Going Fair Wind

¿¿¿¿ Some boats are built to fish.Others are built to survive. In the summer of 1975, twenty-one-year-old RP Nash had nothing but a sleeping bag, a few dollars, and a reckless hunger for something bigger than small-town life. What he found was Southeast Alaska... and a 1907 wooden fishing boat that probably should have been retired decades earlier. This wasn't just a job. It was survival. From wild parties and golf-course hustles in Washington State to the unforgiving waters of the North Pacific, Going Fair Wind is a raw, hilarious, and brutally honest memoir of a greenhorn deckhand thrown into the dangerous world of commercial salmon fishing. Onboard the aging M/V Audrey-rotting hull, failing bilge pumps, and a captain barely more experienced than himself-Nash faces:Violent storms and twenty-foot seas Mechanical failures that could mean sinking Grueling openers where sleep is optional The constant reality that one mistake could be the last But beyond the danger lies something deeper. This is the story of a young man discovering resilience, grit, and leadership the hard way-at sea. The lessons learned on the deck of a leaking fishing boat would later shape his path into business ownership and entrepreneurship. Told with sharp humor, vivid detail, and zero romanticizing, Going Fair Wind captures: The wild culture of 1970s Alaska fishing towns The transformation from reckless youth to responsible captain The brotherhood of men working brutal jobs The thin line between adventure and disaster If you enjoy The Perfect Storm, Deadliest Catch, or true-life maritime adventure stories, this gripping memoir will keep you turning pages. Because sometimes the only way forward... is straight into the storm.