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1) Under Enemy Colors   2) A Battle Won   3) A Ship of War (UK)/Take, Burn or Destroy (US)   4) Until the Sea Shall Give Up Her Dead
 
Photo © Barry Peterson
S. Thomas Russell
S. Thomas Russell was born in Toronto Ontario in 1952. At the age of three his family moved to the outskirts of the city ("Farm fields, woods, and orchards then: all suburbs now.") where they lived in a cottage on the beach. Living on the shore of the lake awoke in him a love of the water that is obvious in many of his books.

"It was a working class community," S. Thomas Russell says. "Nothing fancy. Six of us lived in a house of about 1000 sq. ft. In my present home we have a walk-in closet bigger than my childhood bedroom. But the window of that little room looked out over Lake Ontario and that view was more valuable than anything. It opened up great vistas. I imagined you could set sail and arrive at the Caribbean or anywhere, for that matter."

"My mother read to us—a lot—and both my parents were readers so I guess my love of books isn't hard to explain. We only received two television stations and there was no movie theatre nearby, so reading was necessary for entertainment."

Favourite books from his childhood include Tom Sawyer ("I read it so many times I can still remember the first few lines."), Huckleberry Finn, and Captains Courageous.

After university Mr. Russell moved to Vancouver, and two years later to Vancouver Island, where he lives presently with his wife Karen and son Brendan, a two minute walk from the seashore.

Mr. Russell cites history as one of his passions, collects old yachting and sailing books, skis, sails and travels. Past interests include caving, rock climbing, hiking, and racing sailboats.


In the May 2016 issue of Small Boats Monthly, S. Thomas Russell and his friend Robert show off their boat design and buildiing skills. You can visit the web site and view the details at smallboatsmonthly.com/?issue=may-2016 (after paying $2.99 for digital access unless you already have an account). Below you'll find a few of the photos taken during construction (larger versions can be seen by clicking on the photos).
Copyright © 2016 S. Thomas Russell
Copyright © 2016 S. Thomas Russell
Copyright © 2016 S. Thomas Russell

 

Until the Sea Shall Give Up Her Dead (2014) Until the Sea Shall Give Up Her Dead (2014)
Under Enemy Colours (2007) A Battle Won (2010) A Ship of War (2012)
Under Enemy Colors (2007) A Battle Won (2010) Take, Burn or Destroy (2013)

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