Tropic Moon, a 42-foot, steel-hulled ketch, was home to the Baardsens from 1978-1992. Long before the days of personal GPS, and with no satnav or radar onboard, Ed navigated using a sextant, a compass, nautical charts, and a depth sounder.

Tales from over a decade of cruising include a revolution in Grenada, dismasting in the Mediterranean, and two Atlantic crossings. During interludes from cruising, they pursued other interests. Ed was employed as a machinist in the British Virgin Islands. They both worked as weavers on the island of Nantucket. Jean studied scrimshaw in the Azores, and the traditional craft of bobbin lace while living in Malta.

From her childhood nightmare of a towering black hull, to a terrifying collision at sea, Jean takes the reader on the adventures of a lifetime.