Hard on the Wind
The True Story of a Boy Who Went to Sea and Came Back a Man
By Russ Hofvendahl
251 pp. 11 b&w photos. 2004. Paperback. $14.95ISBN 1 57409 194 8
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As the San Francisco waterfront struggled in the grip of the Great Depression, fifteen-year-old Russ Hofvendahl talked his way aboard an old fashioned four-masted schooner and sailed out beyond the Golden Gate Bridge to catch cod in the Bering Sea. Full of laconic candor, Hard on the Wind recounts this formative journey with vivid anecdotes depicting a world that exists today only in memory. Featuring many period photos of the ship and crew, Hofvendahl's compelling narrative of seafaring adventure relates the difficult lessons he learned while crashing through raging seas, dodging bloody fights in the fo'c's'le, handlining for cod, navigating through blind fog, and mourning a lost shipmate.
Aglow with warmth and humor, Hofvendahl's memoir captures both the romance and reality of the seafaring life, and constitutes a truly unique coming-of-age tale.
“It is a story you will not easily put down.” —Sailing (SA)
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About the Author:
Russ Hofvendahl is a former president of the Santa Clara County Bar Association. During World War II he served in the Second Marine Division of the Fleet Marine Force Pacific. He now lives with his wife in Los Gatos, California..
Also by Russ Hofvendahl:
- A Land So Fair and Bright
The True Story of a Young Man's Adventures
Across Depression America
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