Narrow Dog to Indian River: How a Man, a Woman, a Dog & Their Narrowboat Conquered the Atlantic Intracoastal

by Terry Darlington

Book Overview

From Virginia to Florida in an English canal boat. Join the authors of "one of the most hilarious travel memoirs ever written"* on a wild odyssey aboard one of the most unlikely craft ever to sail U.S. waters. No one had ever sailed an English narrowboat in the U.S. before--for reasons that become clear when Terry Darlington, his wife, Monica, and their well-traveled dog, a whippet named Jim, begin a nine-month voyage down the 1,150-mile Intracoastal Waterway. But no sooner do they set out in the seven-foot-wide Phyllis May than they encounter an ice storm in Virginia and piranhas in North Carolina. The Georgia coast is a madman's jigsaw and in Florida the alligators wait patiently for Jim. But as they wend their way through golden marshes, incomparable cities, and lost arcadias, the intrepid trio aboard the beautiful painted boat reveals a South few of us have ever seen. And with frequent stops to dine on sweet tea, grits, and the freshest of the day's catch, they make plenty of strange companions along the way--from wayfarers stopping to give Jim a good scratch behind the ears to ex-CIA agents and the Good Ole Boys of the Deep South--and discover that everyone has a story they're only too willing to share. Beautifully written, lovingly observed and very funny, Narrow Dog to Indian River takes you on a dangerous, surprising, and always entertaining journey through the wonderland of the South. *Booklist

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385342098
• ISBN13: 9780385342094
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: Bantam Dell
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

A Jolly Good Read

Terry Darlington is given to exaggeration. In fact, it's at the heart of his writing style and the source of the wonderful humor that suffuses Narrow Dog to Indian River. He, his wife Monica and their dog Jim shipped their English narrowboat PHYLLIS MAY to Norfolk, VA, in order to cruise the rivers, sounds and canals of the Intracoastal Waterway . . . probably the only such craft and crew ever to do so. When we called Terry to ask about their adventures along the waterway he suggested, in very few words, that we buy and read his book. Having done so, we suggest that you do the same. As Staffordshire's Crown and Anchor patrons might say while sipping their mother's ruin, "Ere's thi chance fert learn a bit o' Staffy." Jane and I live aboard our Island Packet 40 VOYAGEUR and, last fall and winter, traveled the East Coast Intracoastal Waterway from Norfolk, VA to Lake Worth, FL on our way to the Bahamas. Previously, in 2005 and again in 2007 we chartered a 60' long and 6'10" wide narrowboat in the UK to cruise the midlands' canal and lock system. So when we read Narrow Dog to Indian River, we knew whereof Terry wrote. When, in 2007, we stopped in Stone for repairs to our narrowboat's heating system, we saw PHYLLIS MAY and when we return this October to the UK to cruise the Four Counties Ring, we hope to meet Terry, Monica and their dog Jim.

Narrow

Following up on Narrow Dog to Carcasonne, this book takes us on a great ride down the Intra-coastal Waterway with great dashes of wit and observations only a Brit could make. A fun read from cover to cover.

Sweetly and Subversively Eloquent

Dry and understated in the finest English tradition, this lovely theme on discovery is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes melancholy, sometimes unexpectedly eloquent and gorgeous, and always full of beauty and insight. The narrative unselfconsciously reinforces the irrepressible likableness of the author, his long-suffering wife, and of course, the center of the system: Jim.

Hilarious

Loved the first book, this one was at least as good if not better. I have spent time on a narrowboat and understand the love people have for them. This author is wonderful in his view of his own foibles and those around him. Hilariously good read...Buy the books, get a dog, go to the UK, rent a narrowboat and see the world completely differently.

I loved this book!

After reading Narrow Dog to Carcasonne, I pre-ordered this book and looked forward to its arrival. I enjoyed this one even more than the first. Terry Darlington is a terrific writer and both books about his marine adventures are really fun to read. His writing is observant and clever, poetic, charming and witty. The tenderness of his feelings for his wife of many years adds a very special dimension to his travel adventure story. Few books make me laugh aloud but this one did several times! Perhaps I enjoyed this book so much because I'm a North Carolina immigrant, trapped here by my husband's hatred of snow and love of golf. Mr. Darlington captured the essence of the Carolina tidewater and its people: generous, naive, welcoming to everyone. I hope Terry Darlington has more books in the works for us but for the sake of his lovely Monica, I hope the Phyllis May won't cross too many more large bodies of water.