The View from the Rigging: Memoirs of a Coast Guard Career; by Richard Marcott

MWSA Review
The View from the Rigging is a fascinating and fun memoir of Captain Richard Marcott’s twenty-eight-year career in the Coast Guard. Born and raised in a small town in Pennsylvania far from the ocean, Marcott is accepted into the Coast Guard Academy and shortly after arriving, off he goes to see the world! And, boy, does he! His decision ultimately takes him around the world and back and forth across the country. His encounters and experiences with people ranging from Okinawan peasants to Ernest Hemingway—as well as numerous personal ups and downs—are richly told. Marcott’s experience as an instructor is a great “teaching moment” (pun intended) for those unfamiliar with the depth of thought and work needed to successfully train individuals from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds. At every level, The View from the Rigging is a success.
Review by Dwight Jon Zimmerman, MWSA President & Reviewer

Synopsis:

Captain Marcott, a dyed-in-the-wool story teller, reflects on twenty-eight years of intriguing Coast Guard stories that span the cold war, the turbulent sixties, and the period of détente with Russia. More than a book of seagoing adventures; you will warm to his tales of family and friends.
    His scenic descriptions are crisp and real. You will feel you are with him in an Atlantic hurricane, and when he boards a Russian Factory vessel in the Bering Sea. 
    Share his encounters with Ernest Hemingway, Perry Como, Jacques Cousteau, Ambassador Eliot Richardson, and discover how Nikita Khrushchev interrupted his life.    
    Laugh as he outfoxes a Navy blockade and when he stumbles to explain to a Japanese artist why his wedding portrait is wrong.
    Feel his family angst when their infant daughter requires delicate surgery.

ISBN/ASIN: 978-1-5356-0395-9
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Genre(s): Creative Nonfiction, Memoir
Number of Pages: 343

    “I never cease to be amazed as to how much I learn from Captain Marcott’s memoirs of a fascinating world I never knew existed. The stories are a tribute to his service that he sells with beautiful detail, humor, and pathos.” 
    Dr. Dani Weber, Writing professor.

“If you’ve ever been to sea, you’ll enjoy my friend Dick Marcott’s tales of Coast Guard duty. If you haven’t, this book might count as your first deployment!”
                  David Poyer, author of TIPPING POINT and ONSLAUGHT 

“In my experience, the very best way to learn something is to find a teacher who blends historical facts with the art of story-telling. Dick Marcott proves he’s the master of this approach in The View from the Rigging.  Those of us who paralleled his Coast Guard professional life can smile often remembering our own experiences as Dick reviews his career.  Those who have not, are introduced to the extraordinary professional and personal commitments, made by both service members and their families, to public service in the uniform of their country.  It’s a story told well and highlighted with very real moments of serious accomplishment. We should all be so fortunate to have such stories to tell our grandchildren.”
        Admiral James M. Loy, US Coast Guard (Retired) Commandant 1998-2002

    Captain Marcott graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1957 with a BS in Engineering. He received an MA in Personnel Management from George Washington University. He held commands afloat and ashore, and he was the chief of the Training and Education Division in CG headquarters. Four chapters of his memoir have been published in the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s award winning literary journal, Baily’s Beads.