Three Years in a 12-foot Boat

For anyone who dreams of sailing away, here's an engrossing, gritty memoir of a 15,000-mile solo expedition in a tiny, hand-made boat.

Bent on discovery, Bremerton native Stephen G. Ladd ranges along the pirate-ridden coast of Panama and Colombia, across the Andes, down a 600-mile river by night to avoid guerrillas, to the Antilles and the Caribbean. Robbed, capsized, arrested and befriended, he sails and rows through a tumult of uncharted adventures.

The cast of characters: Dieter, mad ex-Nazi on a desert island; Hans, the smuggler who disappears at sea; castaways, prostitutes, and fortune-seekers.

Stow away with a poetic storyteller on a stormy, soulful voyage through nineteen countries, on the razor's edge between freedom and fear, loneliness and love.

Editorial reviews

“A well-told tale of Adventure with a capital “A”.
Wooden Boat Magazine

"Beautifully detailed! The impact grows with every page. You’ll not put it down until Ladd is safely back home.”
San Diego Log

"Ladd's exploration of the human psyche will propel you through the pages. Three Years is a poetic saga that reads like a novel."
Northern Breezes Sailing Magazine

"Ladd is authentic, and a good writer. If you want real adventure, try this book.”
Bremerton Sun

"If your dictionary doesn’t define the word ‘adventurous’ as ‘Stephen Ladd,’ then wait for the revised version."
Ballard News-Tribune

"For those of you with wanderlust nipping at your anchor line, Three Years could be your guide to another world.”
48° North

“A fantastic adventure!"
The Adventurers Club of Los Angeles

“Wanderlust, voyaging, and earth-awareness . . are woven together in Three Years in a Twelve-Foot Boat.”
Jefferson County Leader

"One of the most fascinating, well-written voyage accounts we’ve ever read."
Latitude 38 Sailing Magazine

"Intelligent and delicious."
NewsBuzz

This second edition is now on sale here on Amazon.

Three Years in a 12-Foot Boat

The first edition looks like this.