And Then We Hit a Rock: A hilarious true story about a family of 5, a dog, and a cat moving onto a sailboat
4.2 | 5,994 ratings
Price: 13.12
Last update: 03-14-2026
Top reviews from the United States
- Thomas W StoneDon’t hit a rockThis is a terrific book for both seasoned sailors and for those who are dreaming about sailing. Great sense of humor and some reality too.
- Lynne Muller O’Keefefun readWell written and immediately engaging, this book is like a real sailing trip to a lovely island. Real life adventure, unscheduled time, bumps and bruises, all delivered with humor and a nice touch of self-deprecation.
- Tonia AFortuitous! A must read for Bluewater cruisers!Humor was great! We (a couple now having retired in our late 50s) have been on this set sail path since 2021) were on our boat Soul Mate in Martinique two weeks without ever making passage and had to go back to the states for a family emergency but MANY mishaps before that! Dang Murphy is real! We both read this book while awaiting our weather window (still awaiting the end of hurricane squirlies!) and it made me alternately laugh and question our decision to return to our dream! My husband said, "Just wait till the end (he's an overachiever!) He was right and the beautiful epilogue was encouraging! We are currently working on our boating memoir titled "Pivot Squared" which parallels this book! "And Then We Hit a Rock" is a must read for potential Bluewater cruising sailors!
- Bob D. GoligowskiEnjoyable bookHad a lot of fun reading this. Author made sure to not brag about seaworthiness or preparedness for such an undertaking and I respect that. I fully enjoyed his honesty and humor and story-telling ability. Also, I thank him for thoroughly convincing me to NEVER sell my house to buy a yacht.
- marieInteresting and funny!Reading this book was sort of stressful because the author (the boat Captain) was so good at writing about the misadventures that I felt like I was going through it all with him! Whew! Non-stop problem solving!
Yes, I would recommend it because it was certainly entertaining, but it was not at all what I expected. I thought I was going to read a sort of "ship- wrecked" or survivor drama. I'm glad this was different. This book showed me tenacity and survivor skills in a different way. This family rolled with the punches and adjusted and re-adjusted over and over again. That kind of fortitude is admirable and inspiring! - Debra B.A Year in a Boat With The FamilyEven though I am not a boater, I enjoyed this first-hand account of the family, with a dog and a cat, buying a boat and living on the boat for a year. Their trials and happy times were informative and entertaining, due to the authors style of writing. Highly recommend this as a read for anyone contemplating living on the Sea for any period of time.
- terrymAn entertaining look at the fun... and the not-so-much fun aspects of sailing!I was really surprised at all the negative reviews, but I don't know what the reviewers were expecting... and if they have ever had any boating experience, with sailboats or power boats. I have spent quite a bit of time boating since moving to Florida in the late 1960s and have enjoyed island hopping so much, but I could relate to a lot of the "problems" the author encountered in his sailing adventures. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought it was a great read!
- PiddyGood read for someone clueless about owning a boat... I.e. me!Enjoyable, if you like finely honed sarcasm ???? . the author shares the trials and tribulations encountered by him and his family plus pets, as he purchases a catamaran and pursues the lifestyle of sailing the east coast of the US, and Bahamas. I think that this read would be useful to read for a novice who is intending a similar endeavor in their future. I enjoyed this fast moving, easy and humorous book.