Just Sea and Sky

Entertaining, charming read with an entertaining storyline with highs, lows, tension and humour - sure to capture the reader's interest A glimpse into a bygone age, giving a real insight into how sailing used to be before all the mod cons that we take for granted Good read for sailors and non-sailors alike - plenty of general interest in their exploits ashore as well as aboard Foreword by Dick Durham of Yachting Monthly magazine

Part travelogue and part adventure story, two men sailed half way round the globe with no GPS, electronics, radio or any of the mod cons we take for granted. Staggering that they did it, and staggering that it was only a few decades ago.This charming account of the voyage of two men in a small boat half way round the world from Plymouth to New Zealand in 1953 is a rare insight into a time, not long ago, when sailors had no GPS, electronics, radio or any of the mod cons that we take for granted today. Without lifejacket or a liferaft, they 'just took what came along', hand steering all the way, navigating by sextant, hand-cranking their engine and using oil lamps for light at night and for navigation. Sailors will be staggered how primitive conditions were only a few decades ago, even though it was the norm at the time. Part travelogue and part adventure story, the two friends encountered drunken harbourmasters, the mafia, the legacy of slavery and lost civilisations in the Pacific. Beautifully written, vivid in its descriptions of the two men's exploits ashore and on board, this quirky and entertaining book will be a fascinating read for sailors and non-sailors alike. 'A compelling story - I feel like I have sailed with them.' Yachting Monthly