Roger A. Marin
Fire Sail by Maine writer Roger Marin

Roger A. Marin

Roger A. Marin, a new author, presents his e-books: Fire Sail: The Miraculous Attainment of a Family's Dream–Part 1 and Fire Sail: The Journey Continues–Part 2. Using narrative nonfiction with dialog based on years of notes, Marin engages the reader in the sometimes humorous, sometimes frightening, and thought-provoking events endured by his family in their long struggle to build a dream, and then sail away on it for a two-year adventure. This two-part story illustrates the rewards that grit, perseverance, and faith can yield—even to a novice.

In 1978, the author, a former Maine fisheries biologist and a 1964 University of Maine graduate, left state employ to work for himself. Marin moved a 1976 unfinished hull to the Boothbay area, then himself to the Sugarloaf area to start a new life with his teacher/wife, Laurie, and their two boys, Eric and Craig. Eight years later, with their boat ready to sail, a new dream emerged, and in 1985, after extensive research on cruising, the Marins sold their possessions, enrolled the boys in correspondence school and sailed away.

Upon their return and after 50 years warring with Maine's winters, the author surrendered and convinced his wife to move to southern comfort. In 1992, they and their boat, Tribute, switched venues to Beaufort, South Carolina, where Laurie taught and Roger ran a charter business. Two years later, disillusioned by the muddy Beaufort Royal River, the author jumped at the opportunity to get the boat back to Maine for summer charters, eventually retiring that business after twelve years.

Marin amassed notes on their charter adventures. He wrote and got published an article for a then popular cruising magazine, Latitudes and Attitudes, then decided to write his family's saga, ignorant of the effort that would entail. Fifteen years of intermittent writing finally produced fruit.

The author and his wife still work winters in South Carolina in order to spend summers in Maine living aboard their original Tribute. Roger is writing The Confessions of a Charter Captain and hoping to live long enough to see it published.

Fire Sail Part 1 and Part 2 are available on Kindle, iBooks, etc. For PC/ laptop, access via smashwords.com.