
Child of the Sea
A Memoir of a Sailing Childhood
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $19.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Tanya S. Bartlett
-
By:
-
Doina Cornell
About this listen
In 1975 seven-year-old Doina Cornell left England with her father Jimmy Cornell, mother and brother to spend the next six years sailing around the world on a small yacht. The author has drawn on her memories, diaries and stories, to re-create the perfect life led by a sailing child: Swimming, diving and playing the days away in deserted anchorages; visiting some of the most beautiful islands in the world; falling in love with the sea in all its ever-changing moods, from balmy trade wind ocean passages to the treacherous breakers that crash onto tropical reefs.
Beautifully narrated by premier voice-artist Tanya Bartlett, the New Street Nautical Audio Edition of Child of the Sea distills a vivid evocation of the sailing life from the perspective of a bright, curious and delightful child. The audiobook can be encountered as a simple story, in the clear language of a child, and nothing more. Or it can be encountered as a comment on what ingredients make for a perfect childhood, in these days when much ink is spilled on meditating that very question. What do children need to grow up happy and healthy? Security with their family; an element of risk and freedom to explore the world; openness to other peoples and cultures; a sense of the environment and our finite resources. The sailing life offers all these and more.
©2012 Doina Cornell (P)2014 New Street Communications, LLCListeners also enjoyed...
-
Swell
- A Sailing Surfer's Voyage of Awakening
- By: Liz Clark
- Narrated by: Liz Clark
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Captain Liz Clark spent her youth dreaming of traveling the world by sailboat and surfing remote waves. When she was 22, she met a mentor who helped turn her desire into reality. Embarking on an adventure that most only fantasize about, she set sail from Santa Barbara, California, as captain of her 40-foot sailboat, Swell, headed south in search of surf, self, and the wonder and learning that lies beyond the unbroken horizon.
-
-
such a disapointment
- By Mikel marchant on 01-21-20
By: Liz Clark
-
Philosophy of Sailing: Offshore in Search of the Universe
- By: Christian Williams
- Narrated by: Christian Williams
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Veteran sailor and writer Christian Williams invites us along once again on a 5,000-mile voyage of discovery around the North Pacific. Equipped with a new boat, a well-stocked toolbox, and the entire history of philosophic thought, he takes us as crew through squalls and calms deep into a laboratory of the universe that exists only out of sight of land. Funny, erudite, and at times deeply personal, Philosophy of Sailing explores who we are and how encounters with the unknown can be a path to revelation and joy.
-
-
...AKA, an exercise in patience
- By dubbelOHnegative on 04-07-19
-
Boat Girl
- A Memoir of Youth, Love, and Fiberglass
- By: Melanie Neale
- Narrated by: Lia Frederick
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Boat Girl is the heartbreaking memoir of growing up aboard a sailboat. Throughout the 1980's and 90's, Melanie's family lived aboard a 47-foot sailboat, spending their summers along the US East Coast and their winters in the Bahamas. But the cruising life was not all fun in the sun. The family had to work hard to pay for their way of life. They dodged hurricanes, overzealous federal agents and bullying land-kids. And they endured a boatload of family drama.
-
-
a remarkable story of a remarkable lady.
- By Wayne E Willis on 10-13-19
By: Melanie Neale
-
Sailing to the Edge of Time
- The Promise, the Challenges, and the Freedom of Ocean Voyaging
- By: John Kretschmer
- Narrated by: Matthew Kevin Anderson
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Kretschmer is sailing’s practical philosopher - as much a doer as a thinker. And that is the overarching theme of this chronicle of a sailing life. Often amusing, sometimes poignant, occasionally terrifying but always inspiring, his deeply personal account is a welcome reminder of the good life waiting at sea. With hundreds of thousands of nautical miles under his keel, John’s adventures have taken him several times around the world.
-
-
Disappointed
- By Worldoceans on 03-07-20
By: John Kretschmer
-
Godforsaken Sea
- By: Derek Lundy
- Narrated by: Michael Tezla
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Vendée Globe, a grueling four-month sail around the world, traveling through the wild waters of the Southern Ocean, is the most demanding and dangerous sailing race on the planet. In November 1996, 14 men and 2 women competitors set out on this ultimate human endeavor. Godforsaken Sea chronicles their solitary battles to stay alive against 6-story waves, bone-chilling cold, ice-laden seas, and their own physical and mental limitations.
-
-
Worth Reading
- By David on 10-14-04
By: Derek Lundy
-
A Voyage for Madmen
- By: Peter Nichols
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1968, nine sailors set off on the most daring race ever held: to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe nonstop. It was a feat that had never been accomplished and one that would forever change the face of sailing. Ten months later, only one of the nine men would cross the finish line and earn fame, wealth, and glory. For the others, the reward was madness, failure, and death. In this extraordinary book, Peter Nichols chronicles a contest of the individual against the sea, waged at a time before cell phones and electronic positioning systems.
-
-
Not Awesome
- By Shaun G. on 04-23-19
By: Peter Nichols
-
Swell
- A Sailing Surfer's Voyage of Awakening
- By: Liz Clark
- Narrated by: Liz Clark
- Length: 12 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Captain Liz Clark spent her youth dreaming of traveling the world by sailboat and surfing remote waves. When she was 22, she met a mentor who helped turn her desire into reality. Embarking on an adventure that most only fantasize about, she set sail from Santa Barbara, California, as captain of her 40-foot sailboat, Swell, headed south in search of surf, self, and the wonder and learning that lies beyond the unbroken horizon.
-
-
such a disapointment
- By Mikel marchant on 01-21-20
By: Liz Clark
-
Philosophy of Sailing: Offshore in Search of the Universe
- By: Christian Williams
- Narrated by: Christian Williams
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Veteran sailor and writer Christian Williams invites us along once again on a 5,000-mile voyage of discovery around the North Pacific. Equipped with a new boat, a well-stocked toolbox, and the entire history of philosophic thought, he takes us as crew through squalls and calms deep into a laboratory of the universe that exists only out of sight of land. Funny, erudite, and at times deeply personal, Philosophy of Sailing explores who we are and how encounters with the unknown can be a path to revelation and joy.
-
-
...AKA, an exercise in patience
- By dubbelOHnegative on 04-07-19
-
Boat Girl
- A Memoir of Youth, Love, and Fiberglass
- By: Melanie Neale
- Narrated by: Lia Frederick
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Boat Girl is the heartbreaking memoir of growing up aboard a sailboat. Throughout the 1980's and 90's, Melanie's family lived aboard a 47-foot sailboat, spending their summers along the US East Coast and their winters in the Bahamas. But the cruising life was not all fun in the sun. The family had to work hard to pay for their way of life. They dodged hurricanes, overzealous federal agents and bullying land-kids. And they endured a boatload of family drama.
-
-
a remarkable story of a remarkable lady.
- By Wayne E Willis on 10-13-19
By: Melanie Neale
-
Sailing to the Edge of Time
- The Promise, the Challenges, and the Freedom of Ocean Voyaging
- By: John Kretschmer
- Narrated by: Matthew Kevin Anderson
- Length: 9 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John Kretschmer is sailing’s practical philosopher - as much a doer as a thinker. And that is the overarching theme of this chronicle of a sailing life. Often amusing, sometimes poignant, occasionally terrifying but always inspiring, his deeply personal account is a welcome reminder of the good life waiting at sea. With hundreds of thousands of nautical miles under his keel, John’s adventures have taken him several times around the world.
-
-
Disappointed
- By Worldoceans on 03-07-20
By: John Kretschmer
-
Godforsaken Sea
- By: Derek Lundy
- Narrated by: Michael Tezla
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Vendée Globe, a grueling four-month sail around the world, traveling through the wild waters of the Southern Ocean, is the most demanding and dangerous sailing race on the planet. In November 1996, 14 men and 2 women competitors set out on this ultimate human endeavor. Godforsaken Sea chronicles their solitary battles to stay alive against 6-story waves, bone-chilling cold, ice-laden seas, and their own physical and mental limitations.
-
-
Worth Reading
- By David on 10-14-04
By: Derek Lundy
-
A Voyage for Madmen
- By: Peter Nichols
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1968, nine sailors set off on the most daring race ever held: to single-handedly circumnavigate the globe nonstop. It was a feat that had never been accomplished and one that would forever change the face of sailing. Ten months later, only one of the nine men would cross the finish line and earn fame, wealth, and glory. For the others, the reward was madness, failure, and death. In this extraordinary book, Peter Nichols chronicles a contest of the individual against the sea, waged at a time before cell phones and electronic positioning systems.
-
-
Not Awesome
- By Shaun G. on 04-23-19
By: Peter Nichols
-
Maiden Voyage
- By: Tania Aebi, Bernadette Brennan
- Narrated by: Tania Aebi
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tania Aebi was an unambitious 18-year-old, a bicycle messenger in New York City by day, a Lower East Side barfly at night. In short, she was going nowhere - until her father offered her a challenge: Tania could choose either a college education or a 26-foot sloop. The only catch was that if she chose the sailboat, she'd have to sail around the world - alone. She chose the boat, and for the next two and a half years and 27,000 miles, it was her home.
-
-
Good story, awful narration
- By Amazon Customer on 09-12-23
By: Tania Aebi, and others
-
Bound for Distant Seas
- A Voyage Alone to Asia Aboard the 28-Foot Sailboat Atom
- By: James Baldwin
- Narrated by: Nick O'Kelly
- Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bound for Distant Seas begins sailing author James Baldwin's epic tale of his second circumnavigation. His story is seasoned by his adventures during his first circumnavigation in 1984-86 as told in Across Islands and Oceans. Alone with little money aboard Atom, his now-engineless 28-foot sailboat, James embarks on his odyssey without the comforts and equipment most sailors consider essential.
-
-
Cool sailing story
- By Likes UAG on 05-25-16
By: James Baldwin
-
Sailing into Oblivion: The Solo Non-stop Voyage of the Mighty Sparrow
- By: Jerome Rand
- Narrated by: Jerome Rand
- Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The true account of the 2017-2018 solo nonstop circumnavigation by Jerome Rand aboard the Westsail 32 Mighty Sparrow. A testament to endurance and adventure, this memoir recounts what life is like aboard a small sailboat during a 271-day voyage around the globe, alone, and without stopping. One of the greatest challenges of both body and mind, the author will take you onboard during the good times and the bad. As one of only a handful of people to have ever succeed in such a small boat, this story is truly the adventure of a lifetime.
-
-
What not to do!
- By j daly on 09-30-21
By: Jerome Rand
-
Barbarian Days
- A Surfing Life
- By: William Finnegan
- Narrated by: William Finnegan
- Length: 18 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Pulitzer Prize, Biography, 2016. Barbarian Days is William Finnegan's memoir of an obsession, a complex enchantment. Surfing only looks like a sport. To initiates it is something else entirely: a beautiful addiction, a demanding course of study, a morally dangerous pastime, a way of life.
-
-
What a Jerk.
- By ML Sadler on 03-06-17
By: William Finnegan
-
Fourteen
- A Daughter's Memoir of Adventure, Sailing, and Survival
- By: Leslie Johansen Nack
- Narrated by: Leslie Johansen Nack
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Winner of three independent book awards: NIEA, Readers' Favorites and Beverly Hills Book Awards. Obsessed with sailing, Leslie Nack's larger-than-life Norwegian father has a dream to live on a sailboat and show his three daughters the world. And although it takes years, in 1975 he finally completes his preparation and sets his sights on French Polynesia.
-
-
Great Narrative!
- By Gabriela O. on 02-10-19
-
Not Forgetting the Whale
- By: John Ironmonger
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
- Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When a young man washes up, naked, on the sands of St Piran, he is quickly rescued by the villagers. From the retired village doctor and the schoolteacher, to the beachcomber and the owner of the local bar, the priest's wife and the romantic novelist, they take this lost soul into their midst. But what the villagers don't know is that Joe Haak worked as an analyst and has fled the City amid fears of a worldwide banking collapse caused by a computer program he invented. But is the end of the world really nigh?
-
-
a Sweet Uplifting story
- By Karen B on 01-07-24
By: John Ironmonger
-
Monster Mission
- By: Eva Ibbotson
- Narrated by: Susan Jameson
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Panic seizes the country when three children are seized by a gang of kidnapping aunts. But far away, on a mysterious island, the children soon realize their strange captors are not like normal criminals. In fact, Aunts Coral, Etta and Myrtle are on a secret mission. And the children have been specially chosen to help them in an extraordinary, dangerous and magical adventure…A hilarious, charming fantasy from bestselling author Eva Ibbotson, read by Susan Jameson.
-
-
childhood favorite
- By TotallyT3ii3 on 02-14-25
By: Eva Ibbotson
-
Homesick
- My Own Story
- By: Jean Fritz
- Narrated by: Jean Fritz
- Length: 4 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This heartwarming fictionalized autobiography tells the story of what it is like for a little girl to be growing up in an unfamiliar place. While other girls her age were enjoying childhood in America, Jean Fritz was in China in the midst of political unrest. During this time, foreigners were becoming more and more unpopular, and evacuation at a moment’s notice was imminent. Although Jean appreciated the beauty of China - the mountains, the countryside, the sea - she knew she belonged in America and longed to make her home there.
-
-
Great book!
- By R. SEVERSON on 10-19-18
By: Jean Fritz
-
Islands in the Stream
- By: Ernest Hemingway
- Narrated by: Bruce Greenwood
- Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First published in 1970, nine years after Hemingway's death, this is the story of an artist and adventurer, a man much like Hemingway himself. Beginning in the 1930s, Islands in the Stream follows the fortunes of Thomas Hudson, from his experiences as a painter on the Gulf Stream island of Bimini through his antisubmarine activities off the coast of Cuba during World War II. Hemingway is at his mature best in this beguiling tale.
-
-
Hemingway was a Genius
- By Ian on 08-04-06
By: Ernest Hemingway
-
Kensuke’s Kingdom
- By: Michael Morpurgo
- Narrated by: Derek Jacobi
- Length: 3 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Michael is washed up on an island in the Pacific after falling from his parents’ yacht, he struggles to survive on his own. He can’t find food and he can’t find water, and as Michael and his dog curl up to sleep, he knows they cannot last long. But he soon realises there is someone close by, someone who is watching over him and helping him to stay alive.
-
-
A rare gem
- By BK Stubbs on 04-24-17
By: Michael Morpurgo
-
Nation
- By: Terry Pratchett
- Narrated by: Stephen Briggs
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thirteen-year-old Mau is the only one left after a giant wave sweeps his island village away. But when much is taken, something is returned, and somewhere in the jungle, Daphne - a girl from the other side of the globe - is the sole survivor of a ship destroyed by the same wave.
-
-
Transcends categories
- By Amazon Customer on 11-22-08
By: Terry Pratchett
-
Seraffyn's Oriental Adventure
- By: Lin Pardey, Larry Pardey
- Narrated by: Michelle Murillo
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A tale of adventures, as Lin and Larry Pardey continue their voyaging on board their self-built 24'4" cutter. They cross the exotic sea that spawned Homer's tales of Ulysses' Odyssey, then sail through the strife torn Red Sea and across the typhoon tossed waters of the Bay of Bengal.
-
-
good uneventful reading
- By Don on 08-11-22
By: Lin Pardey, and others
What listeners say about Child of the Sea
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- dlent
- 01-13-19
Excellent
Well written. Well read. Interesting hearing a child's perspective on a sailing experience. Thought the sailing vocabulary was pronounced correctly.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
- escapewheel
- 10-13-20
loved it
What a great story, written from the perspective of a child coming of age.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Patricia
- 06-30-24
Good arm chair sailing
If you love cruising by sail you will love this book.
Enjoy the South Pacific and its beautiful history, culture and people.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!