A mid-life crisis, a sailing adventure, and a rescue at sea, Coming About tells a story of survival and inner-strength through a foundational loving relationship. Coming About is a memoir of Mario and Jim who, at 40, quit their jobs and sell their home in San Francisco to follow their dream. They buy a 50-foot sailboat and move to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands where they discover many quirky facets … facets of adjusting to life on the island as well as its many cultural idiosyncrasies. During the maiden voyage from the US mainland to St. Thomas, they encounter treacherous weather conditions and a series of life-threatening events that lead to a rescue at sea and the destruction of their dreams of retirement in a Caribbean paradise. Battling relentlessly crushing waves and shark-infested waters, their lives hang in the balance. Their struggles are vividly recounted as they search for meaning in the near loss of their lives and the shattering of their dreams.
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Who wants to read a true story about a year in the life of someone they don’t know? After reading this book, the answer should be, everyone.
Coming About details the life of author, Mario Dell’Olio. He and his partner Jim resided in San Francisco, fixing up their grand home and creating a happy and comfortable lifestyle. But as happens to all of us at some point, the little things start to niggle more than they should and the grass seems to look greener elsewhere. Selling their home, leaving their jobs and friends behind and moving away for a slice of paradise in the Caribbean sounds like a dream come true for many of us; the reality can be somewhat different. Mario describes every facet in extraordinary detail without ever straying into the mundane. Their move coinciding with the atrocities of 9/11 and losing all of their savings, to the excruciatingly slow pace of island living and the decision to buy a sailing boat in America and chart a course across the ocean to reach their new home on Saint Thomas. Here is where the story really draws the reader into the narrative and if it wasn’t for the fact Mario himself had written this book many years after these events, you would be sure he would perish at sea.
It is all too easy in hindsight to disagree with past decisions made, especially the ones Mario chose, but in the heat of the moment, when money and emotions are heavily entwined, I doubt there would be many of us who wouldn’t follow a similar course to ones laid out in this book. The lessons learned here can be applied to all of us in one way or another and I felt a great deal of emotion when reading this incredible, true story. The events that unfold in Coming About, I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but I do encourage all to read Mario’s account and how he was able to not only survive, but thrive after his many brushes with death.
Coming About appealed to me because it focused on the author’s story of leaving his life in San Francisco behind to captain a boat in the Caribbean. As a scuba diver, I’ve traveled to that area of the world a few times, and anything to do with the ocean is something I’m interested in.
The author and his partner both had good jobs, but they were extremely busy and life became very stressful. The idea of packing up and moving to an island, where life was slower-paced, was at first just a dream, but they eventually decided to make it a reality. Their decision was not without unexpected trouble, however. Almost as soon as they took their new boat to sea, there were problems with the vessel that threatened to derail all of their plans for the future.
I found this book to be quite interesting, and the story much more compelling than I’d expected. At the closing of the book, the author recounts a graduation speech he gave for some of his students, and its message was very powerful. Given the events that led up to that point in his life, it made the speech all the more profound, and even as an adult, reading those words were very meaningful.
If you’re interested in reading a real-world tale of adventure (and misadventure) on the open sea, consider Coming About.
Wow. What an incredible story of surviving disaster(s), and the impact that it has on how your life shapes even as a mature adult. This was a fascinating and gripping read, that had me empathising with the choices made, but at the same time sitting at the edge of my seat shouting “NO!”. A great reminder that sometimes the biggest adventures are not significant for having you end up in a new place, but to end up as a new version of yourself-interacting with the familiar as if it is new once more. As thrilling as the maritime horrors were, where this book truly shines is the depiction of personal growth, something we rarely see discussed in terms of a queer ‘mid-life crises’. Thank you for sharing.