I have read most or all his books. Not the Dalton book, though I might
sometime. I reviewed a very heated argument on one website list, one
that lasted several months, and was going strong when I quit reading.
Apparently one of his early fans was truly and deeply offended by his
scurvy habits. g

It seems he had lots of "problems", but he was a real sailer who built
his life around boats and had real insights and convictions about
sailing. It's easy to say he "could have thus and so", but I think what
he _did_ was rather extraordinary. Don't know if I would have put up
with his company, but OTOH, several people have said he did them a very
good turn.

In many ways, the story Dalton tells reads like a tragedy in several
acts. Although the man had real serious issues, he kept getting up and
swinging right up to the end. He shows in his writing what he liked and
what he hated and the way he would have liked things to be - and I can
concur with most of his positions. He was a real tough nut but his
stories seem to be from one who loved boats and the sea.

Rufus