Taken by the Wind: Memoir of a Sailor's Voyage in a Bygone Era

Would you have sailed a 30-foot sailboat to the South Pacific before GPS navigation and accessible ocean weather forecasts existed?

In 1976, after graduating from Harvard College, Mike Jacker embarked on a year-long voyage aboard Rhiannon with two friends named Louis and Clark. The three Midwestern boys had never experienced ocean sailing. Mike’s captivating narrative takes you along on his remarkable adventures at sea and on land.

This compelling memoir, told with the benefit of four decades of hindsight, portrays an engaging voyage of personal discovery that depended on thoughtful planning, resourcefulness, and good luck.

Mike evocatively conveys his awe of the open ocean while authentically chronicling the vicissitudes of small boat cruising during a simpler era.

Sail aboard Rhiannon to:


- Gulf of Mexico during hurricane season
- Isla Mujeres and Cozumel, Mexico
- Belize
- Panama Canal Zone
- Galapagos
- Marquesas
- Tuamotus
- Society Islands
- Cook Islands
- Hawaii

Readers of Taken by the Wind will relive the crew’s transformation from nervous uncertainty to quiet confidence as the boys gradually prove their untested celestial navigation skills and self-sufficiency.

Taken by the Wind features:


- Color photos
- Hand-drawn maps
- An extensive Glossary
- Informative Appendices

Mike’s sailing narrative is recounted in a straightforward readable prose. This book is suitable for sailors and non-sailors of all ages who dream of a sailing adventure to the South Pacific.

EXPERIENCE THIS ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME JOURNEY AND ESCAPE ABOARD RHIANNON WITH MIKE TO A BYGONE ERA.