Song of the Sirens

Earnest K. Gann is better known for his aviation books than as a sea writer, but in "Song of the Sirens" he proves to us, his posterity, that he has as deft a mastery of the sea tale as he does of the aviation one. Unlike his aviation stories (both fictional and autobiographical), which are also excellent in their way, "Sirens" takes its title and point of departure from the psychology of yachtsmen the world over.As many, including myself, can testify from personal experience, boat ownership resembles the images of romantic love in medieval literature: a sight of the exquisitely curved sheer of one of Nathanael Herreshoff's schooners and the hapless yachtsman, or would-be yachtsman, will cheerfully spend his last cent on acquiring the object of his admiration. It is only later that he realizes that maintaining her costs far more than owning her, and involves a great deal more disappointment. Even a fairly recent vessel is subject to frequent equipment failures which end up costing far more to fix than they should. Even the most costly and meticulous pre-purchase survey usually fails to give warning that a failure of any of the systems packed more or less neatly into the odd-shaped spaces of a vessel is imminent. The owner finds out later that not only has a plumbing junction let go, but its location behind a custom-fitted mahogany cabinet will require disassembling most of the cabin even to access the offending device.As a result, a sort of folk legend has grown up among owners, of which my title for this review is one of the best known sayings. Others are: "The best days in a boat owner's life are the day he buys a boat and the day he sells a boat," "Buy the biggest boat you can afford (or can't quite afford)," and my personal favorite, "A boat is a hole in the water, lined with wood, steel, fiberglass, or aluminum, into which you pour money."In Mr. Gann's book, he starts us weather bound in a miserable little harbor in Denmark and takes us into a reminiscence of his most dramatic affair of the yachting kind, with the Albatros, "A middle-aged maid of fading beauty and questionable virtue." This schooner, built in 1921, was 84 feet long on the waterline and 117 feet including bowsprit (some modern writers have suggested the term "sparred length" to distinguish this from the "Length overall" shown on the naval architect's drawings). Albatros was about 30 years old at the time Gann bought her in 1954 after concluding his career as a professional pilot, and apparently he financed his adventures at sea from the royalties of his books. That he was able to sail thousands of miles in the old craft and keep his crew together speaks profoundly to his leadership and seamanship skills.He eventually sold Albatros and later she was capsized and sunk by a sudden gust of wind; the event was later dramatized in the movie "White Squall" (1996). While the threat of danger is not as developed a theme in this book as it is in Gann's aviation works, it is there as a subtext.In the course of the book, we get to know other boats, smaller than Albatros, that Gann owned in his lifetime, and many of the adventures he has on them. The point of view of the seduced is woven through the book with consummate skill, and the introduction brings it out without being unduly academic.This book is an autobiographical account. While it is not in the same class as Hornblower stories or Patrick O'Brien's tales of the age of fighting sail, its claim to being "literary" is fairly firm. However, it is an accessible, entertaining, and quick read. You won't have an English professor standing over you to make you finish it; indeed, you might get sneers from such people because the book is politically incorrect in today's terms, having as its main conceit a caricature of traditional male behaviors.But if you respond to the perfection of the Herreshoff sheerline I mentioned at the beginning, you'll appreciate the book thoroughly. If you don't, maybe you'll gain some insight into those of us who do. Just don't tell any English professors you liked it."Never reproach another for his love;It happens often enoughThat beauty ensnares with desire the wiseWhile the foolish remain unmoved."(From The Elder Edda, translated by Tayor & Auden, 1967, from a 12th century Icelandic-language original)

If you love boats, if you love sailing, if you love the sea, then you won't understand why you haven't read this book before now. Gann loves, really loves, all three and it shows in this tale of his enchantment with each boat he has ever owned. They say the best two days of owning a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it. For Gann (and me), it's every day you remember your love affair with it. That can last a lifetime and Gann makes the reader a part of his affairs. All the world does love a lover, and Gann is a lover who shares the most intimate moments of his relationship with each of his "Sirens." Ulysses had to be bound to the mast to survive the sirens' song. Gann is unbound and drawn to his passion for his lovers as he exposes his amorous nature shining through each craft. If you are a true romantic you will love each word of this affectionate adventure and the men and women who dare to embrace the sea and its sirens.

SS is like Fate is the Hunter, except on water, in boats. SS is for sailors, Fate is for flyers. It's non-fiction, wh/I think is Gann's stronger suit. The book is a series of sailing vignettes, w/ Albatros (of White Squall fame) kind of meandering throughout. Gann isn't a GREAT writer, but he has a way of, every once in a while, making a statement/writing a sentence that really stays w/ me, and I expect, having only recently discovered Gann, will prob read all his work. I think his non-fiction is much superior to his fiction, and Siren Song is a good book to start with; it's a little less convoluted than Fate, easier to read.

Ernest K. Gann is, quite simply, a great writer. In Song of the Sirens he writes about his adventures aboard the many ships he has owned. His writing skill takes the reader, even a landlubber like me, along with him to experience what it is like to ride out a storm 50 miles off the coast of Oregon in a fishing trawler or to sail across the Atlantic Ocean with an old, rusty, leaky training boat with a suspect engine. The book is slanted more for the boating afficionado. While he does explain some of the technical terms, a lot of them are obviously for someone who knows sailboats. There are no pictures, either. Pictures of the ships (not boats because, as he explains in the book, a boat is carried by a ship)would have been helpful. All in all, though, this book will greatly appeal to Ernest K. Gann fans, those who enjoy adventure stories, and those who enjoy sailing stories.

A humorous and engaging love story of the sea and a boat.

He writes a lot but says little. Perhaps his autobiographical narration accurately shows his focus and life experience. Most of the characters are one dimensional, little comment on what they ate, or soap opera intregue. A man'should obsession with his ship, it's lines, it's curves, it's tackle, it's motor, it's handling. It's not much of a novel , nor a diary. Picture a motor head describing his car to you. He would spend hours describing the motor, it's compression, oversize pistons, cam shaft. It's a sailor's book. It's readable but could have been much more .

Well written, an excellent tale of the sea

I was fascinated with this book for the fact that it represents a huge aspect of Gann's life which I think he never wrote enough about. Gann is one of the writers ever. He makes you feel as if you are standing right next to him all the way. His small stories of the incredible people he meets along this fascinating journey will make you laugh and cry. You feel absolutely drawn in by Gann's incredible personal style of writing.

GANN AGAIN TAKES YOU INTO THE STORY WITH HIS FASCINATING AND ACCURATE DESCRIPTIONS OF PEOPLES' CHARACTERS AND FOIBLES. A REALY GOOD COLLECTION OF STORIES FROM THE SEA AND WHO DOES IT BETTER THAN GANN?

Gann's writing is as impressive on the sea as it is in the air. I'm reading it slowly, to make the experience last. A fine document of mid-20th century writing style and of a certain masculine attitude of the era--a bit pre-Mad Men, but definitely post-WWII.

Have been after this book for some time. Most enjoyable summer reading !