Once I started this book I couldn't put it down--it details the shipbuilding industry, how the schooner was built (practically peg by peg), the fishing industry--including the hazardous back-breaking labor of the dorymen--the races and how they started, the races the Bluenose DIDN'T win (but none that counted), the times when she surged ahead, a witch in the wind (perfect title)... and the government's indifference to the fate of the original. De Villiers' writing style really grabs you--I had my heart in my throat and tears in my eyes through much of it. I read this first as a library book but I knew immediately it was a keeper; I had to buy my own copy to pass around among friends and reread in the future. I've been on the Bluenose II for a two-hour cruise out of Lunenburg harbour and I fully intend to go out again, with a much greater appreciation of the experience.