"This book is an example of how life should be lived--following dreams, taking risks, accepting the pull to what inspires you. With lyrical prose and evocative images, it is a beautiful testament to John and Bea Dowd's enduring love for the ocean, the land, and each other." --Maria Coffey, author of Instead: Navigating the Adventures of a Childfree Life"A wild, wet, and wonderful tribute to lives lived well by the ocean, setting schedules to tides and storms, and praying that the boat will start one more time. A delight for all coastal dwellers, or those who wish to be." --Grant Lawrence, author, Adventures in Solitude"This deeply felt memoir from John and Bea--legends of Canadian sea kayaking--is a reminder that the grandest journeys often arise not by casting bowlines, but from setting down roots. Asking nothing and giving everything to a tiny yet unspeakably precious corner of the coast, they are rewarded with love, joy, and the rarest of commodities in today's frenetic world: true freedom." --Bruce Kirkby, author of Blue Sky Kingdom"Escape into the adventures the Dowds found when they chose to live like modern-day Robinson Crusoes on bucolical Vargas Island in Clayoquot Sound, BC. This book is about what happens when real life meets the fantasy of living off the grid on a small island, and the interesting friends, neighbours, and wildlife that visit them in their remote, semi-wilderness homestead.

" --George Gronseth, the founder of Kayak Academy, co-author of Sea Kayaker Deep Trouble, and a former columnist for Sea Kayaker magazine"For anyone who has ever entertained the thought of escaping to a rustic cabin on Canada's west coast, John and Bea Dowd share how the dream can live up to reality. Their years in Clayoquot Sound were legendary before this book; now we can all experience the beauty and tranquility of this special location firsthand." --John Kimantas, author of the Wild Coast series.