A Splendid Madness
A Man • A Boat • A Love StoryBy Thomas Froncek
224 pp. 10 b&w photos. 2004. Hardcover. $23.95ISBN 1 57409 179 4
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How does a sensible middle-aged family man suddenly find himself clinging to the tiller of a runaway sailboat and shouting for joy? The answers are found in this highly entertaining account of one man's late-blooming love affair with sailing.
Thomas Froncek got his first taste of sailing in college, but it was not until he was staring mid-life in the face that he was tempted to try it again. Before long, he was swept away by an unexpected passion. Many of his new sailing buddies were also late-bloomers — and just as loopy as he was about all things nautical. Together they endured many rites of passage, from learning the difference between a sheet and a scupper to getting home safely after a big blow, and from finding an equilibrium between wind and water to balancing need and desire, boat and family, love and obsession.
A Splendid Madness will stir fond memories among old sailing hands and newcomers alike. It will encourage those who dream of someday sailing their own boat, and will enable puzzled friends and family to better understand the strange obsession that grips those who adore boats and sailing.
“One of the most dangerous of all mid-life crises is the suddenly blooming love affair between a landlubber and a boat. In his instructive, sometimes very funny book, Tom Froncek tells how he not only survived but conquered many perils and surprises to make himself into a capable, happy sailor.” —John Rousmaniere, author of The Annapolis Book of Seamanship, After the Storm, and Fastnet, Force 10.
“‘Yes. Yes!’ sailors will exclaim as they read this book. ‘It was like that for me, too!’” —Karen Larson, editor of Good Old Boat
“A Splendid Madness: A Man, a Boat, a Love Story is so evocative, I could feel the wind and spray. Thomas Froncek has written a classic for anyone who has ever loved the water. He writes about sailing with passion and wit, and he makes you believe that dreams are worth following.” —Luanne Rice, author of Safe Harbor and Cloud Nine
“A Splendid Madness is a splendid memoir of one man's polite obsession with wind and water. It's not only a fine primer on how one comes to terms with the mysteries of sailing, but a beautifully rendered account of how, moment by moment, as folly yields to wisdom, the luckiest of us manage to fall in love with something timeless and life-changing – the heart's truest desire. If you love to sail – or simply love someone who does – you'll treasure this tale.” —James Dodson, author of Final Rounds and The Dewsweepers
“Young or old, if you become involved in sailing, there are certain stages you will be passing through – curiosity, enthusiasm, questioning, tentativeness, learning, self-doubt, self-knowledge, and more – way stations on the road to competency. In A Splendid Madness, Tom Froncek describes his passage down that road. Those who have been there – experienced sailors – will see themselves in this story. Those who have just begun will have evidence that competency is not only possible but also likely. And those who are thinking about beginning will be encouraged by the author's enthusiasm to stop dithering around and get on with it.” —Peter H. Spectre, author of The Mariner's Book of Days.
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About the Author:
Thomas Froncek is the author of Home Again, Home Again and Take Away One. His articles have appeared in American Heritage, The Christian Science Monitor, The Village Voice, and The Country Journal. Much of this story was written while Froncek lived on the Hudson River, where he sailed his Tanzer 22, ADVANCE, in the shadow of the great Tappan Zee Bridge. He now lives in Brunswick, ME.