Castaway By Choice, by Jan Kanafoski
CASTAWAY BY CHOICE
A Sailor's True Story of Fire, Freedom, and Refusing to Quit
What happens when the only home you've ever known burns to ashes in the middle of the ocean?
Jan Kanafoski has spent his life chasing horizons instead of paychecks—building boats in landlocked Georgia, running hurricane relief through Category 5 storms, and crossing oceans on vessels held together with spite and duct tape.
But when his 72-foot ketch catches fire 71 miles from the Azores, everything he owns goes down with the ship. Rescued by a cargo vessel and dumped into a Norwegian detention center, Jan finds himself trapped in a bureaucratic nightmare worse than any storm at sea.
This is the raw, unfiltered story of:
- Boat building with outlaws in the Deep South
- Smuggler-friendly catamarans that ran silent at 50 knots
- A love that couldn't survive the pull of the horizon
- Fire at sea and a four-pound chihuahua that refused to drown
- Hurricane Dorian relief runs into the Bahamas
- COVID lockdowns in Mexico and legal limbo in Norway
- Detention, deportation, and the fight to reclaim citizenship
- Finding freedom on a free sailboat after losing everything
No passport. No money. No plan. Just an unshakeable will to keep moving.
From the red clay creeks of Georgia to the cold detention cells of Norway, Castaway by Choice is a visceral journey through the life of a man who'd rather sink fighting the sea than die safe on land.
For anyone who's ever looked at the "normal" life and said: "Not for me."
"The cage is optional. The horizon never is."
COMPARABLE TITLES
- Adrift by Steven Callahan
- A Voyage for Madmen by Peter Nichols
- Maiden Voyage by Tania Aebi
- The Long Way by Bernard Moitessier
- Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl
- Desperate Voyage by John Caldwell#Memoir #Adventure #True Story #Sailing #Survival #Ocean#Maritime #Non-fiction #Freedom #Sailing Memoir #Sea Stories
Castaway by Choice is a raw sailing memoir and true adventure story following one man's refusal to live caged by society's expectations. From building offshore power catamarans in landlocked Georgia to crossing the Atlantic solo, Jan Kanafoski's blue water sailing journey takes readers through shipwreck survival, fire at sea, hurricane relief operations, and a brutal fight against immigration detention in Norway. This is more than a cruising sailboat memoir—it's the unfiltered account of boat building, ocean crossing adventures, and living off the grid on derelict vessels. When Jan's 72-foot ketch catches fire 71 miles from the Azores, he loses everything and gets rescued by a cargo ship, only to face months of detention without passport or papers. Perfect for readers who love: Sailing memoirs and maritime adventure True survival stories and rescue at sea narratives Unconventional lifestyle and escape from the 9-to-5 DIY boat building and liveaboard sailing life Travel memoirs with grit and authenticity Stories of freedom, resilience, and refusing to quit From the Georgia backwoods to Key West to the North Atlantic, this sailing around the world story (interrupted by bureaucracy) captures the spirit of explorers like Bernard Moitessier, Steven Callahan, and Thor Heyerdahl—but with more duct tape, fewer resources, and an unbreakable determination to keep chasing horizons. No yacht club. No trust fund. Just saltwater, stubbornness, and the refusal to settle. If you've ever dreamed of casting off the lines and living life on your own terms, this book will inspire you—and show you the brutal, beautiful reality of what it actually takes. Tags: sailing memoir, ocean crossing, shipwreck survival, Atlantic sailing, boat building, hurricane relief, true adventure, maritime memoir, freedom lifestyle, off-grid living, blue water cruising, sailing solo, rescue at sea, immigration detention, travel memoir, unconventional life