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Sailing with Impunity: Adventure in the South Pacific
Sail with Mary and Bruce on a 13,000-mile adventure from Seattle to legendary South Pacific Islands and home again. From magical sights and scents of their first tropical island landfall to the bustling, colorful Tahitian markets. From sudden midnight squalls and a cyclone in Samoa to pristine anchorages in the Kingdom of Tonga. Share the adventure as they fulfill their dream.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2015
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30 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 20, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this book--and that from a city-bred landlubber for whom sailing the Pacific in anything but a cruise ship would be unthinkable. Except in my imagination, of course, for I loved Kon Tiki when I was young and adventurous, and this book took me back to those days.
In this book, as in Tubob, the story of her Peace Corp years, Mary Trimble has the knack of pulling you into her life so totally that you are walking her shoes, burning in the sun, shivering in the wet, clinging to the halyards in the gales. But this is not the story of the young and reckless; I, who have never sailed anything larger than a dinghy, am in awe of the Trimbles’ preparation—from boat to cookware, food to rigging and the knowledge of the sea they display before they set out.
Since the first stage of the trip is among the roughest, we are immediately caught up in the overwhelming force of the sea, the perseverance required to battle weather (and seasickness) that makes the simplest of tasks, such as going to the bathroom, hazardous. We echo Trimble’s exclamation, “And this was supposed to be fun?” We are as relieved as they to reach Southern waters and the sun, discard our wet gear and reflect on the importance of knowledgeable preparation.
When the Trimbles reach Samoa, the story shifts from the sea to the people and cultures of the island and the yachting community anchored there for the winter. As in Tubob again, Mary conveys effectively her own joy in meeting the people and customs of other cultures and engages us as well. Again, the gift of detail brings us in close and personal. Among the “yachties” the Trimbles become the gurus and we encounter the reckless abandon with which some take off across the sea—and the terrifying effects. Over and over we are impressed with the Trimbles’ skill, both technical skill in managing their boat and its contents.
By the time they head for home, the reader has been taken from utter bliss of the South Pacific islands and warmth of the people, through a harrowing cyclone to solitary enjoyment of uninhabited wilderness. And then to the sea in all of its magnificence and wrath again as they head north for their reunion with family and friends.
The knowledge of boat and sea, brought home by the detailing, will delight sailors—as well as bringing home the skill and preparation needed before undertaking such a voyage. But the details of equipping and handling the boat never buried the story for non-sailors like me; I was fascinated throughout, and their months with the people of the islands provided contrast—up close and personal. I feel I have shared an adventure.
In this book, as in Tubob, the story of her Peace Corp years, Mary Trimble has the knack of pulling you into her life so totally that you are walking her shoes, burning in the sun, shivering in the wet, clinging to the halyards in the gales. But this is not the story of the young and reckless; I, who have never sailed anything larger than a dinghy, am in awe of the Trimbles’ preparation—from boat to cookware, food to rigging and the knowledge of the sea they display before they set out.
Since the first stage of the trip is among the roughest, we are immediately caught up in the overwhelming force of the sea, the perseverance required to battle weather (and seasickness) that makes the simplest of tasks, such as going to the bathroom, hazardous. We echo Trimble’s exclamation, “And this was supposed to be fun?” We are as relieved as they to reach Southern waters and the sun, discard our wet gear and reflect on the importance of knowledgeable preparation.
When the Trimbles reach Samoa, the story shifts from the sea to the people and cultures of the island and the yachting community anchored there for the winter. As in Tubob again, Mary conveys effectively her own joy in meeting the people and customs of other cultures and engages us as well. Again, the gift of detail brings us in close and personal. Among the “yachties” the Trimbles become the gurus and we encounter the reckless abandon with which some take off across the sea—and the terrifying effects. Over and over we are impressed with the Trimbles’ skill, both technical skill in managing their boat and its contents.
By the time they head for home, the reader has been taken from utter bliss of the South Pacific islands and warmth of the people, through a harrowing cyclone to solitary enjoyment of uninhabited wilderness. And then to the sea in all of its magnificence and wrath again as they head north for their reunion with family and friends.
The knowledge of boat and sea, brought home by the detailing, will delight sailors—as well as bringing home the skill and preparation needed before undertaking such a voyage. But the details of equipping and handling the boat never buried the story for non-sailors like me; I was fascinated throughout, and their months with the people of the islands provided contrast—up close and personal. I feel I have shared an adventure.
November 9, 2015
I just came back to land after a thoroughly enjoyable armchair adventure with Mary and Bruce on their sailboat Impunity. This is a story of a dream fulfilled for two very courageous and adventurous people. I hung on every word, from the chilling opening with "Man Overboard" and the life-threatening storms to the delightful, lazy days in tropical harbors and the new friends they made. I've enjoyed all of Mary E. Trimble's books and love that I can experience these adventures vicariously. I highly recommend this book!
January 23, 2016
Read. This. Book. Seriously, read this book. If you've ever wondered about sailing the ocean blue this book will be all that you've ever dreamed. I couldn't stop reading. What I liked is the attention to detail, like the unbelievable amount of work it takes to prepare for a lengthy journey and life on a sailing ship. And then the people, the food, exotic ports, and surviving storms. What an adventure! I'm breathless.
May 23, 2018
Impunity - a beautifully crafted sailing adventure!
Sailing with Impunity transported me along with Mary and Bruce Trimble on their sailing adventure to the South Pacific. Many of the lessons it shares translate to everyday life. Preparation and storage of food was a problematic issue artfully planned and managed by Mary. The Trimbles worked as partners to make the adventure work, and to absorb and share the beauty of their surroundings and experiences, particularly building friendships with people they met. I felt as though I rode the waves with them throughout their enriching travels. This is a pinnacle piece of Mary Trimble's readable and engaging journalistic style of writing. Hopefully, more will follow. Well done!
Sailing with Impunity transported me along with Mary and Bruce Trimble on their sailing adventure to the South Pacific. Many of the lessons it shares translate to everyday life. Preparation and storage of food was a problematic issue artfully planned and managed by Mary. The Trimbles worked as partners to make the adventure work, and to absorb and share the beauty of their surroundings and experiences, particularly building friendships with people they met. I felt as though I rode the waves with them throughout their enriching travels. This is a pinnacle piece of Mary Trimble's readable and engaging journalistic style of writing. Hopefully, more will follow. Well done!
April 29, 2018
Having read Mary’s earlier memoir, Tubob, I was easily drawn to her latest memoir. Every aspect of this book grabs the reader. The extensive knowledge of sailing, destinations and the dogged determination of Mary and Bruce as they follow their dream. Sharing experiences with fellow boaters whom they met on their voyage brought me into the story even more. I truly was along for the ride with her (minus the sea sickness). A great read for those who want the experience without the reality of the dangers.
February 2, 2021
I'm sure that this sailing adventure was full of emotions, both high and low. Unfortunately, you would never know it just from reading these chapters. It's a very short, light, simple read that is nice, but didn't take me away to anywhere. It had the bones of being an epic adventure, but the writing never made it there.
April 28, 2020
I've read a lot of sailing journals and the majority have a focus on action highlights, so I found this one to be a nice change as the author shared some of the more routine aspects of day-to-day to life while sailing from Seattle to the South Pacific and back. Well done!!
July 16, 2015
...We experienced a strange phenomenon with water so calm and smooth that the stars' reflection was as clearly visible as those in the sky. It gave us a feeling of being suspended in space, with stars above, below, and all around us. It was magical, and eerie.
I was drawn to Sailing with Impunity by Mary E. Trimble because for several years my husband and I have talked about someday living on a sailboat, leaving land behind. I was prepared to enjoy this memoir of Trimble's journey in the South Pacific with her husband Bruce, but I had no idea how very much I would actually learn in the reading. Trimble dives deep into the details and logistics not only of sailing, but of leaving land and family and previous lives and commitments behind. She offers a clear picture of how they stayed in contact with loved ones back home and the new people they met and the community they gained along the way. She offers glimpses of cooking while the waves buffet the boat and the need to stay connected as a couple even while standing four-hour watches around the clock. She is candid in describing her dismay at the noise and pollution in some harbors, her dislike of clutter in the cabin, the logistics of collecting shells, the devastation left by the cyclone Ofa in Samoa, and her horror when there really was a man overboard. Some of my favorite passages are about solitary harbors where she and Bruce are anchored alone for long periods of time. At peace with the journey.
Through the whole book, Trimble offers tidbits of history and culture and even the pronunciation of island names that I found very helpful and even intriguing.
One of the most helpful inclusions in the book, apart from the wonderful graphics and photographs, is the glossary of nautical terminology. This is a book that will stay on our shelves.
I am now eager to read Tubob: Two Years in West Africa with the Peace Corps, the story of the Trimbles' earlier adventure, one year into their marriage.
by Amy Hale Auker
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
February 15, 2017
Good Read
If your a sailor or just a dreamer of sailing adventures ,then this book is for you. Mary is an excellent writer that keeps you turning the page. Highly recommend.
If your a sailor or just a dreamer of sailing adventures ,then this book is for you. Mary is an excellent writer that keeps you turning the page. Highly recommend.
November 24, 2015
Sailing with Impunity: Adventure in the South Pacific, by Mary Trimble, is a breath-taking experience for this reader who doesn’t sail at all! Mary and her husband Bruce sold their house in the Seattle area and purchased a sailboat. Bruce was an experienced sailor, Mary not so much. They outfitted their boat and sailed from Seattle to the South Pacific Islands and home again. Mary got her first real taste of sailing along the Pacific coast of Oregon in a storm. They set a four hours on, four hours off watch schedule that they followed throughout their journey. After the trials by fire (water) and Mary’s seasickness in the initial weeks, they arrived in the South Pacific. Mary’s descriptions of sailing the ocean and cruising the islands fulfilled expectations of what it would be like, and more. She used the ship’s log to follow the Impunity’s progress and her own. Her book includes a glossary of nautical terms, photos and maps. Her story drew me in and kept me turning pages from beginning to end, when they arrived back home in Seattle. The people she and Bruce met--native residents who befriended them and vice versa, and the other sailors who moored at the same islands–and the ups and downs of a sailing life, including repairs and problem-solving–all aspects of their journey came alive in Mary’s writing. I felt as if I had gone with them!
January 16, 2016
When a seasoned novelist casts away fiction to embark on a memoir, it's worth noticing. Especially so, when the writer (Mary E. Trimble) has already written a gripping memoir about volunteering with the Peace Corp in Africa ('Tubob').
In 'Sailing With Impunity' Bruce and Mary tackle sailing their own boat from Seattle to the South Pacific. As if surviving as hostages in an African coup wasn't exciting enough, in this book, a sailor's worse nightmare comes to life. Mary does a superb job--I couldn't breath during that scene--even though I knew there was, thankfully, a positive outcome.
Mary takes the reader from the first dream of sailing, buying a boat and meticulously preparing, all the way to sailing to Tonga and back. It's beautifully told. You may feel ready to cross this particular adventure off your bucket list after reading this book, or you may be inspired to try blue water cruising yourself. Either way, Mary has given you an accurate account of what's involved.
I think you'll enjoy this book as much as I have.
In 'Sailing With Impunity' Bruce and Mary tackle sailing their own boat from Seattle to the South Pacific. As if surviving as hostages in an African coup wasn't exciting enough, in this book, a sailor's worse nightmare comes to life. Mary does a superb job--I couldn't breath during that scene--even though I knew there was, thankfully, a positive outcome.
Mary takes the reader from the first dream of sailing, buying a boat and meticulously preparing, all the way to sailing to Tonga and back. It's beautifully told. You may feel ready to cross this particular adventure off your bucket list after reading this book, or you may be inspired to try blue water cruising yourself. Either way, Mary has given you an accurate account of what's involved.
I think you'll enjoy this book as much as I have.
October 14, 2022
This is a nice, relaxed book about a sailboat adventure from Seattle along the south pacific islands, and back again. The book is well-proportioned, all the information you could want to know is in there, but well-dosed and without duplication. So a little explanation about the technique of the boat - but not too much, something about the history of the islands - but not too much, a description of life at sea - but not too much, etcetera. I especially liked the description about the preparation and the islands, especially Tonga - I would love to go there!
What was a bit of a shame, was the description about the growing shell collection and how they got life from these shells. Where I live, it is not allowed to import items taken from a reef due to legislation. And, if legislation has changed over the years (since the voyage), you just don't do that - don't take from a reef. Also, shooting a tuna fish with a gun?
All in all, a pleasant book to dream away with!
What was a bit of a shame, was the description about the growing shell collection and how they got life from these shells. Where I live, it is not allowed to import items taken from a reef due to legislation. And, if legislation has changed over the years (since the voyage), you just don't do that - don't take from a reef. Also, shooting a tuna fish with a gun?
All in all, a pleasant book to dream away with!
July 6, 2015
I just finished reading this book -- and I loved it. Having boated with my family growing up, this brought back the bumpy seas, the stove rocking back and forth as my mother cooked and the refreshing salt air above deck. Mary's style of writing is engaging whether you've boated or not, and it was mind-boggling the amount of preparation that went into this once of a lifetime cruise. So much fun learning about the other "Yachties met along the way, and the beautiful and not so beautiful harbors in the South Pacific. Once again, as in Tubob, I found Mary and Bruce's tenacity to push the boundaries of everyday life and follow their dreams inspirational. Thank you for taking me with you!
June 2, 2016
Read this right after Keys to the Kingdom. Well written story very similar to the 'Keys' with the exception that it was written many years after the full turn of the trip. This lends perspective to the decision to undertake the trip in the first place as and the impact it had in their life.
Although not a travel guide or a how to book Mary does a great job of explaining what the did to prepare for the trip and the outcome of those preparations. There's plenty of good advice even though somewhat dated I feel is very relevant even today.
Although not a travel guide or a how to book Mary does a great job of explaining what the did to prepare for the trip and the outcome of those preparations. There's plenty of good advice even though somewhat dated I feel is very relevant even today.
June 8, 2015
I like to read stories about adventures at sea, and I wanted to support a local author who I met behind the counter in a little art shop in Snohomish. Mary Trimble and her husband sold their house, quit their jobs and sailed to the south seas. Can't get much more exciting than that. I liked reading all the details of what they took on their 2 year trip. I've always wanted to be on a boat going to the South Pacific. So now I have an idea of what its really like! Mary's a good writer.
May 7, 2016
I love reading about someone's travel adventures. It was a very quick read--and riveting. Wanted more...
April 24, 2017
I really wanted to "like" this book. And I did.
First off, I commend any and everyone who steps out of the normal rat race to do what the Trimbles did, especially pre cell phone and handheld GPS. I read these books as it is something I could never do.
They sailed for 14 to 18 months... and it felt like we received the Cliff Notes version of the Readers Digest version. Maybe the details were a little hazy as the story was written several years after they sailed. However, I've read other books where the story was written years later, such as Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi, that had incredible details of her voyage.
I am not a writer. I am not an editor. But it felt like the editing on the book was missing. Normally stuff like this doesn't bug me, unless it continually takes me out of the story. And it did. Many paragraphs started with "WE.... " "We...". Duplicating facts - like making cheese souffle, the fact the awning was also a rain catcher and they could fill their fresh water tanks and jugs. With the limited time in the book, surely there was something more interesting or pertinent we needed to know. And, there were several word misspelled words, especially for places in the Puget Sound. Fort WOrden, not Fort WArden. It is an 0. Marquesas in a couple of places had a g not a q. It tried to be a sailing story and a travelogue but didn't do justice to either.
First off, I commend any and everyone who steps out of the normal rat race to do what the Trimbles did, especially pre cell phone and handheld GPS. I read these books as it is something I could never do.
They sailed for 14 to 18 months... and it felt like we received the Cliff Notes version of the Readers Digest version. Maybe the details were a little hazy as the story was written several years after they sailed. However, I've read other books where the story was written years later, such as Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi, that had incredible details of her voyage.
I am not a writer. I am not an editor. But it felt like the editing on the book was missing. Normally stuff like this doesn't bug me, unless it continually takes me out of the story. And it did. Many paragraphs started with "WE.... " "We...". Duplicating facts - like making cheese souffle, the fact the awning was also a rain catcher and they could fill their fresh water tanks and jugs. With the limited time in the book, surely there was something more interesting or pertinent we needed to know. And, there were several word misspelled words, especially for places in the Puget Sound. Fort WOrden, not Fort WArden. It is an 0. Marquesas in a couple of places had a g not a q. It tried to be a sailing story and a travelogue but didn't do justice to either.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews