Accidental Captain

By Glenn Patron (2016; Ventura Publishing; $13)

There is nothing accidental about Glenn Patron’s path to cruising aboard his own boat. He aspired to sailing adventures from boyhood — exactly where this autobiography of his seven decades begins. The author’s play-byplay structure is tedious, but he recounts his upbringing, romantic relationships and work with a Fatty Goodlanderlike sensibility that makes them palatable. The pleasure in this read is delivered in the stories of his realized and unrealized pursuits of boat ownership, sailing adventure and cruising dreams. — Michael Robertson