After experiencing life on the ocean on board a sailboat, a former Kamsack air cadet who is now a major in the Air Force has written a book highlighting his adventures on the water off the coast of Eastern Canada.
Eric North, a major with the Royal Canadian Air Force working as a flight commander with an air maintenance squadron at Cold Lake, Alta., is the author of Knots Made Good; Sailing Adventures in Eastern Canada.
“This is a book for those interested in adventure, travel and the exploration of Canada’s vast eastern seaboard and Great Lakes,” North says on the jacket cover of the book, which was printed in 2015. “Each chapter is a firsthand account of exciting and challenging voyages aboard a 41-foot sailboat named Bagatelle.”
In April 2016, North’s book was named the winner of an Independent Publisher Regional and EBook Award (IPPY) as the best regional non-fiction book printed in Eastern Canada. The awards ceremony was held in Chicago on May 11.
“The Independent Publisher Book Awards were conceived in 1996 as a broad-based unaffiliated awards program open to all members of the independent publishing industry,” says information from the organization. “IPPY awards are intended to bring increased recognition to the thousands of exemplary independent, university and self-published titles produced each year and reward those who exhibit the courage, innovation, and creativity to bring about change in the world of publishing.”
The son of Lynda (Don) Walker of Laird and the late Leonard North of Kamsack, Eric entered the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont., after graduating from the Kamsack Comprehensive Institute and graduated with the bachelor of engineering degree in 2002. He received his master of electrical engineering degree from the College in 2009.
The book begins with North’s first voyage aboard Bagatelle with Don Currie, an experienced sailor, in 2001 and each chapter deals with a subsequent trip, ending with a Penguin Island Race at Kingston, Ont. in 2013.
“We live in exciting times,” North said in a telephone interview last week, explaining that the book, which is printed on demand by Lulu Press as the primary distributor, can be obtained by searching Knots Made Good on the Lulu Press website, or from Amazon.
A hard copy will arrive by mail shortly after a purchase is made, he said.
Situated on the St. Lawrence River at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, Kingston is ideal for sailing, he said, recounting his days attending the Royal Military College in Kingston.
Don Currie offered to have North be a member of his crew and since his first trip in 2001, North has sailed and crewed aboard dinghies, sloops, catarmarans and tallships across Canada and the USA as well as the Caribbean.
“Take a trip along the rugged coastline of the Gaspé peninsula, marvel as you journey around Quebec City, Magdalen Islands, Halifax and the southern coast of Nova Scotia,” North says of his book. “Explore Canada’s many lakes, rivers, canals, waterways and oceans, from the northeast estuaries of Georgian Bay to the far corners of Cape Breton Island and every piece of water in between.
“Witness the awesome power of wind and wave as Bagatelle makes her way in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, her crew at the mercy of the elements,” he said. “Prepare yourself for the adventure of a lifetime.”
In his forward to the book, Currie said that Bagatelle was one of the 1969 contenders for the defense of the Canada’s Cup at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club and with four other crew members, North began his first exposure to long distance sailing by testing his endurance to sea sickness.
“Eric became addicted to the sport of sailing, particularly long distance sailing,” Currie said. “Over the next few years Eric became very much attached to the boat, looking forward to passages that were interesting, demanding, educational and rewarding; a more reliable crew member could not be found under any conditions of weather or sickness.”
“I hope you all find this book captivating and appealing regardless if you count yourself as a seasoned mariner, land-lubber or anywhere in between,” North said. “Two perspectives permeate throughout each chapter: fir the first you have to put yourself in the shoes of a person who took up sailing ‘by doing,’ learning the most critical things on the spot with each trip he took; the second, is about all of the impressions one has in regard to Eastern Canada when viewed from the water.
“After reading each chapter and for those who’ve never sailed before, I encourage each of you to take a trip down to your local yacht club. Once you’ve arrived, poke around and ask if anyone is looking for crew. There should be at least one skipper who’s inclined to take someone willing, able and new aboard.”
North, whose family now includes his wife Christine and two daughters, Emily, 5, and Leah, 9, said they were in St. Lucia in the Caribbean in the fall when they were able to sail, and he is a member of a sailing club at Cold Lake.
He says he is an avid reader of quantitative finance and business analysis and with his family enjoys building remote control planes.
Asked to comment on how his experience as a Kamsack cadet has contributed to his life, North said that the big thing is that the cadet program provides opportunities and challenges.
“With cadets, you get a foot in the door. You learn new skills and the mindset that goes with it in addition to understanding the value of citizenship and of helping one another.
North said that he would be happy to talk to anyone about the book and his maritime experiences. He may be reached at ericnorth1o1@yahoo.ca.
