Outside Magazine
Heart disease may have run in John Otterbacher’s family, but he was determined not to let that stop him from fully living his life. And that meant testing his limits, whether by running marathons or sailing across the Atlantic four times.
Jimmy Cornell – Author
The real story is the author’s amazing resilience and sheer bloody-mindedness in fighting for his seriously damaged heart... a remarkable book written by a remarkable person.
The Sydney Institute (Australia)
Funny, tragic, uplifting, moving and humorous. It will speak not only to timid sailors, but also to anyone facing immense difficulties, setbacks and even life threatening danger in their non-sailing lives. An inspirational story with a message for everyone.
Richard McNamara, M.D. – Chief of Cardiology, Spectrum Health Center
When hope and heart disease collide, hope sometimes wins.
Jim Harrison – Author & Poet
Sailing Grace is a thoroughly engaging book. Wise people have known forever that life is a near death experience. The costumes of our lives can be suffocating and Otterbacher and his family shed theirs going to sea... They win big and we win along with them by reading the engrossing and perilous adventure story they made of their lives.
Grand Rapids Press
John Otterbacher’s exquisite tale of one man’s journey into himself and of his family’s dramatic crossing of the Atlantic is a powerful elixir for anyone tiptoeing through life and settling for dreams deferred... Sailing Grace is absolutely terrific in its rendering of the sea, of man, and our innate need to engage our soul and senses in ways both small and gargantuan. I wept at the conclusion.