Crossing An Ocean Under Power

This is agreat book. I really enjoyed reading what had to be the adventure of a lifetime. Ken takes you from start to finish on the voyage. He helped me understand a lot more about power boating and what is involved in running a trawler across the ocean. I especially love the fact that he included the answers to e-mails he got while making his way across the Atlantic. Granted, his experience was a little different than most people's, but if you ever thought about trying it yourself it is a good read to get you thinking about if you have it or not.

As a fan of Beebe's "Voyaging Under Power" and a jealous admirer of the Nordhavn 62 expedition style trawler yacht, I read with interest about the 2004 transatlantic convoy sponsored by Pacific Asian Enterprises, builder of the Nordhavn line of high seas and offshore trawler yachts. I don't own a Nordhavn 62 (I wish) and my seafaring is limited to adolescent adventures in my small sailing skiff and the occasional offshore fishing trip, venturing out not much past 20 miles from the shore. I had followed the adventures of the Nordhavn sponsored 18-boat convoy on the Trawler Transat website where I read Ken Williams' fascinating emails of his experiences on the Sans Souci, his Nordhavn 62 in the "fast boat" portion of the expedition. This book is NOT a further revision of Jim Leishman's (Nordhavn CEO)1993 update of Beebe's 1975 "bible" for power boat circumnavigators. It is not an edited digest of his informative emails, but rather a compilation of them. This said, they are quite useful in that Williams is not an experienced offshore navigator, but admits that prior to this venture, his trips have been limited to sight-of-land excursions offshore, never exceeding 8 hours. They upgraded to the N62 simply because they wanted an eminently seaworthy vessel capable of handling whatever rough seas they might encounter in their short hops. So the book is written in an accessible style, from the vantage point of a retired software designer who needed a lot of hand-holding on this bold adventure. The group of 18 were, as the origin might indicate, largely made up of Nordhavns, though it was not limited to craft from that builder. Notwithstanding the journal format, the book contains a lot of information on how to prepare, provision, and maintain a power boat on a long-diatance cruise spanning open ocean. There are some overview or stock-taking synopses as well as other viewpoints, such as that of the chef and Ken Williams' wife Roberta. All in all, an informative, entertaining and salty tale and a good one or two evening's read. The ample photos nicely complement the text.

Ken Williams Gives you a realistic look at the cruising life. He is funny, smart and truthful. He gives you lots of information on problem solving on board and what the actual experience of cruising with a full team is like and what he did that helped them have a more comfortable cruise. He and his wife Roberta along with their dog Shelby keep you laughing and learning all the way through. Ken and Roberta are a great example of a cruising couple working together and I would suggest this book to anyone who wants to know what it is like to be underway for more than a 3 day run.

I read this book in about 3 days and enjoyed the adventure and candor. I would have liked more pictures.

Good book but was a little more technical than I wanted. Had to skip the boat building portion

Excellent compilation, and on my growing shelf of books on long-range power board cruising. I am a long-life offshore sailor, and U.S. Navy Captain who has spent 23 years so far driving ships. This book, and the latest version of "Voyaging Under Power" are included up-front in my growing list of books on long-range cruising on efficient power boats. A Nordhavn is in my retirement plans, and this book is a great "play-by-play" of an ocean crossing, from the perspective of a number of Nordhavn owners, one Kady-Krogen, and one 90-foot outlier that is beyond most folks budget or needs. This is NOT a how-to book, but provides a great perspective for people who are not experienced navigators and offshore yachtsmen. Doing group rallies for long voyages is a great way to expand skills with mentors close at hand. As this book proves, most of the participants continued long-range cruising because the NAR rally gave them the confidence and skills. I was particularly interested in the analysis of Naiad fin stabilizers, clearly deemed a statistical non-issue by subsequent correspondence with the company. Great book. Also check out the YouTube video of the same event, available in a documentary that was filmed during the same trip. Highly recommend the 10th anniversary edition, since the "ten years later" perspective from the Nordhavn execs as well as from the author and some other boaters is particularly enlightening. Great read!

Some useful information but the quality of writing is poor. It is a travelogue of crossing the Atlantic in a Nordhavn power boat.

A great book for anyone your is interested in cruising in a powerboat

This was a great read to get a first hand account of crossing the North Atlantic in a power boat.

I have been following Ken Williams on his blog for a while and decided to go back in time and read his story of the Nordhavn Atlantic Rally. Ken's open and candid account of the preparation and voyage were fascinating - I couldn't put the book down. As well has having lots of facts for those considering crossing an ocean in a motorboat, the book also provides some insight into the effect of the voyage on the people involved. Highly recommended.

A good insight to power yachts ocean travel