Book review: Flotsam and Jetsam (The Cranse Chronicles) by Bob Ross

Flotsam and Jetsam (The Cranse Chronicles) by Bob Ross © Magnus Smith

I'm not Australian, and yet this collection of bar stories still amused me to read through in my spare moments. To be fair, the local colour (mainly from Sydney) was balanced fairly often with tales from international offshore racing and the America's/Admiral's Cups.

Taken from an anonymous gossip column, from the 1970s until the days where websites took over, Bob's tales range from short two sentence quips to two page stories. You may have heard the odd one before, but not all of them, and sometimes the book seems to reveal the truer version of events.

My personal favourite was about a shop window dummy (mannequin) which caused extended fun and games at one Sydney-Hobart Race, and topped off the prize-giving by coming alive.

Uncensored, and of their time, they are worthy of a giggle. I would recommend the hardback version for a shore-side read, or the paperback edition for an onboard library.

Excerpt from Flotsam and Jetsam (The Cranse Chronicles) by Bob Ross - photo © Magnus Smith