Description
Book SynopsisKim Sturgess was a weekend sailor: he enjoyed club racing and several brief sailing holidays, but had never attempted a substantial expedition. Reaching the age of fifty focused the mind and he decided to sail around Britain. While many cruising sailors would not contemplate a 1900 nautical mile voyage, he broke the voyage into a series of day sails, making it an achievable ambition for him, largely single-handed, and for many other weekend sailors who might dream of sailing around their home island. This book tells the quirky traveller's narrative of the voyage and visits to forty-eight towns. Evoking the spirit of both Jerome K. Jerome with his Three Men in a Boat and Joshua Slocum's Sailing Alone Around the World, Kim shares his thoughts and struggles, recounting how easy it is for anyone to become an adventurer here at home. But don't expect to always agree with him - he has been described as "the Jeremy Clarkson of yachting"!
Trade Review"If the thought of tough coastal night passages puts you off sailing round Britain, try Kim Sturgess's tactic of breaking the voyage down into '50 day sails and one night passage' as he did... It's interesting for anyone thinking of making the voyage." (Yachting Monthly) "His narrative grips the reader as we share the heart-in-the-mouth experience... He tells his story with a vivid immediacy: we are there with him. We share the dangers he faces during the miserable summer of 2007, his philosophical observations along the way and his sadness at recurring evidence of national decline in the places he visits." (Cruising Association) “Sail the glorious and challenging coast of Britain with Kim Sturgess in his salty tale…. His leisurely approach to adventure takes in towns and villages along the way and brings to life the great variety of culture and cuisine on our small island… It’s wonderful, warm and well worth a read.” (Sailing Today) An unusual travel guide by an unusual companion.” (Yachting Life)
Table of ContentsPreface; PART ONE: SWAPPING THE LONDON UNDERGROUND FOR THE BRITISH SEAS: Cruise Philosophy, My Sailing Experience, Hobo the Yacht, Safety for a Sailor; PART TWO: GREENWICH TO GREENWICH AROUND THE BRITISH ISLES: East: Greenwich to Inverness, North: Inverness to Bangor NI, West: Bangor NI to Newlyn, South: Newlyn to Greenwich; Epilogue; Glossary; Appendix.
