This is a real-life story of small-boat adventure on the high seas, complete with extreme risk, last-minute ingenuity, and many near-misses.
The Sea Takes No Prisoners begins in the 60s, telling of the 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. At age 16, he spent a winter restoring the 16-foot Wayfayer open boat before sailing headlong into a force 7 gale and very nearly capsizing, after which he headed back to land to plan even more extreme adventures.
The Wayfayer is a popular class of open dinghy (11,000 built): a boat designed for daytime gunkholing around coastlines and estuaries. But along with the occasional brave crewmate, Peter managed to sail her across the English 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 laborer, hitchhiking everywhere, and at times living on one meal of cereal a day, to save the maximum amount for his boat.
Charming, 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 farther in their dinghy. It also includes a lovely foreword by world-famous yachtsman Brian Thompson.
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Material Options
Our paper charts are printed on high resolution, heavyweight, water-resistant paper, using state of the art printing technology. The paper and printing process has been certified by NOAA and deemed to be suitable to withstand the rigors of use in the marine environment. FULL SIZED PAPER CHARTS ARE CERTIFIED FOR CARRIAGE ABOARD COMMERCIAL VESSELS |
Our waterproof charts are printed on a TIP: If you plan to frame or laminate a chart using heat, then do not choose waterproof because the material can melt under heat. FULL SIZED WATERPROOF CHARTS ARE CERTIFIED FOR CARRIAGE ABOARD COMMERCIAL VESSELS |
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These are up-to-date, NOAA charts simply enlarged in size so that the small dimension of the chart is 42”, the long dimension is proportionally enlarged. These charts are printed beyond full size, therefore the scale is not the same as the full size NOAA chart, however the scale bars on the charts are proportionally enlarged in size, and can be used for reference. LARGE FORMAT CHARTS ARE NOT CERTIFIED FOR CARRIAGE ABOARD COMMERCIAL VESSELS |
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Made to help recreational boaters locate themselves on the water. It has been reduced in scale for convenience, but otherwise contains all the information of the full-scale nautical chart. The bar scales have also been reduced, and are accurate when used to measure distances in these BookletCharts. • Professionally printed and staple-bound using high quality, durable paper. • Includes Notices to Mariners • Printed on-demand with the latest data from NOAA BOOKLET CHARTS ARE NOT CERTIFIED FOR CARRIAGE ABOARD COMMERCIAL VESSELS |
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This is a unique line of decorative charts prepared by Paradise Cay Publications.
The short side of the chart is always printed at 36" and the long side will vary depending on the chart - please do not order framing prior to receiving the chart. These will memorialize your favorite coastal area in vintage style and we have added to the standard border of the typical NOAA chart to allow for a more professional, frame-ready presentation. DECORATIVE CHARTS ARE NOT CERTIFIED FOR CARRIAGE ABOARD COMMERCIAL VESSELS |