The Cruise of Lazy Daze

About the Book

A middle-aged old sea dog finds the sailing schooner he has dreamed about, converts it from a cargo vessel to a beautiful passenger cruiser. He takes a number of guests on short cruises around the Gulf of Mexico, until he is approached for a circumnavigating cruise around the Gulf and the Caribbean. He, his first mate, and three couples encounter a variety of adventures, including an encounter with Columbian pirates. They barely escape, only to be chased by a hurricane up to the Yucatan peninsula, where they are forced to ground Lazy Daze in a river estuary.
There they encounter two groups who turn out to be opposing forces, plus an ancient pirate treasure. The latter they load onto there boat with the help of one group whom they have befriended. When they salvaged and repaired Lazy Daze they attempted to leave the area. They were attacked by the other group, and after a battle for their lives, they barely make it away.
From there they headed directly to the United States and a hospital to repair the damage done in the battle. There they had a number of more pleasant adventures.


Book Review

The Cruise of the Lazy Daze
Review by William H.P. Smith

           The Lazy Daze is a good read, especially for an afternoon at the beach, a plane trip or a pleasant few hours in your favorite chair.
           This book by new novelist Roger Cooke will keep you reading long after you should have put it down to do other things you had planned. Cooke’s clear, straight forward writing foregoes long descriptions with the major burden of moving the story along left to the characters themselves.
          Cooke obviously has had ample sailing experience and those who love sailing ships will appreciate his expert command of the terms of boats and the sea.
           The story tells of a middle aged old sea dog who realizes a lifelong dream of owning a sailing ship and operating a charter cruising business. He finds a derelict old ship in a boat yard and rebuilds it into a beautiful ship with teak decks, brass fittings and tall white sails. He signs on a first mate and three couples for a cruise of Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.
          But this cruise turns into a fast-moving story of heavy storms at sea, shipwreck on an island inhabited by two warring camps—a native Mayan tribe and the descendents of French settlers. While on the island the discovery of a long buried pirates’ treasure of gold adds to the experience.
           Telling more of the story would dampen your suspense, but there are many unexpected twists, turns and challenges before the sailors of the Lazy Daze return to home port.
           I recommend Lazy Daze. You can look forward to a suspenseful and enjoyable story.

About the Author

The author, Roger Cooke, was born and raised on Galveston Island, off the Gulf Coast of Texas. While locally he practically lived on the water, at age ten, he visited for several weeks a family friends’ farm in Uvalde, and fell in love with the clean, dry air and the fresh, clear well water of the Edwards Aquifer. During his high school years, he also visited, and occasionally worked on a 35,000 acre ranch belonging to another family friend, around Kerr and Kimble counties. This experience enhanced his fascination with the Texas Hill Country, and ranching life. World War II interrupted his freshman year at the University of Texas, and led to his training as an aircraft pilot and a year long stint in Europe flying C47’s, towing gliders, and carrying paratroopers into Germany. This, in turn, led to his flying private planes in his subsequent manufacturing career. Although having no formal training in journalism, Mr. Cooke was not the first in his family to publish literature. Following his father, Dr. Willard R. Cooke, his great grandfather, Willard Richardson, and another ancestor, John Esten Cooke, as well as several back at least to the American Revolution, Mr. Cooke, wrote, but never published, a number of lengthy reports and instruction manuals in his manufacturing career.