If you enjoy time with Lin and Larry Pardey (and who doesn’t?), you’ll want to view their two new DVDs, Get Ready to Cruise and Get Ready to Cross Oceans. These professionally produced disks are the next best thing to a visit aboard Taleisin and the Pardeys’ second boat, Thelma, a 110-year-old racing yacht which they are restoring.
This dynamic sailing couple, veritable Energizer Bunnies of the cruising set, just keep cruising, learning, and passing along what wisdom they have acquired. With more than 65,000 miles of voyaging on Taleisin alone, that wisdom is remarkable.
When it comes to teaching others what they’ve discovered, Lin and Larry can’t help themselves, and we’re all grateful that their “as long as it’s fun” condition on their own cruising has not yet expired. They, in turn, make it fun for those who dream of following in their wake, as well as those who have a cruising vision of a completely different hue.
Whatever your sailing goals may be, Lin and Larry take you aboard and show you what they’ve found that works for them. They don’t claim that you must do it exactly their way. You need not build your own boat first or head out without an engine. They don’t preach, and they don’t condescend. They tell it like it is for them, with the full awareness that your boat may be built of fiberglass, have a different keel configuration, and offer a suite of electronic navigation devices. You’ll find much in common with these fellow sailors, just the same, and you’ll enjoy the virtual time you share together. I guarantee it.
These DVDs offer fresh information and an introduction to the Pardeys’ new love, Thelma, while delivering some of the highlights of previously filmed material from their video collection: Cruising with Lin and Larry Pardey, The Care and Feeding of Sailing Crew, Voyaging Hints for Upgrading Your Cruising Boat, and Cruising Coral Seas.
These disks are high on my list as potential gifts for sailing friends as the holiday season approaches. I have a hunch you’ll agree. Or treat yourself. That’s allowed also.
Get Ready to Cruise by Lin and Larry Pardy DVD (L&L Pardey, 2005)
