Sailing, Yachts and Yarns is a selection of Tom Cunliffe's funniest, wisest and most thought-provoking writing from the pages of Yachting Monthly. Tom's love of language and sense of humour shine through as he recalls the wealth of sinners and saints he has met on docksides from Southampton to South America, Greenwich to Greenland and Newtown to New York. He has a gift for capturing the magic of sail and finding pearls of practical wisdom in the most unlikely nautical adventures.
Sailing, Yachts and Yarns is a selection of Tom Cunliffe's funniest, wisest and most thought-provoking writing from the pages of Yachting Monthly. Tom's love of language and sense of humour shine through as he recalls the wealth of sinners and saints he has met on docksides from Southampton to South America, Greenwich to Greenland and Newtown to New York. He has a gift for capturing the magic of sail and finding pearls of practical wisdom in the most unlikely nautical adventures. Sailing, Yachts and Yarns is a lively miscellany of a wit, wisdom and wonder.
Editors Pick
Game, Set, Match: Billie Jean King and the Revolution in Women's Sports
By
Susan Ware
Narrated By
Donna Postel
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
When Billie Jean King trounced Bobby Riggs in tennis's Battle of the Sexes in 1973, she placed sports squarely at the center of a national debate about gender equity. In this winning combination of biography and history, Susan Ware argues that King's challenge to sexism, the supportive climate of second-wave feminism, and the legislative clout of Title IX sparked a women's sports revolution in the 1970s that fundamentally reshaped American society.
When Billie Jean King trounced Bobby Riggs in tennis's Battle of the Sexes in 1973, she placed sports squarely at the center of a national debate about gender equity. While King did not single-handedly cause the revolution in women's sports, she quickly became one of its most enduring symbols, as did Title IX, a federal law that was initially passed in 1972 to attack sex discrimination in educational institutions but had its greatest impact by opening opportunities for women in sports
Customer Favourites
The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs
By
Tyler Hamilton,
Daniel Coyle
Narrated By
Sean Runnette
Overall
(135)
Performance
(10)
Story
(10)
On a fateful night in 2009, Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle met for dinner at a restaurant in Boulder, Colorado. The two had met five years before while Coyle was writing his best-selling book Lance Armstrong: Tour de Force. But this time, Tyler had something else on his mind. He finally wanted to come clean, about everything: the doping, the lying, his years as Lance Armstrong's teammate on U.S. Postal,, and his decade spent running from the truth. "I'm sorry," he told Coyle. "It just feels so good to be able to talk about this. I've been quiet for so many years."
Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, the Ultra-Runners, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
By
Christopher McDougall
Narrated By
Fred Sanders
Overall
(110)
Performance
(7)
Story
(7)
Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world's greatest distance runners and learn their secrets - and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.
Penguins Stopped Play: Eleven Village Cricketers Take On the World
By
Harry Thompson
Narrated By
Glen McCready
Overall
(79)
Performance
(2)
Story
(2)
Shortlisted for the British Book Awards, Sports Book of the Year, 2007. It seemed a simple enough idea at the outset: to assemble a team of 11 men to play cricket on each of the seven continents of the globe - except that's not a simple idea at all...
On 22 July 2012 Bradley Wiggins became the first British man ever to win the Tour de France. In an instant, 'Wiggo' became a national hero. Ten days later, having swapped his yellow jersey for the colours of Team GB, he won Olympic gold in the time trial, adding to his previous six medals to become the nation's most decorated Olympian of all time. Outspoken, honest, intelligent and fearless, Wiggins has been hailed as the people's champion.
Born to Run: The Hidden Tribe, the Ultra-Runners, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen
by
Christopher McDougall
Narrated by
Fred Sanders
4.6
(110 ratings)
Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world's greatest distance runners and learn their secrets - and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.
The Secret Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All Costs
by
Tyler Hamilton,
Daniel Coyle
Narrated by
Sean Runnette
4.8
(135 ratings)
On a fateful night in 2009, Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle met for dinner at a restaurant in Boulder, Colorado. The two had met five years before while Coyle was writing his best-selling book Lance Armstrong: Tour de Force. But this time, Tyler had something else on his mind. He finally wanted to come clean, about everything: the doping, the lying, his years as Lance Armstrong's teammate on U.S. Postal,, and his decade spent running from the truth. "I'm sorry," he told Coyle. "It just feels so good to be able to talk about this. I've been quiet for so many years."
On 22 July 2012 Bradley Wiggins became the first British man ever to win the Tour de France. In an instant, 'Wiggo' became a national hero. Ten days later, having swapped his yellow jersey for the colours of Team GB, he won Olympic gold in the time trial, adding to his previous six medals to become the nation's most decorated Olympian of all time. Outspoken, honest, intelligent and fearless, Wiggins has been hailed as the people's champion.
The amazing life story of Britain's world conquering triathlete, Chrissie Wellington. Chrissie Wellington is the world's No 1 female Ironman triathlete, the current quadruple World Champion and World Record holder. In 2009 she was voted 'Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year' and in 2010 was awarded the MBE. She is the undefeated champion of Triathlon, having won nine Ironman titles from nine races.
The Mental Game of Poker: Proven Strategies for Improving Tilt Control, Confidence, Motivation, Coping with Variance, and More
by
Jared Tendler,
Barry Carter
Narrated by
Jared Tendler
4.5
(19 ratings)
The mental game may be more important in poker than in any other form of competition. It's one of the only games in the world where you can play perfectly and lose-again and again. Hundreds of poker players have turned to mental game coach Jared Tendler's revolutionary approach to help them play their best, no matter how badly they're running. In this book you'll find simple, step-by-step instructions and proven techniques to permanently fix problems such as tilt, handling variance, emotional control, confidence, fear, and motivation.
Why England Lose: And Other Curious Football Phenomena Explained
by
Simon Kuper,
Stefan Szymanski
Narrated by
Colin Mace
3.9
(70 ratings)
Why do England lose? Why does Scotland suck? Why doesn't America play the sport internationally... and why do the Germans play with such an efficient but robotic style?
Using insights and analogies from economics, statistics, psychology and business to cast a new and entertaining light on how the game works, "Why England Lose" reveals the often surprisingly counterintuitive truths about soccer.
The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance
by
W. Timothy Gallwey
Narrated by
Dan Woren
4.3
(16 ratings)
The Inner Game of Tennis is a revolutionary program for overcoming the self-doubt, nervousness, and lapses of concentration that can keep a player from winning. This classic best-seller can change the way the game of tennis is played.
The Dirtiest Race in History: Ben Johnson, Carl Lewis and the 1988 Olympic 100M Final
by
Richard Moore
Narrated by
Traber Burns
4.0
(1 rating)
The 1988 Seoul Olympics played host to what has been described by some as the dirtiest race of all time, by others as the greatest. The final of the men's 100 metres at those Olympics is certainly the most infamous in the history of athletics, and more indelibly etched into the consciousness of the sport, the Olympics, and a global audience of millions, than any other athletics event before or since.
It's not easy cycling the Tour de France. Battling it out with old men on butchers' bikes and pursued by cattle, Tim Moore soon finds himself resorting to narcotic assistance and systematic overeating. Accounts of his suffering and chicanery, and those encountered in the race's history, are interwoven through a look at France's preparations for the most famous cycling event in the world.
In Imperfect, Jim Abbot retraces his remarkable journey. Born without a right hand, Jim Abbott as a boy dreamed of being a great athlete. Raised in Flint, Michigan, by parents who saw in his condition not a disability but an extraordinary opportunity, Jim became a two-sport standout in high school, then an ace pitcher for the University of Michigan. But his journey was only beginning. By 21, he'd won the gold medal game at the 1988 Olympics and cracked the starting rotation of the California Angels....
Joe Simpson, with just his partner, Simon Yates, tackled the unclimbed West Face of the remote 21,000-foot Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in June of 1995. But before they reached the summit, disaster struck. A few days later, Simon staggered into Base Camp, exhausted and frostbitten, to tell their non-climbing companion that Joe was dead. For three days he wrestled with guilt as they prepared to return home. Then a cry in the night took them out with torches, where they found Joe, badly injured.
Paul Lake was Manchester born, a City fan from birth. His footballing talent was spotted at a young age and, in 1983, he signed coveted schoolboy forms for City. Only a short time later he was handed the team captaincy. An international career soon beckoned and, after turning out for the England under-21 and B teams, he received a call-up to the England training camp for Italia '90.
Jump Through the WIndow: Advice to a Beautiful Young Woman from an Aging Old Fool
By
Will Bevis
Narrated By
Gary Roelofs
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
What happens when a beautiful young woman asks an aging old fighter, which Martial Art he recommends? The result is this letter. It is not only to her, but to any young person, woman or not, who might want to know more about the fighting arts. And which one an old fool recommends. You will be surprised which one it is.
Triathlon for the Every Woman: You Can Be a Triathlete. Yes. You.
By
Meredith Atwood
Narrated By
Angela Ellis
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
Triathlon for the Every Woman is a hilarious, fun and informative read - full of expert advice, training tips, and stories to turn a tired, busy woman into a tired, busy woman triathlete - no matter her size, age, or place in life. Meredith Atwood, an overweight and overworked wife, mother, and attorney, went from the couch to the finish of a half Ironman triathlon in a little over a year. Her book, full of contributions from expert coaches, nutritionists and athletes, takes the reader through the disciplines of swimming, biking and running.
It's Game Time Somewhere: How One Year, 100 Events, and 50 Different Sports Changed My Life
By
Tim Forbes
Narrated By
William Michael Redman
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
Cards on the table - author Tim Forbes is not quite right. Want proof? How else could you explain him spending a full year of his life attending 100 uniquely different sporting events - involving 50 separate sports? Speed-dating with the entire sporting world initially revealed only painful truths, but what he ultimately learned in the most unassuming of venues had a dramatic impact on Tim's life as a fan, a sports entrepreneur, and - however humble - an athlete.
Two years before they faced each other in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Nationals - the modern-day U.S. Open - two men boarded the Titanic as strangers. Dick, shy and gangly, was moving to America to pursue a tennis career and attend Harvard. Karl, a dashing tennis veteran, was chasing after Helen, the love of his life. An emotional and touching work, this novel brings one of the most extraordinary sports stories to life in literary form. This real-life account - with an ending seemingly plucked out of a Hollywood screenplay - weaves the themes of love, tragedy, history, sport and perseverance.
From the Links is a golf hall of fame, shame, and the arcane. Collected here are more than 100 of golf's greatest moments: from the famous to the long forgotten; from the links of Scotland in the 1800s to the 1938 US Open; from the 1954 US Women's Open to the 2010 Masters, and even to the little known Martini Invitational in 1971 and starring the giants of the game down to the struggling pros and amateurs.
Mickey and Willie: Mantle and Mays, The Parallel Lives of Baseball's Golden Age
By
Allen Barra
Narrated By
Andrew Garman
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
Acclaimed sportswriter Allen Barra exposes the uncanny parallels - and lifelong friendship - between two of the greatest baseball players ever to take the field. Culturally, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays were light-years apart. Yet they were nearly the same age and almost the same size, and they came to New York at the same time. They possessed virtually the same talents and played the same position. They were both products of generations of baseball-playing families, for whom the game was the only escape from a lifetime of brutal manual labor.
A Summer on the Test: A Classic of Modern Fly-Fishing Literature
By
John Waller Hills
Narrated By
William Boyde
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
First published in 1924, A Summer on the Test remains an essential read for fly fishermen. No author has surpassed the Right Honourable John Waller Hills' description of classic chalk stream fishing, or indeed knew more about the history of the sport. The Test is a river much affected by decline and deterioration, with the days of crystal clear waters and plentiful brown trout seemingly impossible to recover. A Summer on the Test reflects on the golden age giving an estimation of what it was once like and what we have lost.
The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg
By
Nicholas Dawidoff
Narrated By
Jeff Kramer
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
The only Major League ballplayer whose baseball card is on display at the headquarters of the CIA, Moe Berg has the singular distinction of having both a 15-year career as a catcher for such teams as the New York Robins and the Chicago White Sox and that of a spy for the OSS during World War II. Here, Dawidoff provides "a careful and sympathetic biography" (Chicago Sun-Times) of this enigmatic man.
The Courts of Babylon: Dispatches from the Golden Age of Tennis
By
Peter Bodo
Narrated By
Welland Scripps
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
No sport has gone through the seismic changes that rocked tennis when the game, long a holdout against professionalism and creeping commercialism, abandoned its roots as a genteel, amateurs-only enterprise and became a pro sport, vying for the heart of the public with rivals like soccer, NFL football, or NBA basketball. Peter Bodo, who has covered tennis since the dawn of this "Open" era as the chief writer for Tennis magazine, was there to witness this transition and what it promised, what it delivered. He has covered the game on every continent since the early 1970s.
Eagle Blue: A Team, a Tribe, and a High School Basketball Season in Arctic Alaska
By
Michael D'Orso
Narrated By
L. J. Ganser
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
Eagle Blue follows the Fort Yukon Eagles, winners of six regional championships in a row, through the course of an entire 28-game season, from their first day of practice in late November to the Alaska State Championship Tournament in March. With insight, frankness, and compassion, Michael D'Orso climbs into the lives of these 14 boys, their families, and their coach, shadowing them through an Arctic winter of 50-below-zero temperatures and near-round-the-clock darkness as the Eagles criss-cross Alaska in pursuit of their-and their village's-dream.
Happy, Happy, Happy: My Life and Legacy as the Duck Commander
By
Phil Robertson
Narrated By
Phil Robertson,
Al Robertson
Overall
(0)
Performance
(0)
Story
(0)
This no-holds-barred autobiography chronicles the remarkable life of Phil Robertson, the original Duck Commander and Duck Dynasty star, from early childhood through the founding of a family business. Life was always getting in the way of Phil Robertson's passion for duck hunting. An NFL-bound quarterback, Phil made his mark on Louisiana Tech University in the 1960s by playing football and completing his college career with a master's degree in English. But Phil's eyes were not always on the books or the ball; they were usually looking to the sky....
An old gangster becomes a gangbuster. A pitcher inspires his two daughters to become professional athletes. Two best friends split apart, only to separately land behind bars. In Giants: Where Have You Gone? authors Wylie Wong and Matt Johanson reconnect listeners to San Francisco players of the past, especially those whose lives took dramatic turns.