Jack London 
Cruise of the Dazzler 

"The Cruise of the Dazzler" is an early novel by Jack London, set in his home city of San Francisco. It is considered a boy’s adventure novel. In the novel, Joe Bronson, dissatisfied with his dull life at school, runs away and joins the crew of a sloop he sees in San Francisco Bay. He finds the captain is involved in criminal activities. The nautical activities on board a sailing boat are authentically described, and there are convincing descriptions of boats enduring stormy weather at sea. (Wikipedia)