts and driven by that most human of urges–to see what lies beyond the next bend–Stark signed on for the adventure of a lifetime. At the Mercy of the River is Stark’s harrowing, insightful account of this venture into the unknown. “Why,” he muses between capsizes in the Lugenda’s croc-infested waters, “are humans compelled to explore?” The expedition’s five distinct–and sometimes clashing–personalities provide individual answers to that question. Equipped with only the most rudimentary comforts and lacking the customary explorer’s gun, the party encounters breathtaking natural splendor, rich wildlife, and villages little affected by modern life. Ever aware that they are following in the metaphorical footsteps of great explorers of the past–Vasco da Gama, Mungo Park, Ibn Battuta, David Livingstone, and other men of adventure who bridged Africa and the West–Stark shares these explorers’ stories with us, finding a common thread linking his experience with theirs. Using their accounts, his travails on the Lugenda River, and the insights of wilderness philosophers such as Henry David Thoreau, Stark attempts to understand the very nature of “exploration” while pondering the question, Where will we go when our wilderness vanishes? At the Mercy of the River is at turns inspiring, heart-thumping, and even amusing. But most of all, it is a riveting adventure story for a time when adventure is in danger of losing its meaning.

At the Mercy of the Sea

Author: John Kretschmer
Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional
ISBN: 0071743065
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 236

Book Description
“The tale of Carl Wake and the hurricane that was waiting for him goes straight to the heart of the greatest sea stories: they are not about man against the sea, but man against himself. John Kretschmer’s book is as perfectly shaped and flawlessly written as such a story can be. In addition to being the best depiction I have ever read of what it is like to be inside a hurricane at sea, At the Mercy of the Sea is as moving a story of a man’s failure and redemption as can be found anywhere in the literature of the sea. This book is surely destined to become a classic.”—Peter Nichols, author of Sea Change and A Voyage for Madmen “John Kretschmer has transformed this story of three men on a collision course with a hurricane into a modern seafaring classic.”—Peter Nielsen, editor of SAIL magazine “With expert analysis and taut writing, he draws readers into that mad storm. You can’t turn away. You keep reading until it breaks your heart.”—Fred Grimm, columnist for the Miami Herald “Once begun, his vivid and powerful narrative is impossible to put down.”—Derek Lundy, author of Godforsaken Sea and The Way of a Ship “I felt I knew Carl Wake, because John Kretschmer found in him an archetype—an aging sailor with an age-old dream.”—Jim Carrier, transatlantic sailor and author of The Ship and the Storm: Hurricane Mitch and the Loss of the Fantome “A remarkable book, impossible to put down.”—Herb McCormick, sailing journalist

As The Sailor Loves The Sea

Author: Ballard Hadman
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN: 1786254506
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 319

Book Description
Described in graphic & amusing detail, making a living from the sea. The artistic Ms. Hadman went to Alaska in 1938 to paint and draw, but while there met and married a fisherman in the Southeast. Here she tells of their isolated life in the village of Craig, and later in Sitka (hardly a metropolis then, either); of how she too became fisherfolk and a native, and how the War affected them and their neighbors.

The Mercy Ocean

Author: Vincent A Salamoni Msa
Publisher: Independently Published
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 139

Book Description
Simply described as a collection of information, which perhaps will USEFUL TO YOU AND/OR OTHERS! Father Vincent's book of meditative reflections offers a spiritual journey into the depths of grace through the maritime imagery of the Mercy Ocean. "Fr. Salamoni's unique reflections on Faith and Life in a nautical context have always spoken to me and others who are involved in maritime work and the ministry to the People of the Sea. May this collection be an inspiration to all mariners, and all who live, recreate or work upon the vast waters." -- Doreen M Badeaux, Secretary General Apostleship of the Sea of the United States of America "I have served with Fr Salamoni for many years as a fellow Active Duty Navy Chaplain. I have been the beneficiary of his writings which were always joyful, thought provoking, and a delight to read. I heartily and happily give my endorsement to this latest collection. Enjoy!" - Bishop Joseph L Coffey, Vicar for Veterans Affairs, Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA On the occasion of the 9/11 Boatlift 20th Anniversary Tribute: "Thank you Chaplain: We appreciate you thinking of us as we prepare to honor the heroes, victims and survivors. Your maritime-related prayers continue to uplift many of our members." - Jessica LM Hitchen, Executive Director, New York Council Navy League "May The Mercy Ocean be a source of consolation for all who ponder on its gems of wisdom." -- Very Rev. Peter S. Kucer, MSA, STD; President-Rector of Holy Apostles College & Seminary. "To those who meditate, the Spirit's gift of Knowledge and Understanding is abundant, and the Heart of Jesus is open for us to see if we seek Him in such a path. Father Vincent's short work of collected meditations and memorable quotes from various sources is a simple and genuine fruit of his own labor of meditation. Enveloped in beautiful images, and even more beautiful thoughts, The Mercy Ocean is a piece meant to help those along their own path of meditation. Read slowly, read carefully, and read seeking the face of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary." -- Fra. Angelo, Knights of the Holy Eucharist "More than a sailor's retreat, Fr. Vincent Salamoni's The Mercy Ocean is a sailor's delight in the way it inspires the contemplative to cast out into the deep of God's mercy and grace." -- Dr. Sebastian Mahfood, OP, author of The Narrative Spirituality of Dante's Divine Comedy: a hundred-day guided journal

At the Mercy of the Mountains

Author: Peter Bronski
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1493009273
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 337

Book Description
In the tradition of Eiger Dreams, In the Zone: Epic Survival Stories from the Mountaineering World, and Not Without Peril, comes a new book that examines the thrills and perils of outdoor adventure in the “East’s greatest wilderness,” the Adirondacks.

The Power of the Sea

Author: Bruce Parker
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
ISBN: 0230112242
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 509

Book Description
The Power of the Sea describes our struggle to understand the physics of the sea, so we can use that knowledge to predict when the sea will unleash its fury against us. In a wide-sweeping narrative spanning much of human history, Bruce Parker, former chief scientist of the National Ocean Service, interweaves thrilling and often moving stories of unpredicted natural disaster with an accessible account of scientific discovery. The result is a compelling scientific journey, from ancient man's first crude tide predictions to today's advanced early warning ability based on the Global Ocean Observing System. It is a journey still underway, as we search for ways to predict tsunamis and rogue waves and critical aspects of El Niño and climate change caused by global warming.

Mystical Hope

Author: Cynthia Bourgeault
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1561011932
Category : Hope
Languages : en
Pages : 118

Book Description
In five interwoven meditations, Mystical Hope shows how to recognize hope in our own lives, where it comes from, how to deepen it through prayer, and how to carry it into the world as a source of strength and renewal.

Sailing to the Edge of Time

Author: John Kretschmer
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472951638
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 319

Book Description
John Kretschmer is sailing's practical philosopher – as much a doer as a thinker. And that is the overarching theme of this chronicle of a sailing life. Often amusing, sometimes poignant, occasionally terrifying but always inspiring, his deeply personal account is a welcome reminder of the good life waiting at sea. With hundreds of thousands of nautical miles under his keel, John's adventures have taken him several times around the world, with challenging crossings of the Atlantic and the Pacific, a narrow escape from a coup in Yemen, an unlikely deliverance from a coral reef off Belize as well as more serene, introspective passages where trade winds are blowing and stories are flowing. His crew has included CEOs, actors, writers, teachers, kids – in essence, everyone. John's narrative is interwoven with practical tips and advice in seamanship, but also, and just as importantly, his hard-won insights about making the most of our lives. He truly believes we find out who we really are, and what we are capable of, far from the shackles of land, when we find a place where time changes shape – days may merge into one another, but minutes are memorable. To live adventurously is to live more fully, and that is the life John Kretschmer continues to live. In this book he shares his simple profundities that will inspire those who live to sail, and those seeking something more rewarding from life.

Mercy of the Elements

Author: Christopher Blehm
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780615478784
Category : Santa Catalina Island (Calif.)
Languages : en
Pages : 180

Book Description
Two women across oceans and time: one haunted by a past she can't let go, one haunted in the past where letting go is the only choice. When Mercy connects with a handsome young visitor and plunges into the waters off Santa Catalina Island, it changes her forever. In 1587, Admiral Thomas Cavendish and his flotilla of marauding sailors catch wind of a Spanish Galleon laden with treasure and mystery. In Japan, the earth trembles and splits open as centuries of bloody history ripple into the present. Time and divinity collide, elusive as sea foam in Mercy's hands.

The Mercy Rule

Author: John Lescroart
Publisher: Dell
ISBN: 0440222826
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 642

Book Description
“A stylish whodunit . . . Lescroart [is] in his best form yet.”—People Once Dismas Hardy was a cop. Now he spends his days in a lawyer’s suit, billing hours to a corporate client in a downtown San Francisco office. Hardy’s wife and kids like it that way. Then one client changes everything. Graham Russo, a former baseball star, is charged with murdering his dying father. Was it suicide, the last desperate act of a dying man? Was it murder? Or mercy? Now, as a carnival of reporters, activists, cops, lovers, and families throng around the case, Dismas Hardy is going to trial with a client he doesn’t trust, a key witness he cannot believe, and a system that almost destroyed him once. For Dismas, this case will challenge everything he believes about the law, about his family, and about himself. Because a chilling truth is beginning to emerge about an old man’s lonely death. And what Dismas knows could put him next in line to die. . . . Praise for The Mercy Rule “Very entertaining . . . a large and emotionally sprawling novel.”—Chicago Tribune “As usual in a Lescroart novel, character dominates plot as the author proves, yet again, that resonant drama can be found in family.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer “An edge-of-the-seat legal thriller that has it all—hot-button issues, deception, greed, corruption, and a labyrinthine plot that will keep you guessing until the very last page.”—Faye Kellerman