Sailing the Apocalypse: A Misadventure at Sea

I bought this book because I had heard it described as The Mosquito Coast for Sea Steader preppers, and the Mosquito Coast is an excellent story. I am an interested observer to the Sea Steading culture, so I thought this might be a safe bet. For a book intended to be narrated by a twelve year old boy, the biggest failing is that it comes across as a whiny monologue of the author's views thinly veiled as fiction. I do not know any twelve year olds who have the self awareness to describe themselves as young and inexperienced, and generally you do not get the feeling of looking at the world through the eyes of a boy experiencing everything for the first time. Robbie is no Edgar Sawtelle, that's for sure.Within a few pages, I was irritated by Terry, the step father. I know this is intentional on William's part, but there is no counter to this central irritation. It is not humourous, and the mild tension is never relieved or raised to a crescendo. "Terry launched into one of his rants...." is pretty much how every page begins. For a character like Terry to have such an informed big picture view but to be so bumbling and unprepared is too much of a stretch. The scene where Terry furiously throws away the throwable PFD was among the most contrived.Too much of the story is given over to getting to the coast, and not enough is spent on describing life aboard the catamaran or the sailing of it at sea. There is a bit of plot given over to geting us thinking about Terry's background; did he really sail around the Caribbean as a younger man, where did he get all his cash from, etc that may provide hooks to bring the reader back for book two, but for me there just wasn't enough ground covered for a book about this topic.A more relevant subtitle would be "a steady stream of irritating oversights and predictable misadventures on the way to sea"Sorry people, but I think this is a mediocre novel, even though it will no doubt be popular with the doomers, particularly those of a Sea Gypsy bent. Rather, I can highly recommend the Aubrey - Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian for detailed descriptions of sailing, exciting action, satisfying character development and excellent use of humour, which, due to being set 200 years ago, are a very useful reference set regarding life at sea without modern technology.

The one thing I love about the books of Scott B. Williams is the voice of authenticity. Whether he is writing fiction or non-fiction, his real world knowledge and experience on the subject matter drip from every page. Combine that with being an expert storyteller and you have the recipe for yet another great book. Sailing the Apocalypse is narrated by a 12 y/o boy named Robbie as his family sets out to sea. The draw of this story was the ability to relate with the characters. Any kid (youth or adult) with an adventurous bone in their body can be slightly of jealous of Robbie, although not always throughout the story thanks to his step father Terry. Terry is another relatable character. We all have known someone so entrenched in their own ideals that you almost feel sorry for him as you simultaneously dislike him. Yet, I found myself drawn to the character of Terry, another credit to Williams' ability to draw in the reader.Doing what he does so well, Williams leaves you at the end of the book wanting more, from both the story as well as the characters. I'll be watching for the sequel and hope that he delivers. This is one of my favorite Williams storylines yet!

I think what he describes regarding the stubbornness of the main character and the trouble it places his family in is realistic. I've known people like that. And the desperation of the wife who goes along with his crazy plans is probably realistic too. That doesn't mean it's comfortable or an enjoyable read. It's like that commercial where the teenagers hide behind the chain saws. You just want to shake them and tell them not to be so stupid. Same for the wife here. If this is what the author is going for then he's nailed it. If in the end the guys stupid stubbornness wins out then he's done sailing a disservice. That said, he would still be describing something realistic.

This book is as much of a testament of human nature as a story of a sailing misadventure. The main character is a zealous idiot and the story teller a 12 year old boy. It's clear from start to finish that the main character cuts corners, bullies his family, makes very bad choices, and never takes responsibility for his errors. In addition, he constantly complains about all the wrongs in America while he repeatedly breaks the law, sets a bad example, and puts his family at risk. It will be very interesting to follow this family as the adventure continues.

This book just leaves me feeling like an "ambulance chaser"....or when you comes across a bad accident and you drive by slowly because truthfully you want to see what happened. Well that's this book. You keep reading it because you just can't believe how a woman with two kids would follow the suicidal dream that her pessimistic, 4th husband has and goes on a wild goose chase and put their lives in his hands!!! Terry is one of a kind to say the least! I don't know if I will follow the series. The only ones with any brains is Robbie and he's 10!!

Having built a Wharram cat myself many years ago (see picture) and meeting both James and Hanneke more than once - reading about an adventure on one of their designs was very enjoyable. The character who promotes the apocalyptic scenario is one dimensional (perhaps people like that are?) and surprisingly, considering the author's background, not shown in a positive light. The narrator, a young boy, has more depth and is very likeable. Even though the outcome is quite predictable - it's a nice read. I would like to follow the Apocalypse's future voyages.

I would probably go 3 1/2 on this. Not the greatest but not a bad read either. Some of these stories get so bogged down in the details as if the author is look what I know, especially the gun pin heads. This one was pretty good on the catamaran and sailing info. Not over board, pun intended, and enough so you had an idea what he was talking about.

A great story that ine can not tell thats its a story .as real as it happens each day in this world . I grant a wooden nickle that you will enjoy this book ⛄

never been into doomsday prep stuff but this book was very entertaining, an interesting story, I am looking forward to more adventures of Terry and Robbie and family in the APOCALYPSE