All in the Same Boat

All in the Same Boat follows the Reynolds family's true-life dream of sailing around the world aboard their yacht, the Phoenix, a voyage born from a skipper's youthful fascination with the sea and brought to life only when postwar work in Japan places the family within reach of the Inland Sea. What begins as an ambition becomes a hands-on adventure in boatbuilding, as the narrator designs a sturdy ketch for safety and long-distance cruising, navigates language barriers, and finds an unlikely ally in Yotsuda-san, a gifted shipbuilder whose humble workshop launches the project. From the Phoenix's ceremonial launch to the slow, exacting work of construction, the book blends humor, cross-cultural insight, and practical seamanship. It captures Japanese craftsmanship, New Year delays, scavenged parts, and the delicate balance of honor, money, and trust. Once at sea, the journey turns perilous in the Great Barrier Reef and beyond, where luck proves as essential as skill. Through frontier ports, comic hotel disasters, phosphorescent nights, and the loss of Mi-ke overboard, the voyage remains both exhilarating and fragile, a vivid chronicle of resilience, wonder, and discovery. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.