Reddit mentions of The Long Way

If you're interested in this, I can't recommend Moitessier's book, La Longue Route, enough.

I would second the Kon-tiki reccommendation.

I would also highly recommend Bernard Moitessier's "The Long Way"

Mainly for his passages about nature, the sea, and his views of humanity. He was a pretty quirky french guy who grew up in Vietnam, but it struck me as some of the best writing in that vein by a sailor.

>"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present. In this limitless nation, this nation of wind, light, and peace, there is no other ruler besides the sea."

and

>"You do not ask a tame seagull why it needs to disappear from time to time toward the open sea. It goes, that's all."

Seem to be very in line with what you're writing about.

Around the World in Wanderer III by Eric Hiscock is fantastic. If you're looking for a more instructional book I'd also advise Cruising Under Sail by the same author.

Hard to have any list about cruising without starting off without mentioning Slocum's Sailing Alone Around the World as he was the inspiration for many of the following authors. He fixed a wrecked hulk of a sloop in a field in CT that he was given for free (as a joke) then proceeded to sail alone around the world (as the title would lead you to believe). At the time everyone thought that it would be impossible and likely suicidal to try and sail a boat so small around the globe and he apparently caused quite a stir when he did.

Of course The Long Way by Bernard Moitessier is an absolute classic for sailing literature. His was an account of the Golden Globe non-stop solo circumnavigational race, so there's not really any island hopping or drinks in paradise, but his writing is amazing and really gets to the zen of being at sea. He also named his boat JOSHUA after Cpt. Slocum mentioned above.

Jack London loved to sail and had a ketch (I thought it was a schooner, and Amazon page says schooner, but looking on GIS looks more like a ketch) built and sailed around the South Pacific and wrote about it in The Cruise of the Snark. London has some really funny commentary in there and it's a hell of a good read.

Last, and most expensive, is South Sea Vagabonds by John Wray. This book has been out of print for a little while and apparently is in high demand by looking at the price now. The cheapest I've ever seen it is between $40 and $50. I got my copy from a seller on eBay that lived in New Zealand for about $25 USD but after shipping ended up being about $40 total. That said, it was worth every penny. John Wray got fired from his job for daydreaming about sailing all day and since he had nothing but time on his hands decided to make a boat. Found all his wood on beaches and used his friends sailboat to haul it back to a mill, used a motorcycle and trailer to haul it from the mill to his house, then built a sloop with no prior ship-building experience. He sailed it all around the South Seas on various adventures and, like London, is a great and humorous author. Keep an eye out on ebay and used book sites for this one at a decent price (or find a library to borrow it from) because I guarantee that it's worth the effort and cash.

If you're into tall ships I just finished The Peking Battles Cape Horn by Irving Johnson which was a quick but thoroughly entertaining read. I'm now working my way through Two Years Before the Mast which is an amazing insight into the life of the merchant marine in the early 19th century aboard a square rigger.

THIS:

>Once you've read Slocum's book, check out The Long Way, By Bernard Moitessier.

He was fascinating.

Once you've read Slocum's book, check out The Long Way, By Bernard Moitessier.

Some other books I highly recommend, especially if you're setting out alone

• [One Hand For Yourself, One For The Ship, by Tristan Jones] (http://www.amazon.com/One-Hand-Yourself-Ship-Essentials/dp/0924486031/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1345689272&sr=1-1&keywords=one+hand+for+yourself) sexy title!
  
  
• What Shape Is She In Seriously, get this book and take it with you when you start looking at getting a boat.
  
  
• Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen Forget your gps, get a sextant and do it for real.

I've read a lot of sailing books. Slocum is good, but it can feel a bit archaic at times. In my opinion the book that truly captures the spirit of sailing is http://www.amazon.com/The-Long-Way-Bernard-Moitessier/dp/0924486848 - It's the closest thing to a bible I'll ever own.

[Dove] (https://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Alone-Around-Joshua-Slocum/dp/0486203263)


[Sailing Alone Around The World] (https://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Alone-Around-Joshua-Slocum/dp/0486203263)

[The Long Way] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0924486848/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496093457&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=the+long+way+sailing&dpPl=1&dpID=51L%2Btgd-fQL&ref=plSrch)

The book “the long way” is a must read for sailors

https://www.amazon.com/Long-Way-Bernard-Moitessier/dp/0924486848/ref=nodl_

Some good reading:

http://www.amazon.com/Cape-Horn-Starboard-John-Kretschmer/dp/1580801625/

http://www.amazon.com/World-My-Own-non-stop-voyage/dp/0713668997/

http://www.amazon.com/Sailing-Alone-Around-Joshua-Slocum/dp/0486203263/

http://www.amazon.com/The-Long-Way-Bernard-Moitessier/dp/0924486848/

http://www.amazon.com/Across-Islands-Oceans-Journey-Around/dp/1470004615/

http://www.amazon.com/Voyages-Extraordinary-Times-Larry-Pardey/dp/1929214987/

The three books about the first Golden Globe solo round the world race:

• The Long Way by Bernard Moitessier
  
• World of My Own by Robin Knox-Johnston
  
• The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst by Nicholas Tomalin and Ron Hall
  
  The first two are autobiographical. All three are great reads about the first solo round the world race.