Anyone who has been involved with sailing will know that owning a yacht or just sailing as a pastime can be a hard taskmaster at times so I have written this account to highlight the joy and surprises the experience can also bring. From learning how to sail a flat bottomed dinghy from the beach at Criccieth North Wales during WW2, when I was evacuated, to when I was in the army for National Service and sailing on the Blue Nile in the Sudan.I recount my time buying and sailing a Mir...

'Tell me the old, old story…'I can still remember listening to this age-old hymn being sung by lovely but warbling old ladies at the home league. The poet calls to others to tell them the story of faith, the one that has inspired countless millions to surrender their lives for the sake of the King and His Kingdom; the story of life and hope that has brought salvation to the world, the story of Jesus doing what He does best—changing people's lives, working through His people, to tra...

The story of the remarkable Tom Crean who ran away to sea aged 15 and played a memorable role in Antarctic exploration. He spent more time in the unexplored Antarctic than Scott or Shackleton, and outlived both. Among the last to see Scott alive, Crean was in the search party that found the frozen body. An unforgettable story of triumph over unparalleled hardship and deprivation.

In January 1969, aboard his home-built wooden boat Suhaili, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston became the first person every to sail solo, non-stop around the world. 25 years later, Sir Robin again completed a record-breaking circumnavigation, co-skippering Enza with Kiwi yachting legend Sir Peter Blake. His place in sailing's pantheon of greats was assured.Then, after the tragic death of his wife Sue, Sir Robin decided he would try again. in October 2006, at the age of 67 -...

One of Britain's greatest living sailors shares a collection of distilled wisdom, acute observation and fascinating anecdotes. _x000D_This book is a collection of provoking, insightful and perceptive pieces of writing by Robin Knox-Johnston. His forthright and compelling views are based on a wealth of experience and expertise. The spotlight of his steely gaze falls upon the great ocean races and the brave men and women who compete in them. He considers the lessons of seamanship he learned ...

A level 1 Oxford Bookworms Library graded reader. Written for Learners of English by Tim Vicary. In the summer of 1910, a race began. A race to be the first man at the South Pole, in Antarctica. Robert Falcon Scott, an Englishman, left London in his ship, the Terra Nova, and began the long journey south. Five days later, another ship also began to travel south. And on this ship was Roald Amundsen, a Norwegian. But Antarctica is the coldest place on earth, and it is a long, hard journey ove...

"A Gigantic Whinge on the Celtic Fringe" is the story of a circumnavigation of Ireland aboard my 27ft yacht in 2011.From the Firth of Forth I went through the Caledonian Canal and round Ireland anti-clockwise, which many people consider to be the 'wrong way round'. Most, but by no means all of the journey, was sailed solo.On the way I skirted a lot of the bits of what is sometimes called the 'Celtic Fringe'. If you are used to travelling in Britain by road and rail it's eas...

This is a book of days and moments spent sailing on the east coast of Newfoundland and over the Atlantic to the Azores. Newfoundland is a beautiful cruising ground, one of the best in the world for a short period of the year in July and August, perhaps from late June. Optimistically and romantically, the Bay of Exploits has been called the Caribbean of the north. Many cruising days in summer start from calm in the morning, develop into a strong wind in the afternoon, sometimes as much as 2...

It boasted libraries, palm trees, swimming pools, a 50-phone switchboard and was nearly as tall as the Eiffel Tower… No, she's not a skyscraper, she's the Titanic! Marking the centenary of the sinking of the White Star Liner RMS Titanic in 1912, 'Titanic, A Very Peculiar History' delves into the human stories of both crew and passengers and the incredible feats of engineering and design involved in the ship's construction. The ebook also takes a look at events that occurred once the ship w...

Lee Shore Blues is not your average nautical book. Peter Heiberg takes us on an irreverent charge through the highlights of his life at sea, from evading the homosexual advances of a 300-pound steward in the mid-Pacific at 19 years of age, to rebuilding and sailing a thirty-ton engineless Bristol Channel pilot cutter from the UK to Canada’s west coast. After commercial fishing in the Queen Charlotte Islands, skippering a tug boat on the Inside Passage, and captaining a cruise ship...

"Skagerrak and Back" is the story of my North Sea circuit aboard my 27ft yacht.In 2007 I bit the bullet and decided to head for foreign climes. We crossed the North Sea from the Firth of Forth to Norway. We skirted the coast southwards to Sweden, through the Skagerrak past Denmark and into Germany. We travelled through the German and Dutch canals and back home through the uninviting waters of the English east coast. Most, but by no means all of the journey was sailed solo.W...

Since the end of the nineteenth century there has been a stunning succession of transatlantic liners, from the White Star Line's Oceanic of 1899 to the Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 of 2004. These floating palaces often contained luxurious staterooms, ballrooms and lounges for the rich, and noticeably more modest and basic accommodation for poorer travellers. Their designs and powerplants were often cutting-edge as each competed to be the largest, most luxurious and fastest ship on the Atlant...