"In the summer of 1920, the public following the
latest America’s Cup series were frustrated to find that every time the
wind got up, the organizers called off the race. There was muttering in
the taverns of Halifax and why not show these fancy yachtsmen what real
sailors can do? A Nova Scotia newspaper donated a trophy and put out a
challenge to their rivals in New England, inviting them to meet the
Maritimes’ best in a “race for real sailors.” A Race for Real Sailors is
a vibrant history of the Fishermen’s Cup series, which dominated
sporting headlines between the two world wars. The salt spray
practically blows off the page as the author’s arresting style captures
the drama of each race and the personalities of the ships that contested
the Delawana and the Esperanto , the Columbia and the Gertrude L.
Thebaud , and dominating them all the Bluenose , the big brute from
Lunenburg whose image shines on the Canadian dime to this day. Vying for
the spotlight are the boats’ larger-than-life skippers, among them
Marty Welch, the hard-charging American who first took the cup; Ben
Pine, the Gloucester scrap dealer whose passion kept the races afloat
when they seemed destined to fade away; and the irascible, impossible
Angus Walters, master of the Bluenose , who repeatedly broke American
hearts but whose own heart was broken by Canada’s refusal to come to the
rescue of his beloved vessel. This stirring and poignant tale is
illustrated with 51 historical photographs and five maps, and rounded
out by a glossary of sailing terms and an appendix of the ever-changing
race rules. This is a story that will keep even confirmed landlubbers
pegged to their seats, a tale of iron men and wooden ships whose time
will never come again." - Goodreads
250 pp including index