To Luke Cramer, sailing meant everything, and to have a Comet Class boat of his very own was something he had long dreamed about. Meanwhile, the next best thing was crewing for Bruce Canning whenever there was a race.

It seemed, then, like a miracle to Luke to discover a Comet half buried in the muck of a South Jersey inlet where a raging northeaster had flung it. With eager hands, ingenuity, and backbreaking work, he succeeded in restoring the battered craft-abandoned as a loss by its owner-to its former beauty.

The starting gun of the Memorial Day races signaled the beginning also of Luke's battle for the championship of the yacht-club fleet that summer. Each succeeding race and regatta sharpened Luke's wits and his timing. But could he successfully pit his hard-won knowledge against the skill of more experienced sailors for the greatest win of all, the Commodore's Cup?

Stephen W. Meader, recognized as one of the top-flight authors of books for teenagers has for many years lived on the Jersey coast and sailed its waters. It is with a sure knowledge and genuine love of sailing that he has written this fast, salty story that readers will enjoy, whether or not they have ever sailed a boat.