Drawn Together
We just don’t have much use for the printed word anymore, and based on the carnage this year among so many newspapers and magazines, the rest of the world doesn’t either. Books are not as hard-hit, though the reasons are unclear. For one, an open book on one’s lap makes a great place to roll a joint for those who are so inclined. For another, books make a great gift – perhaps the easiest thing to buy at the last second and give to people that don’t warrant more than 2 minutes online or 6 minutes at a Barnes & Noble.
The Adventures of Dave and Joe by Long Island sailor Dave Foster is not quite stiff enough for option A, but after reading an advance copy, we really liked it. Knowing how much we hate holiday shopping, we recommend buying a copy for every sailor on your list and crossing them off.
Dave and Joe is a compendium of years of the comic strip of the same name written by Foster and published by WindCheck Magazine as well as the odd Yacht Club and Class newsletter. It follows two avid weekend warriors as they travel around racing their Thistle at different events, painting those all-too-familiar humiliating moments in racing with the kind of self-effacing humor rarely seen in the sport. It’s a too-short read from cover to cover, but we were laughing out loud when we read it, and we predict Dave and Joe will end up on countless bathroom floors over the next few months. Foster is self-publishing and will be lucky if he earns a dime out of this. It’s so rare to see anything clever that focuses on our little sport, so have a look at the book and support something cool.
