How to Sail Across the Atlantic (or the World) in 25 Easy Lessons

CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: Paul Bennett at the helm of his ketch, Lucy

Here's an excerpt from an Adventure Magazine article on a guy and his wife who bought a bluewater yacht (38 feet) for around $85,000 on maxed out credit cards, sailed it from New York to Tulon, France, sold it, then flew a plane back to the US. You'd have to read the whole print edition article to get the full effect, but here are some choice bits anyway:

One night, I mistook a rising Venus for a masthead light and spent several minutes trying to hail the planet on the VHF radio.

... the greatest achievement of our voyage is that it was accomplished by us---nautical amateurs---and that anyone who wants to make their own ocean crossing can accomplish the same feat, provided they have a grasp of basic seamanship and are aware of these 25 fundamental precepts.