Sailing Memoir Recasts Larry Pardey as a Bit of a Bully

Belittled the Author's Father and Dissed the Boat He Built

J.R. Roessl and Larry Pardey in younger days. When they met, she was 16 and he was 30.

Upon his death in 2020, Larry Pardey was hailed as “one of the greatest all-around sailors of all time.” Undeniable were his accomplishments: Two circumnavigations with his wife Lin aboard small, engineless, wooden sailboats. The Pardeys spent their lives proselytizing…