In the Media
"From almost the moment they met, the author knew that her future husband Andrés dreamed of sailing around the world. Their dating life was filled with hikes, kayaking, and short sailboat rides, but a long voyage seemed far out of reach: They would have to quit their jobs, sell their house, buy a boat, and live frugally off savings as they went. Still, González wanted to help Andrés achieve his dream, and before they were even married, they purchased a 34-foot Pacific Seacraft they named Ana María.
Three years later, the boat and their lives were sufficiently ship-shape to finally begin their voyage—a two-year journey down the West Coast to Mexico and across the Pacific, island hopping all the way to New Zealand.
Andrés, the more experienced sailor, was captain; González, the co-captain, took it upon herself to keep a detailed log of the trip, recording accounts of their adventures from snorkeling in French Polynesia to riding deadly storm swells off Cape Mendocino...
Here is a buoyantly escapist reading experience for seasoned sailors and daydreamers both."
- Kirkus Reviews
Read the entire review here.
"The Co-Captain's Log reads smoothly, with an appealing balance of moments that are both stirring and intense. González is a natural storyteller as well as an engaging guide for readers who want to sample the beauty and grandeur of faraway places.
The charm of this memoir is González's ability to vividly set the scene while detailing the breathtaking features that surround her, whether describing attempts to fix potentially devastating boat issues or recounting the songs of whales keening across the waves at night.
The strong marriage at the heart of González's writing withstands the couple's harrowing and demanding adventure...That camaraderie and deep bond between the two drives the memoir, making their experiences together all the more significant."
- BookLife Prize 2024
Read the entire review here.
"From almost the moment they met, the author knew that her future husband Andrés dreamed of sailing around the world. Their dating life was filled with hikes, kayaking, and short sailboat rides, but a long voyage seemed far out of reach: They would have to quit their jobs, sell their house, buy a boat, and live frugally off savings as they went. Still, González wanted to help Andrés achieve his dream, and before they were even married, they purchased a 34-foot Pacific Seacraft they named Ana María.
Three years later, the boat and their lives were sufficiently ship-shape to finally begin their voyage—a two-year journey down the West Coast to Mexico and across the Pacific, island hopping all the way to New Zealand.
Andrés, the more experienced sailor, was captain; González, the co-captain, took it upon herself to keep a detailed log of the trip, recording accounts of their adventures from snorkeling in French Polynesia to riding deadly storm swells off Cape Mendocino...
Here is a buoyantly escapist reading experience for seasoned sailors and daydreamers both."
- Kirkus Reviews
Read the entire review here.
"The Co-Captain's Log reads smoothly, with an appealing balance of moments that are both stirring and intense. González is a natural storyteller as well as an engaging guide for readers who want to sample the beauty and grandeur of faraway places.
The charm of this memoir is González's ability to vividly set the scene while detailing the breathtaking features that surround her, whether describing attempts to fix potentially devastating boat issues or recounting the songs of whales keening across the waves at night.
The strong marriage at the heart of González's writing withstands the couple's harrowing and demanding adventure...That camaraderie and deep bond between the two drives the memoir, making their experiences together all the more significant."
- BookLife Prize 2024
Read the entire review here.
The Raindancer Podcast
Rick Rodriguez hosts a podcast for sailors and adventurers
Highlights:
- Laughing after shark attacks and whale collisions
- Extroverts marrying introverts
- Midwesterners crossing oceans
Pastor/Writer
Chase Replogle hosts a podcast for Christian writers
Highlights:
- Sanctification in a boatyard
- Writing to enhance an experience
- Writing for a secular audience
"Chronicling one couple's voyage across the Pacific, The Co-Captain's Log is a story of heart and adventure.
Katherine González has inventively compiled her narrative as a multimedia experience, with plenty of maps, photos, and tables in the book itself in addition to a digital supplement where readers can sign up for daily updates from the logbook emailed to them in real time, as if they were reading the tracker reports from Ana María as Katherine and her husband, Andrés, make the crossing.
Despite coming to the sailing world as the less experienced half of the couple, Gaonzález writes with the salty spiritedness that immediately identifies her as a true sailor.
Full of ups and downs, she has managed to tell a tale that's adventurous and eminently readable while still be packed with all the nautical details and data that sailing readers could ask for."
- SAIL magazine Holiday Gift-Giving Book List
“Today we crossed the equator! Champagne was popped, high fives were slapped, chocolate açai bits were nibbled. The only way it could have been better is if we'd actually been aboard the Pacific Seacraft 34 Ana Maria with Katherine and Andrés González. But we did the next best thing with this first "interactive" book we've ever reviewed:
We clicked on the proper QR code, registered on the website, and from there on, received daily emails chronicling Ana María's 2023 Pacific Puddle Jump. We admit to skepticism when Katherine, a regular Changes in Latitudes contributor, told us about this plan. But to experience her vision in "real time”—we love it! It's one of the first emails we look at every morning to see how” we" are doing on the crossing, and frankly, we'll be a bit sorry when we finally "get" to Hiva Oa.
But that's just one part of this lovely book, which traces the story of Katherine and Andrés from when they first met on the ski slopes in Washington in 2016, to their arrival in New Zealand last year. (Earlier QR codes in the book will give you access to videos and more photos of their eight-year journey.) If you're more of a traditional reader, you can power through the entries for their Pacific crossing in a single sitting. But in this case - and this may be the only time we ever say this - by just reading the whole book, you would be missing a part of what makes this one of our favorite cruising books ever.”
- Latitude 38 The Sailing Books of 2024
