Back in the 1970s I had the good fortune to meet Win Brown and her son Tony Adams on board her yacht Perula. She wrote Duffers on the Deep, one of my favourite nautical books. She told me then about some of her exploits, but I didn’t realise the full extent of her amazing life [...]

My wife collects nautical books by lady authors. She’s got well over a hundred and the other day poked Lis Sails the Atlantic under my nose. I was so taken with this tale, written by a 12-year-old Danish girl in 1929 about a voyage with her parents, two little brothers, her dog and a variety [...]

Whilst recovering from my busted Achilles tendon, I felt in need of some ‘comfort’ books. It was a toss-up between ‘Hornblower’ and ‘Jack Aubrey’. The latter won – mainly because I had every volume in the series on the shelf in the bedroom, whereas  Hornblower  is so popular with my family that there are some [...]

Here’s a book I wish I’d read before I went to Greenland. ‘The Northwest Passage’ by Tony Soper. With its beautiful images, run-down of wild life there, historical background and a few useful Innuit expressions, I’d have been much better armed. Still, it’s an excuse to go back!
‘The Northwest Passage: ~ Atlantic to Pacific: A Portrait and Guide’ by Tony Soper, published by Bradt Travel Guides Ltd July 2012

I’m a man who never goes to sea without two books of poetry – Masefield and Kipling. The tattered copies are testament to many years of use during long night watches on ocean passages. So when I received a slim volume entitled ‘A Book of Nautical Poems’ by Andy Lear, I was intrigued. Andy has a real sense of humour, a sort-of Peyton of the poetical world, and this book will certainly raise a smile when laughs are few.

‘A Book of Nautical Poems’ by Andy Lear available from www.lulu.com/spotlight/andylear

Just out is Kim Skov-Nielsen’s book called, ‘Rig Basics’. I was so taken with this slim volume that I agreed to write a foreword for it. I really believe that no skipper should put to sea without it. It covers every aspect of rig maintenance and we’ll all be a lot safer and happier with it on board.

Off to Greenland, so the obvious reading for me will be H W Tilman’s works. I’m putting ‘Mischief in Greenland’ and also ‘Ice with Everything’ in my bag.  I can’t go without Lord Dufferin’s ‘Letters from High Latitudes’ and I’m also looking forward to re-reading ‘Njal’s Saga’ and the ‘Saga of Eirik the Red’. They [...]

I’ve been asked to be the technical commentator for the Thames Pageant, so I immediately reached for my old copy of ‘Sailing Ships of The London River’ by Frank C Bowen to give me a taste of the river. This was written in the Thirties and has a concise maritime history of London, followed by [...]

I’ve just finished Bucking the Tide by David Buckman, published by Custom Communications, Maine, in 2010. There will be an extract from this book soon in my Yachting World column, but don’t wait until then. This guy is up with the very best of nautical writers. Small boat; great read.