This Old Man and the Sea: How My Retirement Turned Into a Ten-Year Sail Around the World

Shortly after his retirement, author Robert S. Ashton buys a 1983 Nordic 40 sailboat. He names the boat Chandelle, not realizing at the time that it will be his home for the next ten years.


Along with his friends, Don, Roger, and Martha, Ashton soon joins a group of boats preparing to brave the Gulf Stream and adjacent waters from Norfolk, Virginia, to the Caribbean. During the next ten years, "Captain" Ashton sails to numerous destinations in his quest to circumnavigate the globe, including the Panama Canal, the Galapagos Islands, the Fiji Islands, Africa, and Australia. Ashton meets an eclectic group of people, experiences a variety of cultures, finds new members for his crew, and discovers the freedom of sailing the open waters.


This Old Man and the Sea is a must-read for any sailing enthusiast, revealing the highs and lows of extended life at sea with wit, wisdom, and insight.