Description: Old salts and armchair sailors alike will delight in David Shaw's exhilarating adventure tales of sailing the ocean, lakes, and rivers of the Northeast. Shaw's four-year odyssey aboard his 24-foot sloop Elizabeth provided him with a unique view of these inland and coastal waters, their geography, people, history, and the boats -- both commercial and recreational -- that have navigated there for more than 300 years. Born with a visual impairment that precludes driving any vehicle, Shaw's tales bear witness to a remarkable personal achievement.

Inland Passage takes readers on a tour of the natural history of the Northeast, revealing how the waterways and waterfronts that make up these popular cruising grounds were formed. The stories also delve deeply into the history of how human ingenuity, shaped the waters, and the way of life along the coast and inland waters in times long forgotten. Additionally, the book focuses on rare boats, their owners, and the many people from boatyards to museums who work to preserve them. Ride the waves with Shaw as he sails the major waterways from Cape May to Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands on the Saint Lawrence River, the mountain lakes of the Adirondacks, the Erie Canal, the Hudson River, and Lake Champlain.

Shaw takes readers on tours on- and off-shore, above and below water. Without ever leaving your seat, you'll shove off for the coast's many fascinating lighthouses, museums, bridges, harbors, inlets, beaches, and artificial reefs. You'll learn about New Jersey's disappearing (and reappearing!) island and how New York Harbor was built. Hear tales from the marine police, find out what a "sand sucker" is, and voyage through the most dangerousinlet on the Jersey Shore. Shaw will take you boat racing, whale-watching, and treasure hunting in the many shipwrecks along the Northeast. Readers will even get a history lesson on how the unique geography of the Northeast coast effected the Revolutionary, Civil, and Cold wars.

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