A Sail of Two Idiots: 100+ Lessons and Laughs from a Non-Sailor Who Quit the Rat Race, Took the Helm, and Sailed to a New Life in the Caribbean

I just finished reading this book for the second time and thought I would add my comments to the others I see posted.First of all, there are many different writing styles, and I enjoy reading different authors' works for that very reason. This author has a very conversational style. If you don't like that style of writing, you probably won't enjoy this book. I happen to find it refreshing. A nice change of pace.Second, my wife and I are dabbling our toes in the world of sailing. Being new to the whole business of sailing and boat maintenance and buying/selling boats, I found most of the topics discussed in the story interesting and informative. Very much in keeping with the point of view and comments I have heard from other serious boaters. I did find the author's 'learn as you go' approach to sailing a bit different. My wife and I, being new to sailing as I said, are taking as many sailing school classes as we can and spending as much time as we can on Galveston Bay before heading out on what I hope will be a similar cruise around the Caribbean as the one this author attempted. We plan to up our experience in small 'jumps' as we go, rather than jump in the deep in the pool first as this author did. In fact, when I first read the book I thought this approach to sailing was a bit unbelievable, but then I met two couples in one of our sailing classes who were chartering in the Caribbean with, what I consider to be, very little experience. So, the story seems much more believable to me now. It's still not our approach to sailing. I think too many things could go wrong.But I found the story to be fun and realistic and very readable. I think it does reflect a lot of peoples' approach to cruising. If you can only set aside a few years for cruising, it probably doesn't allow you much more than an "enlightened tourist's" approach to visiting the islands. But any attempt at visiting other people and other places and other cultures is better than nothing.I recommend you give this book a chance. If you approach the book and the characters in a less critical way, for who they are and what they have to say, I think you will enjoy the story.

What a great cure for both the winter blues and a mid-life crisis. If the winter months or your season in life are making you hanker for a life of sailing in the Caribbean, this book gives you enough of the joy to get you through, but more importantly gives you enough of the hassle and drama to keep you from pitching everything in hopes of paradise. I found the first third of the book to be the most captivating. Since part of me would really like to "chuck it all" and live on a boat, it was extremely helpful to be taken on a detail-by-detail tour of what this really involves. I really appreciated the in depth look at the boat buying process, budgeting and the early adventures in learning to sail. For anyone who thinks that the hard part is taking the plunge and making the decision to leave it all - this is a great reality-check. Even with buying a relatively new boat, the author gives you a realistic picture that a huge part of sailing from exotic beach to exotic beach is the daily grind and frustration of fixing your boat. Everything breaks on her boat and the acquiring parts and repair process turns out to be a huge chunk of "living the dream".The middle third of the book feels repetitive to me and reads very much like a travel log as the author travels from island to island. They all start to sound the same. For fun I read the book with a marine chart in one hand and the book in the other, which helped with the monotony. The final chapters of the book picked up as the author drew several narrative threads to their conclusion. A negative for me was the author's treatment of her sailing companion (husband). I've never read a book about two people where the second person is such a non-entity. He has no voice, no presence or personality that comes through the book. He makes several mistakes which could be interesting except that we don't get his reflections, reactions, responses or emotions at all. He feels a little like a "whipping boy" for the mistakes they make.The author is incredibly helpful and detailed about learning to cruise, learning to sail, learning to anchor and the 100+ lessons are very helpful. She opened up a part of the world to me that I have always longed to see and now I feel like I have seen it in a small way. I would recommend this book and I am buying it for a friend facing a mid-life crisis who is considering chucking it all.

I am so very glad that I found this book! It was a quick and entertaining read, informative, and constructed in a way that was truly helpful. For all of us who dream the dream of sailing through the Caribbean, this tale of two non-sailors pulling out the stops and going for it was not only motivational, it was the most instructive story that I can imagine. Starting in Florida with the travails of buying a boat, the particulars of the process, and then sailing to the Bahamas with a (not very) watchful eye of an experienced captain, and then following the intrepid Renee and Mike all the way down to Granada - well, it seemed that we were right there with them. I learned that maintenance, both restorative and preventive, is a major commitment to be undertaken. I learned that the pace of life is far different than I would have imagined - so very much slower (and nicer.) I learned that the islands have vastly different personalities, appearances, risks, and rewards. And, I learned that you become part of a small community of like-minded sailors that must create a mini-society of wonderful friends. The 'what broke' sections were wonderfully informative, and an appendix at the back end bolstered that nicely. I really liked the catalogue of islands in the back of the book. All-in-all a wonderfully told story by a gifted writer, properly technical when needed but always entertaining and told in the true storyteller tradition. Plenty of detail for those that crave it, and a wonderfully told story of true accomplishment by mere mortals in search of a better life. Thank you, Renee!

The author uses an adept, humorous writing style to pass on a wealth of lessons learned, while taking you on a journey. Throughout the entire book I felt as if I was there with Renee and Michael. I cheered their triumphs, cried at their losses and marvelled at their perseverance. This is a must read for anyone contemplating going off the grid to cruise the Caribbean in search of that tropical paradise

Good read, gets a touch repetitive in places. But the bottom line of the fact they have the courage to pack up and quit the rat race and live out a dream is what it's all about. Just goes to show, you can do anything you want if you try.

Really enjoyed this even if they did buy a catamaran....Especially useful when planning your own adventure to gauge the costs and maintenance involved with owning a boat.

Really learned a lot and was an enjoyable read. This book is not an instruction guide by any means but when you enter in this journey, there is so much to learn that the more jardon, does and don't you get used to, the more space you have left for more technical stuff. Got me even laughing out loud at time and certain got me thinking other time. I really hesitated when I read the other comments but decided the sample left me wanting more. I would not hesitate. The only part that I didn't like was that Michael is put down a lot, it would be interesting to see his point of view.

A very "down to earth" (or should it be sea?) book. Simple, clear and informative. As a long time sailor I am still getting value from the author's experience.