This is a classic real-life story of derring do on the high seas, complete with extreme risk, last-minute ingenuity & many near-misses. Beginning in the 1960s, this book tells of the real life adventures of the author as a boy
- a time of boarding schools, long holidays & an unbelievable (to today`s parents) amount of freedom & danger. Encouraged by his parents (who lived abroad) to become more independent & self-sufficient, Peter decided to see how far he could get in his family`s small open dinghy Calypso. Aged 16, he spent a winter restoring her, before pootling straight out into a force 7 gale & very nearly capsizing, after which he headed back to land to plan even more extreme adventures. Calypso was a Wayfarer, a small (16ft) & very popular class of open dinghy; a boat designed for pottering around coastlines & estuaries during the day. But along with the occasional brave crewmate, Peter managed to sail her across the Channel, through the Bay of Biscay, down the French canals & into the Mediterranean, then up into the North Sea & the Baltic to Oslo, living aboard for three months at a time. These were some of the longest voyages that anyone had ever achieved in an open boat, where (as Peter says) you `have to be like a tightrope walker, concentrating on balance day & night, fully aware of the consequence of relaxing your vigilance`. He survived huge waves, nine rudder breakages in heavy seas, dismasting, capsizes, & hallucinations caused by sleep deprivation. He also managed it on a tiny budget, working as a farm labourer, hitchhiking everywhere, & at times living on one meal of cereal a day, to save the maximum amount for his boat. Charming, quite British in style, beautifully written & a lovely insight into a seemingly golden time, this is primarily a great read, but will be of huge practical use to anyone wanting to go that bit further in their dinghy. It also

Includes:: a lovely Foreword by world-famous yachtsman Brian Thompson.


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The Sea Tiger is Oscar`s best friend, Oscar`s only friend. They do everything together
- explore the ocean, visit the sea circus,
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The Sea Tiger is Oscar`s best friend, Oscar`s only friend. They do everything together
- explore the ocean, visit the sea circus,
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WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY JOHN BURNSIDEWhen Charles Arrowby retires from his glittering career in the London theatre, he buys a remote house on the rocks by the sea. He hopes to escape from his tumultuous love affairs but unexpectedly bumps into his childhood sweetheart & sets his heart on destroying her marriage. His equilibrium is further disturbed when his friends all decide to come & keep him company & Charles finds his seaside idyll severely threatened by his obsessions. ...

This title comes with an introduction by Ben Kane. Oliver Tressilian, a Cornish gentleman, is blessed with `youth, wealth, & good digestion`. He is betrayed by his half-brother & becomes a renegade & Barbary corsair winning the title of Sakr-el-Bahr
- hawk of the sea. This is the thrilling, full-blooded adventure of how a man wronged became the scourge of the Mediterranean & the terror of Christians...
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WINNER OF THE 2018 WAINWRIGHT BOOK PRIZEThe full story of seabirds from one of the greatest nature writers. The book looks at the pattern of their lives, their habitats, the threats they face & the passions they inspire
- beautifully illustrated by artist Kate Boxer. Seabirds are master navigators, thriving in the most demanding environment on earth. In this masterly book, drawing on all the most recent research, Adam Nicolson follows them to the coasts & islands of Scotl&, Irel&, Icel&, Norway, & the Americas. Beautifully illustrated by Kate Boxer, The Seabird`s Cry is a celebration of the wonders of the only creatures at home in the air, on land & on the sea. It also carries a warning: the number of seabirds has dropped by two-thirds since 1950. Extinction stalks the ocean & there is a danger that the grand cry of a seabird colony will this century become little but a memory.
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Seabreezes are the lifeblood of cruising & racing sailors
- but they are a fickle resource & it`s vital to be able to predict &
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After a separation of many years, Emily ` Fido` Faithfull bumps into her old friend Helen Codrington on the streets of Victorian London. Much has changed: Helen is more & more unhappy in her marriage to the older Vice-Admiral Codrington, while Fido has become a successful woman of business & a pioneer in the British Women`s Movement. But, for all her independence of mind, Fido is too trusting of her once-dear companion & finds herself drawn into aiding Helen`s obsessive affair with a young army officer. Then, when the Vice-Admiral seizes the children & sues for divorce, the women`s friendship unravels amid accusations of adultery & counter-accusations of cruelty & attempted rape, as well as a mysterious `sealed letter` that could destroy more than one life.. . ...

A Zoe Ball ITV Book Club Pick` Sally Magnusson has taken an amazing true event & created a brilliant first novel. It`s an epic journey in every sense: although it`s historical, it`s incredibly relevant to our world today. We had to pick it` Zoe Ball Book Club`A remarkable feat of imagination.. . I enjoyed & admired it in equal measure` Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent `A powerful tale of Barbary pirates.. . richly imagined & energetically told.` Sunday Times
- 100 Best Books to Read This Summer` Engrossing` Sunday Express ` Fascinating.. . a really, really good read` BBC R2 Book Club` The best sort of historical novel` Scotsman `A lyrical tale` Stylist ` Compelling stuff` Good Housekeeping` An extraordinarily immersive read.. . examining themes of motherhood, identity, exile & freedom` Guardian 1627. In a notorious historical event, pirates raided the coast of Iceland & abducted 400 people into slavery in Algiers. Among them a pastor, his wife, & their children. In her acclaimed debut novel Sally Magnusson imagines what history does not record: the experience of Asta, the pastor`s wife, as she faces her losses with the one thing left to her
- the stories from home
- & forges an ambiguous bond with the man who bought her. Uplifting, moving, & witty, The Sealwoman`s Gift speaks across centuries & oceans about loss, love, resilience & redemption. Chosen for the BBC Radio 2 Book Club (a really really good book) & the ITV Zoe Ball Book Club (the quality of the writing is amazing).` Icelandic history has been brought to extraordinary life... An accomplished & intelligent novel` Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, author of Why Did You Lie?` Vivid & compelling` Adam Nichols, co-translator of The Travels of Reverend Ólafur Egilsson


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School`s out, & Bobby Parrish is spending the summer on his dad`s boat. Job number one is to deal with the seals infesting the peninsula. The money`s good
- but Bobby knows, deep down, that he hasn`t got it in him. Will Bobby’s dad let him be different?A story of the split-second choices that can change lives forever. Eoin Colfer`s trademark humour & lightness of touch & Victor Ambrus`s classic artwork evoke a strong sense of place, character & vitality.
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