Danie Couchman grew up on the move, her family never staying still long enough for her to say where she’s from. At twenty-five, and living in her seventeenth home, she finds herself drowning in the rush of London life, and makes an impulsive decision: to buy a narrowboat and make it her home.

Surrounded by an eclectic and itinerant community in the uncharted territory of the capital’s urban wilderness, Danie becomes fully immersed in this hidden world. Each day onboard her boat Genesis is an adventure full of disaster and magic. Over five years of living off-grid, nomadic Danie learns to survive the many highs and lows of boat life alone, keeping herself, and her steel home, afloat.

Afloat is the story of a young woman’s desire to escape an ever more isolated city existence and reconnect with nature, discovering what is important in life.

NZ$32.00 + delivery.

In June 1994 Alvah Simon and his wife, Diana, set off in their 36-foot sailboat to explore the hauntingly beautiful world of icebergs, tundra, and fjords lying high above the Arctic Circle. Four months later, unexpected events would trap Simon alone on his boat, frozen in ice 100 miles from the nearest settlement, with the long polar night stretching into darkness for months to come. With his world circumscribed by screaming blizzards and marauding polar bears and his only companion a kitten named Halifax, Simon withstands months of crushing loneliness, sudden blindness, and private demons. Trapped in a boat buried beneath the drifting snow, he struggles through the perpetual darkness toward a spiritual awakening and an understanding of the forces that conspired to bring him there. He emerges five months later a transformed man.

NZ$37.00 + delivery.

Kim Sturgess was a weekend sailor who enjoyed club racing and brief sailing holidays, however as he reached the age of fifty this focused the mind and he decided to sail around Britain.
While many cruising yachtsmen aspire to sail around their home island, Kim broke his voyage down in to fifty day sails and one night passage making it an achievable ambition for him.
This narrative tells the quirky story of his voyage visiting forty-eight towns as well as sharing his thoughts and the struggles that he faced.

NZ$35.00 + delivery.

Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Ireland – every crewmember aboard the Spirit of Falmouth had served in one of these trouble spots, had had almost unimaginably traumatic experiences there, and then had trouble readjusting to civilian life. Some were hospitalised, others ended up living on the streets, many of them found themselves alone and isolated.

This unique and inspiring account follows the Spirit of Falmouth's June 2016 voyage around the country these men had sworn to protect. The tall ship is the last remaining Merseyside Pilot Schooner, and the voyage was organised by veterans' charity Turn To Starboard to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the pilot service. The route took the men from Falmouth back to Liverpool, where the service started in 1766, the long way.

For many of the men it was a pilgrimage, visiting the places they cherish, family homes, spiritual places, the homes of their heroes. It was a chance for each of them all to finally put to bed the issues they all faced when returning to civilian life. Sailing proved to be greatly restorative, helping them to find purpose in their lives, friendship after months of isolation and finally to regain their sense of worth.

This is the story of the Spirit of Falmouth's crew – dramatic, uplifting, moving, and told with the inevitable darkly hilarious humour of those who have served.

NZ$35.00 + delivery.

The Northwest Passage proved so elusive for so long that many sailors and explorers believed it didn't actually exist. A sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Arctic archipelago, it wasn't until Roald Amundsen's 1903–06 voyage that the Northwest Passage's existence was finally proved, but the transit is treacherous and entirely dependent upon the ice giving up its grip for sufficient time to allow vessels through. This is not a journey undertaken by average sailors in small private boats.

But David Scott Cowper, 73, is no ordinary sailor. There are seven possible routes through the Northwest Passage, and Cowper had sailed through six of them singlehanded. This is the account of the sixth and most northerly – from ocean to ocean through the McClure Strait, this time accompanied by Jane Maufe, his crew. The account of the voyage is written by Jane and she captures Cowper's steely determination, resourcefulness in the face of adversity and humility in the wake of great achievement. Theirs is an old-fashioned relationship, where each party expects to fulfil their stereotypical roles.

But Jane is no push-over - she can steer a watch, haul sails, and leap ashore slippery pontoons with heavy ropes like the best of them. As well as a captivating story of adventurous sailing it provides a fascinating insight into the relationship between two serious and dedicated sailors, alone together in some of the most isolated and forbidding desolate wastes on earth. It is a relationship built on respect and high expectations, mutual ambition and also self-sacrifice, and the book is a uniquely revealing and charming account.

NZ$40.00 + delivery.

Captain Woodfield made 20 seasonal voyages to the Antarctic on three research ships between 1955 and 1974. Starting as a Junior Deck Officer he worked for The Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey which in 1964 became the British Antarctic Survey. He played a paramount role in the gradual change from using under-powered and poorly-equipped ships to the professionally-managed and sophisticated vessels of his last command.

The arts of exploration and survival during his early years in this majestic but unforgiving continent are described as attempts were made to establish research stations, support science, and survey in totally uncharted, ice-filled waters amidst often ferocious weather. Dramatic stories are featured such as the near loss of a ship in pack ice, the stranding of another in hurricane force winds and the collapse of an ice-cliff onto the vessel.

The pioneers of Antarctic exploration, the area’s history, the hardships and incredible achievements of those original seafarers are described. Yet polar navigation during the author’s years was not without peril and the near loss in ice of his first ship, the RRS Shackleton, the demise of her Master, and his ill-judged replacement and consequent dramas are fully told.

After a voyage of enormous responsibility, aged just 25, he transferred to the RRS John Biscoe as Chief Officer under a fine seaman but difficult disciplinarian. The highs and lows of their relationship are told as are vivid descriptions of predicaments they overcame such as being blown ashore in hurricane force winds and beset and crushed in pack ice. The first ventures of the John Biscoe into the Weddell Sea are recounted with information on the nature and movement of ice, its interrelationship with weather, and the methods of navigation in ice before the age of satellites.

Appointed to command the RRS Bransfield, he recounts her extraordinary maiden voyage when it was feared she would split in two. The battle with a horrendous storm at the end of his last voyage is fully described together with his final sentimental return to the Falklands.

Was NZ$50.00 + delivery.
Now NZ$40.00 + delivery.

As a youngster in the nineteen eighties, Michael Hutchinson was passionate about sailing. He acquired a dinghy and crew, and spent his early years messing around on Belfast Lough. He learned to sail, race Mirrors and fling jellyfish accurately at passing competitors. In time, his salty daydreams became ambitious, encompassing the Olympic Games, America's Cup and Round the World yacht races. Trouble was, Hutchinson proved to be a deeply mediocre dinghy sailor, clocking up only one win in several seasons round the buoys. Although he was good enough at race tactics and seamanship, he lacked the sprinkling of gold dust that differentiates the very good performer from the brilliant. And so eventually, as is the way of sensible young men, he became disenchanted and stopped trying. Ironically, he then found he had a talent for cycling which took him as far as the Commonwealth Games.

Towards the end of his cycling career, Hutchinson decided to take a year out to discover if he really had the potential to realize his teenage dreams. With some difficulty and a number of funny stories, he joined the RORC circuit, the more serious end of yacht racing around the UK. At last he became a part of the scene at big, glamorous regattas like Cowes, Cork and Tarbert. His experiences ranged from finding himself the best tactician on a no-hope yacht to becoming a nobody on a La Rochelle racer. After that he geared up a notch, found a boat for the prestigious Swan Cup in Sardinia and moved on to St Tropez, where he ended up in an RIB chasing the sexiest yachts on the planet.

He had a good time, though really, not that much happened. But as with all good story-tellers, Michael Hutchinson has the knack of keeping us interested. He's a likeable character: amusing, deprecating and self-aware, and he writes with an appealing, conversational style.

NZ$30.00 + delivery.

Octogenarian Anthony Smith's journey was originally inspired by both the Kontiki Expedition of Thor Heyerdahl (who he knew) and the incredible story of the survivors of a 1940 boat disaster, who spent 70 days adrift in the Atlantic, eventually reaching land emaciated and close to death. While this might sound like a voyage no-one would wish to emulate, to octogenarian Anthony Smith it sounded like an adventure, and he placed a typically straightforward advertisement in the Telegraph that read "Fancy rafting across the Atlantic? Famous traveller requires 3 crew. Must be OAP. Serious adventurers only." In his inimitable style, Smith details their voyage and the hardships they endured with a matter-of-fact air that makes his story seem all the more impressive. His advanced age allows him a wider perspective not only on the journey but on life itself, and his never-say-die attitude to the difficulty of the journey is inspirational. 'Old men ought to be explorers' said T.S. Eliot, and this book certainly gives a compelling argument in his favour.

A great story (a huge storm on the final night of the voyage almost wrecked them on a reef) and a call to action for the older generation - do not go quietly, says Anthony Smith, but seek out adventure as long as you are able....

NZ$30.00 + delivery.

This book narrates the fascinating and sometimes dangerous but always thought-provoking adventures of the good ship Mah-lish. In a lighted-hearted and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny way, we enjoy Don and Esther Brown's odyssey around the South Pacific in the 1970's. The people and places you will meet in these pages will truly enhance your life - from the real Robinson Caruso in the Cook Islands to a gracious matriarch in Tonga and a dog who talks with dolphins. You will go hunting lobsters in the middle of the night on Mopelia and find humour in a terrific gale....

NZ$45.00 + delivery.

Introduced by Tom Cunliffe. Paperback, 0.41kg, 128mm x 198m, 266 pages. Paperback Edition Published 2016.

Tom Cunliffe's name represents the gold standard of good yachting advice, and this book collects together his favourite extracts, all focusing on good seamanship in one way or another, from the classic and much-loved books that have instructed and inspired him over the decades.

Tom Cunliffe is one of the biggest names in the sailing world - an internationally renowned journalist and speaker, and the go- to guru when the BBC wants a presenter for a new TV series about maritime interests. For the last ten years he has edited the 'Great Seamanship' column of Yachting World magazine. Each column features an extract from a classic yachting book that covers an aspect of great seamanship. Tom introduces each extract by giving insightful background on the writer, their book and what makes their experience so worth reading about - and learning from.

This book comprises Tom's 40 favourite extracts, and covers the entire scope of yachting concerns, from small-boat handling to yacht racing to long-distance cruising and exploring.

Introduced in Tom's quintessential lively, engaging fashion, and illustrated with photos both from the original books and Tom's own archives, this beautifully packaged book contains a wealth of yachting wisdom and is a collection to be treasured.

NZ$25.00 + delivery.

BEER IN THE BILGES.
By Alan Boreham, Peter Jinks & Bob Rossiter. Paperback, 0.58kg, 230mm x 153m, 350 pages, Black and White Images. Published 2012.

In the early 1980s, after the sexual revolution and before the explosion of the electronic age, the remote islands of Polynesia begged to be explored. For three experienced sailors who dreamed of sailing through the idyllic South Pacific, it was a perfect time to embark on a quest through some of the most amazing cruising destinations in the world. As New Zealander "Hollywood" Bob Rossiter, Australian Peter Jinks, and Canadian Alan Boreham set off from different points in the world, none of them has any idea that a series of unanticipated events will eventually bring them together in the tropical swelter of Pago Pago. Along their journey lined with unexpected moments, the sailors meet a wide array of eclectic characters, including Sharkbite Charlie; Rosie, the three-hundred-pound dancer; and Gunter, the mysterious German chef from South America. Beer in the Bilges offers a fascinating glimpse into sailing voyages to the other side of the world where three men join forces and have to rely on their skills, their wit, and, most importantly, on each other as they embark on an unforgettable nautical adventure.

NZ$55.00 + delivery.

'The Princess Matilda Comes Home' is a funny and warm-hearted story about sharing a great adventure with someone you love.

NZ$30.00 + delivery.

NZ$30.00 + delivery.

NZ$40.00 + delivery.

NZ$28.00 + delivery.

NZ$26.00 + delivery.

NZ$25.00 + delivery.

This book is the sequel to the popular 'Dolphins Under My Bed', which charted Sandra and David's first long, 2000 mile journey.

NZ$23.00 + delivery.

NZ$25.00 + delivery.

NZ$37.00 + delivery.

In Sailing the Dream, Mike tells the story of the incredible 30,000-mile voyage that made him the youngest circumnavigator in history. As he raced across the waves in his Open 50 yacht TotallyMoney.com, the journey soon became a struggle against wild seas, failing equipment and the loneliness of the long-distance sailor. Despite the boat's being knocked over and battered by the oceans and having to put in for damage repairs that turned the trip into a nine-month odyssey, Mike battled on, surfing down fifty-foot waves at speeds of up to 28 knots to realize his goal.

Yet through all the difficulties, Mike's positive attitude shines through. Sailing the Dream is an inspirational and thrilling tale of adventure on the high seas, and how you can be as big as the dreams you dare to live.

NZ$30.00 + delivery.

ENDLESS SEA.
By Amyr Klink, Paperback, 150mm x 225mm, 262 pages. Monochrome photos.
Amyr Klink, whose sailing exploits have made him a hero in Brazil, tells of his daring singlehanded circumnavigation below the Artarctic Convergence. Surfing the waves in his custom-built 50-foot "aluminium red truck", Paratii, Klink enjoys the quiet confidence that comes from proper planning, common-sense technology, and a lifelong fascination with the history of Southern Ocean sailing.
A modern Moitessier, sailing before an Aerorig mast, Klink proves his seamanship handling tricky boat repairs while underway, navigating icebergs, negotiating gales and williwaws, and surfing gigantic waves.

NZ$40.00 + delivery.

NZ$25.00 + delivery.

NZ$27.00 + delivery.

NZ$28.00 + delivery.

This fascinating voyage is recounted by his father Jon, who was allowed to join his sons as their cabin-boy at the last minute - on the promise of good behaviour. And after reading the book I can honestly say his behaviour was very good, as it can't have been easy to sit back and let your son take all the responsibility. But he did and it is truly a great book. What a wonderful family they are as Jon frequently mentions his wife Barbara and their other 3 sons as parallel to the story of this trip he tells the story of a family with 5 home-schooled boys aboard their traditional ocean going yacht "New Zealand Maid".

Book NZ$52.00 + delivery.

Also available in DVD version

NZ$40.00 + delivery.

In the course of three successful circumnavigations he got lost in the middle of the Atlantic, made landfall on the wrong continent, coped with week-long storms, lost friends at sea and, on his third voyage (when in his seventies), was given up for dead, only to arrive back home months later in a skeletal state.

NZ$25.00 + delivery.

NZ$35.00 + delivery.

YARNS, NARRATIVES AND BIOGRAPHIES. Page eight. CRUISING NARRATIVES See also Shipwrecks and Maritime Disasters

Return to Top of Page