Going About!

I need to get my disappointment out of the way first; I thought this was a book about a woman sailing single handed. Gillian is indeed traveling by sailboat but the mast has been removed and the boat is powered by an outboard. I've since learned that the Inland Waterway is not really traversable by sail due to the number of low bridges along the route. It is still a challenging journey and her courage is impressive. There is a kind of heroic person who undertakes immense, death-defying journeys alone and many books are written by them and about them. That is not what this book is. Gillian Outerbridge seems to be a warm, funny, well adjusted woman of a certain age, much like myself with a small dog much like my own which made it easy to empathize with her fears and admire the way she faces them. And that is why this book was so enjoyable. She is normal. She could be your next door neighbor, your 5th grade teacher, your friend. She could be you. Her journey is much closer in scale to one I could do myself, probably won't but could. That makes this book involving and inspiring in a different way than the books about super adventurers dismasted in epic Southern Ocean storms. It's a good read and I have no doubt l will read it again. I just wish it were on Kindle.

Having read many similar books, I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Outerbridge's description of her exploration of the Hudson River and The U.S. and Canadian canal systems. Going About is a book I did not want to put down once started.Her description of life aboard a small boat, a Flicka, fits exactly my own experience on my C Dory. Her experiences with friendly and helpful people were similar to those of most cruisers I have encountered. Boat people with dogs will enjoy Ms. Outerbridge's companion, Tucker, a Jack Russel terrier.When I finished Going About I wanted to read about her adventures with her new boat, a Maple Bay 27. All in all, I really liked Gillian Outerbridge, Tucker, her Flicka and Going About.

I came about this book while looking to buy a Flicka for single handed sailing. Gillian's book was well timed for me being 52 and just returning to boating with my husband. I know that I will be in "solo" situations and Gillian gave me the confidence to just get the boat and "do it"!! The book is well written, moves along quickly, is informational in many aspects but never boring. I truely enjoyed sharing her experience!

One of those inpirational books ... "If she can do THAT, why can't I ..."

My friend and another author Jan Dynes recommended this woman and her book so highly that I had to read it too. Jan said Gillian was one of the most amazing ladies and fellow writer and adventurer that she had ever met. I too like to sail but not to the extent that this book led me to dream of. This account of independence and self-sufficiency combined with the author's vibrant writing skills took me out to enjoy Dart's route and exploits myself.Jan's account of their meeting in Bermuda and out on blue seas made me wish I had met her too. If you have ever dreamed of anything and if you are a woman, read this book, it is a voyage over self-doubt that arrives triumphantly on; I am Woman, Hear me Roar! I can do anything, I am stronger, I am invincible... Gillian is Helen Ready for today as is Jan Dynes and other women who dare to believe whole-heartedly in themselves.They are great voices for women getting better, bolder and fabulous after 50! Read both their books and live your dream too.

I have seldom enjoyed a personal account or an author as much as I did this one. Gillian's and Tucker's journey over water, past fears and then on to a splended soul soaring success, made me feel, and then desire to join them. You should too. If you have ever had a dream that others might scoff at, ever wanted to see new places from a totally unique perspective, and if you are not afraid of being alone with your own thoughts and can in fact embrace aloneness, with only the heartbeat of a four-legged companion. Take this book to bed tonight and read it until the sun comes up tomorrow and allow it to awaken you to your inner voice that tells you how to find the courage to board your own personal "Dart" and go and do and be, all that you should do and be. Every woman must find her path alone at some point, to truly revel in herself. This book is a triumph. It was recommended to me at a recent Woman's Seminar-Fifty and Fiesty and Fabulous, given by another author Jan Dynes. Take a look at that webpage if you get a chance. [...]

This is a very special book, it takes you along on a 20' floating, magic- carpet ride and gives you a vision and touches your heart. This is a story and an opportunity to share an adventure that few women will ever try alone. I know because I have also sailed these waters alone with only a dog as a co-pilot and I could not ever describe it more poignantly or honestly then this author has done.There are few people who could tell of the sensations, feelings and revelations found through 'green flashes' and powerful moments of self-realizations, accepting ones own smallness in relation to nature and when at its mercy. Gillian has done that brilliantly, poetically and with an amazing skill to include the reader in her experience. This is a book to be savored and a good example to follow as a woman to live your dream, Now, whatever it is.

This book will enchant you from start to finish with a brilliant creation of facts and emotions. Gillian pours out her heart and soul in the writings of her and her beloved dog Tucker. As they travel the waterways, she gives a history of each. She has made this a personal and sympathetic adventure. Anyone who reads this will look at life in a different way from the last chapter on.