When a Cowgirl Goes to Sea

This is the story of how Kaci Cronkhite, an Oklahoma cowgirl, four generations from the ocean, found her way to sea, then sailed around the world. More than just a trip about one sailing circumnavigation, this book tells the story of how life on a windy cattle ranch in middle America spurred a young woman from decades on horses to decades on boats. At times poetic and humorous, often salty and detailed, When A Cowgirl Goes to Sea illustrates the paradoxical connections of rural ranch life and a life at sea. In the wind, you'll recognize the raw smell of fear while facing pirates or the death of a parent. You'll feel the nightmare pounding of your guts during a Tasman storm or on a runaway tractor. You'll wake to hear a tornado or the scream of winds at a Cape or the sound of electricity arcing and your mother's ankles popping. You'll laugh when your boat becomes a "birdie bed & breakfast" and cry when the smoke that causes it, chokes you and forces you to a terrifying all-night dodge in the busiest shipping lane in the world. Progress on this book continues into 2012.