Voyages of a Simple Sailor

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Category:	Biography
Author:	Roger D. Taylor
Publisher:	The FitzRoy Press
Price:	£8.99
ISBN:	978 0955803-505
Pages:	256
Reviewed in issue:	9

Roger D. Taylor is a British sailing enthusiast whose seafaring adventures have taken him around the globe. This book examines three very different sailing trips, which take place at different stages in his life. Although part autobiography, its main aim is to give a picture of what it’s like to be at sea, and the reasons people sail.

It’s a well-presented book with a professional sheen. The first third of the book is the most exciting, detailing a doomed voyage as Roger and his crew are caught in a tropical storm off the coast of New Zealand. This section is entitled ‘Shipwreck’, and is by far the most readable part of the book.

The second section, ‘Capsize’, downscales things as Roger builds his own small yacht and then sails it across the Tasman Sea, with unpredictable results. The final section, ‘Calms’, details a modern-day attempt to cross the Atlantic, and is the most lyrical and reflective of the three.

As a complete novice to the world of sailing, some of the detail in this book was lost on me. It’s heavily technical, with a focus throughout on the details of seafaring and the equipment that goes with it. Enthusiasts will be delighted, but I would have preferred a more personal touch. Scenes such as the ones where Roger describes the wildlife he meets on his journeys through the oceans, or where he reflects on loneliness and isolation, are among my favourites, but they’re a long time in coming.

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