Don Parks has written five previous nonfiction books on the history and heritage of the Chesapeake Bay. Two of them—Chesapeake Splendor and Chesapeake Winds and Tides—recount his travels on the Bay in the 25-foot Yankee Rover. He is the descendant of several generations of watermen who lived on Holland Island, since abandoned to rising water levels. With the exception of a brief departure for military service, he spent his entire career on the Eastern Shore, working as a professional educator.