by Bill Hezlep (Author)
From a sailor who has lived on a sailboat, trawler, Dutch canal cargo barge, and a Maine lobster boat comes Into the Land of Coconut Dreams, a charming and compelling memoir. Author and sailing/boating aficionado Bill Hezlep not only dreamed of escaping across the waters, but lived out that dream. With his shipmate and partner in adventure, Betty, he struck out to explore the eastern seaboard, the Bahamas, the canals of France and the Caribbean. Hezlep recounts their journey of exploration along the Intracoastal Waterway―a magnificent string of natural bays, rivers, sounds, man-made canals, and creeks that runs 3,000 miles along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States―and then on to Trinidad, the sailor's paradise. From the author's descriptions of the perils of Hurricane Gordon to the beautiful anchorages of the Bahamas and the vibrant port city of Nassau, this book is alive with seafaring descriptions, the joys of boating, and insights into the life of a wandering soul.
Author Biography
Bill Hezlep, a former Naval Officer, and a former professional geographer and cartographer for the United States Department of State, first went to sea, at seventeen, aboard a square rigged school ship. Since 1994, with his shipmate and partner in adventure, Betty, he has lived aboard a series of boats: a sea going thirty-six foot ketch, an iron hulled Dutch canal cargo barge, and several power boats, including a Maine lobster boat. Bill and Betty, aboard the latest M/V Walkabout, continue to explore the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States, the inland waterways of the United States and Canada, and the islands of the Bahamas.