Reviews:
Bob Mulhern June 6, 2016 5 of 5 stars
"Thoroughly enjoyed this book especially since I have similar plans for my retirement. Very well written with a good sense of humor injected. If you cannot experience this sort of adventure first hand, this if the next best thing. Ray takes you along on the journey and does not only give you the highlights as do many books but also the mistakes. He shares his learning experience by having fun pointing some miscalculations along the way."
Michael H. Burwell May 20, 2015 5 of 5 stars
"Sell Your House & Buy a Sailboat is not just another travel diary. Ray Emerson’s upbeat narrative voice takes us from his retirement in Alaska down the Pacific Coast to Mexico, across the Pacific to the Marquesas, Tuamotus, Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, Tonga, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Australia and finally to Southeast Asia with excursions to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam. Along the way, Ray and his wife Judy in their sailboat Nereid follow their bucket list to exotic islands and reefs, face-to-face visits with sharks, whales and wild beats, sample the joys of distant cultures, hit a few rocks and docks, sample curious cuisines, and develop dozens of lasting friendships with their fellow ocean cruisers. This is a trip full of fascination, compassion, and humor. You don’t want their monumental cruise to ever end or to ever put down the book. We want Ray and Judy to keep sailing, and we want to be forever part of their adventure."
Sherie May 13, 2015 5 of 5 stars
"This autobiographical book was written by a natural born story-teller with a sense of humor. If you want inspiration that that it's never too late to have an adventure, a love story, or to be an arm-chair travel or sailor, this is the book for you. Enjoy."
Mariella Mayne May 4, 2015 5 of 5 stars
"This is such an inspirational book for all of us that think that after we retire our life is over. I was able to transport myself to those wonderful adventures and places. I loved Ray's sense of humor and unconditional love for his wife Judy. She is the heroine on this adventure, she gave up everything to embarque on her husband's journey of a lifetime and still got to "walk the dog" on New Years eve!. This book taught me that sailing is not as easy as we think it is nor 10 days of silence. Please give us more humorous stories bravo to both...Loved loved this book..."
Rich Slattery April 30, 2015 5 of 5 stars
"An absolutely hilarious book about all the little things we all take for granted while traveling. A must buy!!!!"
Gwen Tilton March 1, 2015 5 of 5 stars
"This book is a delightful and entertaining account of Ray and Judy’s sailing experiences. Ray fills each chapter with humor and adventure intertwined. He makes it so realistic, it is though I am there with them. I read every word slowly because I was having such a good time I didn’t want the book to end. It was wonderful to meet Ray, Judy and their family on Maui. They are friendly, fun and humble people to be around. I never guessed that they had such an adventure to talk about. I wish that we lived closer as neighbors on the same block.
Kimberly Kelly November 18, 2014 5 of 5 stars
"This book and the stories within have captured my heart. I laughed and cried and then laughed some more.
It is a well written account of two brave and kind people who set out to on an adventure of a lifetime but more than that is the wonderful glimpse of the humanity and nature encountered as well as their own during their journey. I am inspired by the world seen through Emerson's eyes."
Darrel Smith October 26, 2014 5 of 5 stars
"Ray is a great writer - his warmth and humor shine through. We related to many of the stories, and had a good laugh over most of them, but bit our nails when reading a couple of them!"
George M. Hansen October 19, 2014 5 of 5 stars
"Great book. Personal, factual, humorous, well written and easy to read. Read it in one day, could not put it down. Adventure, personal danger, travelogue. Highly recommended."
Chelsea Devins October 7, 2014 5 of 5 stars
"Have you ever had the itch to go on a wild adventure? Yes? Then this book is for you. Two intrepid seniors decide to sell their house and buy a sailboat to begin retirement. You will cringe at the danger, rejoice in their success and laugh so hard you can't breathe. The author has a droll way of describing the most harrowing as well as the most humorous episodes. His wife and partner in the adventure adds her own bits of fun. It is a great read whether you are a sailor or a land luber!"
Stephanie Mitchell October 2, 2014 5 of 5 stars
"Ray Emerson's autobiography tells of his adventures sailing around the world with his wife in their retirement. In an honest, simple voice, he shares his experience of each new place, introducing readers to cultures and ways of life they may never have heard much about before -- not least the culture of the international we-have-no-home-except-a-sailboat community. The true charm of the book, however, is the way it gradually reveals the hearts and souls of its two protagonists. Far more than your average self-published memoir, this book is a window into a touchingly lovely relationship and a pair of lives lived more fully than most of us believe possible. Highly recommended for proof that love exists, the world is beautiful, and age is no barrier to, well, anything."
Gary Brewer December 30, 2014 5 of 5 stars
"As an experienced sailor and circumnavigator, I may have some credibility as a reviewer. I have read many of the classic sailing authors (e.g., Slocum, Hiscock, Smeetons, Moitessier, Roth, Hinz, Grahm, Dashews). Emerson’s book is worth reading if you have crossed oceans in a small sailboat or ever day-dreamed of sailing "beyond the horizon." Ray and Judy Emerson, both retired and with relatively little sailing experience, sold their home in Alaska, bought a 40-foot sailboat and spent six years sailing from Seattle, south to Mexico and across the Pacific. The book describes their often funny, poignant, uncommon adventures and their touching personal experiences with each other and with friends and strangers. The reader is given insight into the cruising life style, its emotional highs and lows, with vivid examples of what the best and worst days of sailing are like."