This is a classic real-life story of derring do on the high seas, complete with extreme risk, last-minute ingenuity and many near-misses. Beginning in the 1960s, this book tells of the real life adventures of the author as a boy – a time of boarding schools, long holidays and an unbelievable (to today's parents) amount of freedom and danger. Encouraged by his parents (who lived abroad) to become more independent and self-sufficient, Peter decided to see how far he could get in his family's small open dinghy Calypso. Aged 16, he spent a winter restoring her, before pootling straight out into a force 7 gale and very nearly capsizing, after which he headed back to land to plan even more extreme adventures. Calypso was a Wayfarer, a small (16ft) and very popular class of open dinghy; a boat designed for pottering around coastlines and estuaries during the day. But along with the occasional brave crewmate, Peter managed to sail her across the Channel, through the Bay of Biscay, down the French canals and into the Mediterranean, then up into the North Sea and the Baltic to Oslo, living aboard for three months at a time. These were some of the longest voyages that anyone had ever achieved in an open boat, where (as Peter says) you 'have to be like a tightrope walker, concentrating on balance day and night, fully aware of the consequence of relaxing your vigilance'. He survived huge waves, nine rudder breakages in heavy seas, dismasting, capsizes, and hallucinations caused by sleep deprivation. He also managed it on a tiny budget, working as a farm labourer, hitchhiking everywhere, and at times living on one meal of cereal a day, to save the maximum amount for his boat. Charming, quite British in style, beautifully written and a lovely insight into a seemingly golden time, this is primarily a great read, but will be of huge practical use to anyone wanting to go that bit further in their dinghy. It also includes a lovely Foreword by world-famous yachtsman Brian Thompson.

A practical and engaging guide to dinghy cruising, covering everything from getting set up to embarking on more adventurous cruises. A wonderful read with a huge amount of useful advice.

John GlasspooL has been a confirmed small-boat cruising yachtsman for most of his sailing life. In this book he appraises the benefits of sailing smaller craft with practical advice on preparing the boat for cruising. Special techniques of navigation and seamanship are described, with useful hints on keeping comfortable boat afloat and ahore.

This is a "how-to" book, packed with information to help you go beachcruising and/or coastal camping, no matter what your level of expertise may be. This book includes everything you need to know about selecting a beachcruising boat, where to beachcruise, how to make camp, what gear to buy, and more, including how to go cruising and camping at low cost. Ida Little has beachcruised and coastal camped full time for 20 years (in a variety of boats) and has observed what other cruisers and campers were doing. She shares her knowledge and adventures with you. In this book, "beachcruising" means cruising a small boat along a coast with the intention of camping ashore. Though it is possible to use 50-foot schooners to go beachcruising, this book focuses on small sailboats that are light enough to be lifted or rolled ashore, and sailboats under 30 feet which are designed to dry out flat on an ebb tide. This book elaborates upon the unique aspects of camping that apply to boating.

Ian Nicholson provides an accessible introduction to open boat cruising.