Sloop (Mic Boyer)

Title: Sloop
Author: Daniel Robb
Pages: 317

This book is one of my dad’s. He recommended it to me so I took it from our bookshelves.

The main character is Dan Robb. It is more of a journal than anything. In Sloop, Dan decides to rebuild a family Herreshoff sailboat, Daphie, which has been rotting away in his cousin’s driveway. Daphie is a classic wooden boat, built for New England waters. Dan’s relationship with her is always changing. At first he is afraid of commitment and the time she will take away from his easy-going lifestyle. Then he becomes wrapped up in her construction and is charmed by her beauty. Sloop is a love story between a man and a sailboat that will enchant the reader with its diction and dialog.

The audience of Sloop should be a more mature audience or and audience that is familiar with boats, wood crafts or at least an appreciation of the two. There isn’t much structure or excitement to the read, so it makes the book boring and sometimes hard to read. The dialog that is used on the other hand is unique and keeps the reader engaged.

The writing style is first person and straight forward. The sentences are a bit complex but are very creative so it’s not all that bad.
‘“Really?” That was two questions up, two down. I was very surprised by his answers, and was now beginning to hope for the trifecta.’


Pg 45 “There is something about standing in the shadow of a large boat under construction that is close to what it must be like to stand next to a comatose elephant, or an anesthetized whale. There is a life in there, but it is subdued, hardly detectable.”
I chose this passage because it sounds so peaceful to me. I can picture the size and shape of the boat just by his little descriptions.

Pg 65 “If H-28’s design only slightly changed, the whole balance may be thrown out. If you equip her with deadeyes, build her with sawn frames, or fill her virgin bilge with ballast, the birds will no longer carol over her, nor will the odors arising from the cabin make poetry, nor will her soul be fortified against the world of warlords, politicians and fakers.”
I chose this to be my second passage because he uses personification to describe her perfection and fears that he cannot make her better.

Pg 162 “And she has something to her, an arrangement in space- where her mast rises, how her gunwales curve forward defining the cockpit- that seems near perfect to me, as if a geometric/aesthetic law were followed in her creation.” I chose this last passage because it shows Dan’s relationship with Daphie. He seems to be in love with her and is proud of her.

I interacted to Sloop because I am familiar with carpentry and with boating. My family has a boat and all summer that’s where you can find me. I am usually out on the river drifting around or just soaking up the sun. I enjoyed reading Daniel Robb’s experiences on sailing and it makes me want to learn to sail. Who knows, I may even want to build my own one day?