hɪz fˈɜːst bˈʊk, fɹʌm ɐ bˈɛɹ hˈʌl, ɹˈɪʔn̩ wɛn hiː wʌz twˈɛnti ˈeɪt, wʌz sˈaɪɾᵻd baɪ jˈɑːɾɪŋ mˌæɡɐzˈiːn æz "wˈɜːði əvə mˈʌtʃ ˈoʊldɚ mˈæn wɪð ɐ lˈaɪftaɪm ʌv bˈoʊtbˈɪldɪŋ ɛkspˈiəɹɪənsᵻz."
His first book, From a Bare Hull, written when he was 28, was cited by Yachting Magazine as "worthy of a much older man with a lifetime of boat-building experiences."