Stay Real, Stay Gone: More transformational tricks and tips to help you downsize your life and escape the rat-race under sail. (Get Real, Get Gone Book 2)

The book is absolutely packed with good practical advice that is delivered concisely, humorously and most importantly from a writer who has many years of seafaring experience aligned with a technical education that is able to articulate what is important from what isn't. As an example, the introduction or "butt kicking" typifies the style and content, the sound advice "try before you buy" that we have all heard yet, when we see the shiny bells and whistles we quickly forget is exampled in humour and Rick's life experiences. The first chapter clearly explains why one should always opt for a rudder supported by a keel or skeg as opposed to a cantilevered spade rudder type, it is now blinking obvious but, I have never seen it documented !. The opaque frailties of stainless steel in connection to boatbuilding does not escape Ricks microscope either but I won't spoil the punchlines....READ THE BOOK! It is to sailors what "Sun Tzu", "The Art of War" is to the military! You will not be disappointed !!!!

I’ve had sporadic contact with Rick for a couple of years, who’s consistently given generous and sane advice. What he offers is niche life-engineering/applied common sense. And it’s invaluable.I’m not ready for the full-on Sea Gypsy life, at least not yet, and did buy a ‘yoghurt pot’ with the intention of Med coastal and island hopping in the summer months. I bought after the steepest section of the depreciation curve (11 years old) and with extremely low engine hours, so I’m hoping to have avoided two of the biggest pitfalls.After a few seasons I’m hoping I’ll know whether going full SG is for me. If so, I’ll have a saleable production boat to exchange for a softer-riding, and arguably sturdier, blue water vessel.If not, I can keep hopping, or exit altogether, again from a production boat that there’s a market for.But Rick and his books have made it far easier for me to go for something I’d been dreaming of for years, armed with greater practical knowledge and far more readiness for the rough patches that will inevitably show up.

Although I am not yet a sailor, I really do love Rick's writing style and his blueprint for life in your own little "escape pod" as he calls it. This books is fill with some extremely good tips on living life to the full in some of the world's most exotic locations. So if you have ever dreamt of being a sea gypsy this is definitely the "how to" book for you!!

Another cracking read from Rick Page. He gives a realistic and honest account of what can be achieved on a modest budget and the right attitude and that this life style is achievable by all. A definite for any budding sea gypsy!

Rick’s Get Real, Get Gone and Stay Real, Stay Gone books are the best up-to-date writings about cruising under sail compared to lots of other books I have read on the subject. I would say that in today’s world these books logically continue great classic writings of Lean and Lary Pardey’s about self-sufficient and capable cruising.Rick’s books give readers true, based on vast first-hand experience, guidance for cruising under sail. With a firm hand as Odysseus once did, Rick guides the reader between Scylla and Charybdis of the modern consumer society on the path to a safe and enjoyable sailing life. He steers his readership crew away from Scylla of unnecessary and vulnerable toys that cost a fortune and away from Charybdis of boats with bad designs and poor construction quality, away from both of these monsters that will eventually endanger your life under sail in the Big Blue Universe.The right mindset and attitude are very important in every undertaking and living in the ocean is not an exception. From the very first page, Rick inspires you with the mindset of a true seafarer. The further you read the more you feel attuned to Rick’s ideas. These ideas are so true to your gut feeling, that you only wonder why you have not yet formulated them so clear and simple in your own head.Starting with explaining the sea gypsy mindset and what to expect from such a life, Rick gives the reader grounded in real-life and very practical advice on all things related to cruising, such as:- Design and construction that make a boat your real friend looking after you and forgiving you many mistakes you can do in the ocean.- Equipment your boat really needs and gadgets and toys that will eat away your funds similar to the way electric current produced by salty seawater eats away anodes on the hull of your boat. What is even more important, gadgets and toys that eventually will endanger all life on your boat.- Navigation tools that will help you not to go aground or get stuck on a coral reef.- Reliable anchoring, heaving to and how to relax and take your time on the high seas.- How not to be simply “at the mercy of the weather”, but deal with storms, safely hide and protect your boat from cyclones, and what should guide your decisions to stay safe in general. Very important to know.- How to keep sailing and make your living at the same time.- Crystal clear technique to make tight turns in confined spaces of marinas and to move accurately in reverse for long/full keel sailboats! The topic, not a single book I have read ever touched. Only Rick’s Stay Real, Stay Gone will answer your questions about using prop walk and prop wash to maneuver long keel to your advantage and with ease! And these are just some examples of indispensable savvy sailor first-hand knowledge you will find in these two books. Must read.For me, Rick’s books are also philosophical treatises proofed by the real-world experience of the author and illustrated by his practical advice. I would say it is Philosophy of Life exactly as ancient Greeks imagined philosophy and life as one whole phenomenon. This philosophy is a mixture of Epicureanism and Stoicism – that I like and try to follow myself. It is great to find a like-minded person who is not brainwashed by modern consumer society and enjoys real life and not its fake substitutes.Rick writes with a good sense of humor and reading his books is a real pleasure.