Product Description

The perennial bestseller from the man behind Latitudes & Attitudes is now available in paperback!

An exciting and hilarious account of Bob Bitchin's extraordinary adventures with his wife, Jody, as they circumnavigate the globe aboard a magnificent staysail ketch,Letters from the LOST SOUL features the whitest beaches, the tallest palm trees, and the finest sailing in all the seven seas. The Bitchins travel thousands of miles all over the world, even making a pilgrimage to Sounion, Greece, where they worship at the temple of Poseidon (who is tattooed on Bob's chest). Along the way, the crew shifts, the winds howl, the waves thrash, and everything that can go wrong does. Throughout it all, Bitchin's irreverence and humor persevere, as does his passion for the sailing lifestyle.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #714682 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 239 pages

Review
'Anyone who is familiar with the American sailing magazine Latitudes & Attitudes, will know exactly what to expect from Bob Bitchin, who edits a publication that is down-to-earth, irreverent, and always entertaining perhaps the main reasons for its success.

If you have never read the magazine, then the following few lines from the book will give you an idea of the man and his approach not only to writing, but to life, in which his huge passion is sailing.

The lines come soon after the start of the book, when he has more or less got his yacht, LOST SOUL, ready to go. He writes 'We had everything working as well as could be expected, and I was as anxious to set sail as a virgin for her first orgy.'

And so begins a five-year voyage of discovery and adventure as Bob and his wife Judy circumnavigate on their staysail ketch. The Bitchins sailed over 50,000 miles in five years, and visited 50 countries. They anchored in 300 different anchorages and stopped at 150 islands. In that time, they had a dozen different crew members, 40 guests, and used more than 20 mechanics who spoke six languages other than English. Bitchin is the sort of guy to whom anything can happen, and usually does. But life, for this Hell's Angel-like character is a romp, and he sails along happily, overcoming all obstacles. Sail with him, you will enjoy it.' --Sailing & Yachting, (SA), April 2004

'Attitude is the only difference between an ordeal and an adventure. That's the adage Bob Bitchin lives by as he ventures across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans in his 1981 Formosa 56, the LOST SOUL. Highlighting five years and 45,000 miles in a compact, analogy-laden book, Bob takes the reader from California to French Polynesia and back in a mere 83 pages; followed by another 51 pages of cruising down the West Coast and through the Caribbean on to the Azores; and then he squeezes in the Mediterranean and return passages, back to California, in the final 100 pages.' --Good Old Boat, January/February 2001

About the Author
Bob Bitchin founded the wildly successful Lattitudes & Attitudes magazine.

Customer Reviews

Letters from the Lost Soul
The author has a great sense of humour and love of living that comes through in his writing. The book is a bit like his "Latitudes and Attitudes" magazine, with lots of funny and intersting bits coming up all the time. A good read for anyone interested in boats and in cruising.

Letters From The Lost Soul
A very enjoyable read. Don't expect to learn how to sail heavy weather of trim your sails. This is simply a realistic look at cruising from someone who has been there. He is funny and irreverent. If you wear a blue blazer and speak without moving your lips, this book is not for you. Bitchin's book is an amusing look at a sport that far too many take far too seriously.

With a vivid eye for detail
Any interested in sailing and travel stories will find this engrossing, recounting the author's five years of adventures sailing some 45,000 miles to beautiful world spots. Few actually sail the world: the author and his wife observe crew, peoples and places with a vivid eye for detail.