Tag Archives: sail away

Author Jack Beritzhoff Sails Away

Jack Beritzhoff aboard the Barbara CWe regret to announce that Merchant Marine veteran, raconteur, and Stillpoint author Jack Beritzhoff has passed away.

His daughter Lisa Beritzhoff shared this statement:

I wanted to let you know that [Jack] passed last night with the sweet music of Cole Porter in the background and his family nearby.

He had a good run and was a kind and sweet man. I will miss him but I know he is in a good place.

Jack Beritzhoff - Sail Away: JOurneys of a Merchant SeamanA member of the US Merchant Marine from 1943 through 1952, Jack Beritzhoff served during both the Second World War and Korea. He wrote a collection of memories of his experiences as a sailor that Stillpoint Digital Press published in 2012 as Sail Away: Journeys of a Merchant Seaman. In addition to his literary pursuits, Bertizhoff fought for full recognition of members of the Merchant Marine as veterans.

Read Sebastian, one of the stories from Jack Beritzhoff’s Sail Away, here

A memorial for Jack will be held on May 13 at. XXXXXXX. For more information, see XXXXXXXX

Veteran’s Day: Jack Beritzhoff talks about the Merchant Marine

Stillpoint author Jack Beritzhoff interviewed

96-year-old World War II veteran Jack Beritzhoff, author of Sail Away: Journeys of a Merchant Sailor, spoke with NBC Bay Area recently, seeking to right a historical wrong: the continued lack of recognition to the Merchant Marine for its service during the war.
Continue reading Veteran’s Day: Jack Beritzhoff talks about the Merchant Marine

The Forgotten Branch: Author Jack Beritzhoff Remembers the Merchant Marine

Merchant Marine Recruiting Poster - Library of Congress

As we approach Memorial Day, most Americans are conscious of honoring those who have served in the military, so it isn’t surprising that nearly all of us could name the three largest branches of the armed services — the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy (of which the Marines are the land troops). Quite a few of us could add the Coast Guard to that list.
Very few, however, would think to include the Merchant Marine, what Jack Beritzhoff, former merchant seaman and author of Sail Away: Journeys of a Merchant Seaman, calls “the forgotten branch of the military”:
Continue reading The Forgotten Branch: Author Jack Beritzhoff Remembers the Merchant Marine

Sail Away Signing a Huge Success

Author Jack Beritzhoff reads from his newly published memoir Sail Away: Journeys of a Merchant Seaman
Author Jack Beritzhoff reads from his newly published memoir Sail Away: Journeys of a Merchant Seaman

August 5, Larkspur, CA. Jack Beritzhoff (93) didn’t start writing until he was ninety. Today, a packed house at Folio 949 listened to him read from his newly-published memoir, Sail Away: Journeys of a Merchant Seaman and then lined up to have the “young. aspiring author” (as he described himself) read from his book of memories about the time that he served as a member of the US Merchant Marine from early in World War II through the Korean War. Continue reading Sail Away Signing a Huge Success

Last Day of the Kickstarter Drive!

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Today is the final day to help launch Stillpoint Digital Press’s first original title by contributing to the Kickstarter drive for Sail Away: Journeys of a Merchant Seaman! We’ve already achieved our minimum funding goal thanks to the support of a wonderful group of backers. This guarantees that we’ll be able to get the book completed as envisioned and on schedule. Any additional pledges will ensure that this nautical memoir will reach the audience that it deserves.

If you’ve already pledged, your support is gratefully appreciated! If you’ve been waiting, pledge now and reserve one of the very first copies of the print and/or ebook edition. The link is: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/334886999/sail-away-first-title-in-stillpoint-memory-memoir