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Song of the Sirens

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"Song of the Sirens is rich in detail, colorful characters, and poignant insights. It is the story of one mans love affair with the old boats he has owned or chartered. Focusing on his favorites (his 17 sirens), the book explores the fascination man has with the sea and attempts to explain the allure of the vessels he has designed to sail upon her. Like the sirens of Greek mythology who, with enchanting songs, lured by sailors to dash their ships against hidden rocks, Ganns ships are seductresses, tempting and urging him on until he plunges forward into their purchase, unmindful of the dangers that lie ahead. And dangers there are aplenty. 

Ernest K. Gann was a sailor, a professional airline pilot, and above all, a writer. Besides Song of the Sirens, his most famous books are Fate is the Hunter, The High and the Mighty, Island in the Sky and In the Company of Eagles. Charles J. Doane, editor of SAIL Magazine, has provided a new introduction for this edition.

I. In Harbor
II. The Albatros: A middle-aged maid of fading beauty and questionable Virtue
III. In Harbor
IV. The Albatros arrives on the scene of past affairs
V. In Harbor
VI. The Albatros rejuvenated for high society
VII. In Harbor
VIII. The Albatros: Her days of oceanic butterflies and ravens
IX. On Harbor
X. The Albatros: The chain of possession and tragedy
Epilogue
In Harbor

...rich in detail, colorful characters, and poignant insights
— Good Old Boat

Song of the Sirens is a classic.
— Newsweek

In this reprint of the original 1968 publication, author Gann recounts his seventeen most beloved sea vessels, from his years as master of a commercial fishing vessel on the Pacific coast to a boat hardly more than a raft with patchwork sails. Part travelogue and part adventure tale, this descriptive memoir is filled with poetic words about sailing on the high seas by a writer perhaps better known for his works about flying, including Fate Is the Hunter, but would be widely enjoyed by those interested in stories of sailing.
— Reference and Research Book News

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