What does it take to win gold at the Olympic Games? How many years of hard work and dedication does it take to prepare for such a feat? How many disappointments do you have to endure on this journey?

Danielle Brittain has walked this journey over and over again – her two sons won Olympic gold for South Africa in rowing, all four of her sons have rowed at top levels, and she is currently the team doctor for the SA rowing team. Danielle has faced her own battles with cancer and then watched as her son battled Hodgkin’s Lymphoma during his Olympic training and overcame it and went on to win gold after his recovery in this high-performance sport.

The Olympic wins for the South African teams at the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics were iconic moments for South Africa and Brittain’s descriptions of what the wins meant for the individuals in the teams, their families, the coaching staff and ordinary South Africans demonstrates the power of sport to unite the country.

A rowing story, a family story, a cancer survival story, a South African story – and the story of a mother watching it all unfold.

This is one of two strip maps for anyone wanting to explore the river Wye by canoe. Designed by canoeists for canoeists, it is very much a 'hands on' map - waterproof and easy to use whilst paddling down the river - it even floats! It shows all the essential paddling information as clearly as possible at a large scale - 1:36,000. There are two maps in the series - this map covers the section from Hoarwithy to Chepstow (the section from Glasbury to Hoarwithy is a separate map - 9780995751309). This map includes Hoarwithy, Ross on Wye, Symonds Yat, Monmouth and Chepstow.The two maps cover all 161 km of the most popular canoeing stretch of the river from Glasbury to Chepstow. These are 'strip maps' - with 4 convenient sections on each map showing the river and the countryside on each side of the river. The base mapping uses O.S. geodata which has been edited and enhanced to show essential information as clearly as possible. The maps show roads, towns, villages, footpaths, rivers, streams, lakes, churches, farms, houses, woods and hills. Physical relief is shown with a contour interval of 10m.Canoeing information is highlighted with colour boxes and symbols to show recommended launch sites, rapids, campsites, pubs, cafes and canoe hire bases. There are brief guidance notes on paddling the river Wye and essential information for key sections. There are also up to date notes on other information sources - websites, books, etc. It should be invaluable for anyone planning a single or multi-day trip. Printed on polyart waterproof paper.

Teasing out the history of a place celebrated for timelessness where the waters have cleaned the slate of countless paddle strokes requires a sure and attentive hand. Stephen Wilbers's account reaches back to the glaciers that first carved out the Boundary Waters and the pioneers who discovered them. He does so without losing the personal relationship built through a lifetime of pilgrimages (anchored by almost three decades of trips with his father). This story captures the untold broader narrative of the region as well as a thousand different details sure to be recognized by fellow pilgrims, like the grinding rhythm of a long portage or the loon call that slips into that last moment before sleep.

This is one of two strip maps for anyone wanting to explore the river Wye by canoe. Designed by canoeists for canoeists, it is very much a 'hands on' map - waterproof and easy to use whilst paddling down the river - it even floats! It shows all the essential paddling information as clearly as possible at a large scale - 1:36,000. There are two maps in the series - this map covers the section from Glasbury to Hoarwithy (the section from Hoarwithy to Chepstow is a separate map - 9780995751316). This map includes Glasbury, Hay on Wye, Hereford and Hoarwithy.

In 1895, emissaries from the New York Yacht Club traveled to Deer Isle, Maine, to recruit the nation's best sailors, an "All American" crew. This remote island in Penobscot Bay sent nearly thirty of its fishing men to sail "Defender," and under skipper Hank Haff, they beat their opponents in a difficult and controversial series. To the delight of the American public, the charismatic Sir Thomas Lipton sent a surprise challenge in 1899. The New York Yacht Club knew where to turn and again recruited Deer Isle's fisherman sailors. Undefeated in two defense campaigns, they are still considered one of the best American sail-racing teams ever assembled. Read their fascinating story and relive their adventure.

America's Cup: Trials & Triumphs is a concise history of some of the most interesting of the international struggles for possession of the acclaimed Cup. But more than that, Simpson writes about the ingenuity and technical advancements made over the years in hull and sail design for swift oceangoing sailing yachts. Not satisfied by relating only the history of the America's Cup challenges and defenses, Simpson illustrates some of the interesting events that have changed commercial sailing into the popular sport of sailboat racing. A sport that was once the singular pleasure of wealthy barons of industry is now enjoyed by thousands of middle-class citizens from many nations with access to the sea. Also included in this volume are sailing techniques, maneuvers and useful nautical terminology.

Sail just a couple of miles away from the coast and the shoreline begins to drop below the horizon. Soon you are alone on the same wild seas the Vikings crossed, where Drake repulsed the Spanish Armada, and where the clippers once raced home with cargoes of tea. The modern world may have changed radically, but the sea remains as feral and free as it always was. There are opportunities for adventure all around us, if we wish to take advantage of them. Dinghy cruising is accessible, affordable adventure, available to anyone. It requires little other than self-reliance and self-confidence, as well as a respect for the subtleties of the local climate and topography. Out at sea in a small boat, nature is not something to be observed disinterestedly: it batters and drenches you, refreshes and enlivens you. In Sailing the Shallows Roger Barnes combines lyrical writing and beautifully drawn illustrations with simple and practical wisdom on sailing a small boat – a combination that has been much admired in his first book, The Dinghy Cruising Companion. Where the first book got readers set up and ready to go, Sailing the Shallows sees us underway and exploring. Roger describes a series of sea passages in small boats in UK, French and Italian waters, with each chapter highlighting a particular technique of coastal sailing or wilderness camping. Roger weaves practical instruction seamlessly into the narrative, and accompanies his tales with a series of exquisite hand-drawn illustrations of the places visited, events described or details of his beloved boat Avel Dro. This book is a manifesto for a different attitude to sailing; an antidote to the complexity and ostentation of contemporary yachting. It is also arguing for a different attitude to living – plain, direct and at one with nature – a reassessment of our priorities that is long overdue.

The invaluable on-the-water reference guide to the essentials of the racing rules, updated for the latest 2017-2020 Racing Rules of Sailing. Every racing sailor should have a copy! The book summarises the basic principles, definitions and rules and then covers every aspect of the race. This edition includes a new section on starts as well as mark rounding, obstructions, signals, and dispute resolution. Colour diagrams throughout ensure the concepts are easily understood. Splash-proof and spiral bound, this little companion stands up to frequent use and serves as a great aide-memoire that will fit into your pocket or kit bag. Written by the acknowledged rules expert, Bryan Willis.

Earning a captain's license just got easier Whether you are an avid boater seeking to improve your seamanship and get a discount on boat insurance or aspire to start a business running a charter, sightseeing, or whale-watching boat, this revised and updated Fifth Edition is the only resource you need to obtain the captain's license you want, including the six-passenger "Six-Pack," Master and Mate Inland, Master and Mate Near Coastal, and Sail/Auxiliary Sail Endorsement. Get Your Captain's License is thorough enough to replace costly classroom instruction with its 350 pages of seamanship and navigation tutorials and more than 1,500 carefully selected questions and answers from the Coast Guard exams. The book also contains details of a special offer (20% discount) for access to a new associated website from Examiam that combines a digital version of this book with all 12,000 of the U.S. Coast Guard's latest Captain's license questions. Please note that access to this website is not included with the purchase of this book; additional fees apply.

Long established as the bible for long-distance cruisers and a bestseller for more than 25 years, World Cruising Routes is the indispensable planning guide to nearly 1,000 sailing routes covering all the oceans of the world from the tropical South Seas to the high latitudes of the Arctic and Antarctic, geared specifically to the needs of cruising sailors. It contains information on the winds, currents, regional and seasonal weather, as well as suggestions about optimum times for individual routes. This new, fully revised and updated 9th edition assesses how changes around the world (including Brexit and Covid) have affected cruising routes and how climatic change has altered the cruising landscape and necessitated adaptations in timing and route-planning. It provides over 6,000 waypoints to assist skippers in planning individual routes, and is the perfect one-stop reference for planning a cruise anywhere in the world. 'The most important book for long-distance voyagers to come along in decades.' Cruising World

"I am very thankful to the crew of HMS Lightning for the hospitality we were met with and the way they treated us ...after being adrift for seven days in the lifeboats Although it was night time when they picked us up, they gave us food and hot drinks as much as we could swallow and tried in every way to make us feel comfortable, which they did with great success They shall never be forgotten by us Norwegians" John Dann born and educated in Wales. He enjoyed a career in the travel industry, served briefly in the RNR at HMS President and Drake enjoys maritime history, now a writer, living and sailing in Cornwall.

There are few people who can resist the appeal of gliding over the open sea in a trim and handsome yacht, or the glamour of the great international yachting challenges. Unlike dinghy sailing, yachting offers the opportunity to cruise in comfort to exotic destinations, and advances in design and technology make today's boats safer and better appointed than ever before
But getting started can be a complex and costly business. The Yachting Handbook is aimed at the sailor who wants to move up to bigger, more advanced craft. The book covers the basics - technical, legal and financial - of buying the right vessel and fitting it out for your needs, as well as the care and maintenance of hull, rigging, engine, water and electrical systems. Chapters on navigation (both celestial and electronic) and weather and tides will offer the essentials of these complex and fascinating subjects, and chapters on planning cruises, cruising routes and races will provide inspiration for anyone who's ever dreamed of venturing beyond the harbour mouth.
There is comprehensive coverage of emergency procedures. Illustrated throughout in full colour, The Yachting Handbook will appeal to sailors of all experience levels. Contents include: Choosing a cruising yacht; Preparing your yacht; Communications and Navigation; Weather; Safety and Emergencies; Cruising and Cruising destinations; and Racing.

Having skippered and delivered in excess of 750 Motor Cruisers over the past 40 years, totalling a distance equivalent to 29 times around the world, has provided me with a number of adventurous and sometimes hair-raising stories to tell. Thankfully, I have lived to tell the tales! "Homeward Bound" starts with daily notes of the author's last single-handed voyage from the south of France to the south coast of England. In between these notes he recalls some of his memorable adventures, which he tells in such a way that the reader could almost be there with him, often experiencing how quickly a difficult situation at sea can turn into a disastrous one. Although showing the serious side of sailing there is also a fair amount of humour in his writing. An enjoyable and entertaining read.

Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year, this is the bestselling story about a rowing team's quest for Olympic gold in Nazi Germany. Cast aside by his family at an early age, abandoned and left to fend for himself in the woods of Washington State, young Joe Rantz turns to rowing as a way of escaping his past. What follows is an extraordinary journey, as Joe and eight other working-class boys exchange the sweat and dust of life in 1930s America for the promise of glory at the heart of Hitler's Berlin. Stroke by stroke, a remarkable young man strives to regain his shattered self-regard, to dare again to trust in others - and to find his way back home. Told against the backdrop of the Great Depression, Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat is narrative non-fiction of the first order; a personal story full of lyricism and unexpected beauty that rises above the grand sweep of history, and captures instead the purest essence of what it means to be alive. 'I really can't rave enough about this book . . . I read the last fifty pages with white knuckles, and the last twenty-five with tears in my eyes' - David Laskin, author of The Children's Blizzard and The Long Way Home.

This second edition, 2018, shows - 8 new marinas, 11 new pontoons & 13 new sets of visitor moorings - also new roads and ferry routes. This high quality topographical map is specially designed to show the `Big Picture' for the yachtsman planning to cruise in the West of Scotland at a convenient scale of 1:350,000. It provides a unique combination of the best information shown on a conventional road map with selected nautical details. The map covers the sailing area from the Clyde to Ullapool and the Outer Hebrides as far north as Stornaway. The topographical base map is a quite detailed and shows the information that is important to most visitors - towns, villages, roads, railways, stations, ferry crossings, airports, islands, bays, headlands, straits, mountains, relief, rivers and lakes with all this detail in slightly muted colours. Over this is superimposed the sailing information - highlighted in bright colours to stand out - Marinas, pontoons, visitor moorings, selected anchorages, diesel supplies, areas with especially strong tidal streams, and a few selected pubs. The format of the map is designed to be clear, convenient and user friendly.

Well established as 'the East Coast yachtsman's bible', this 20th edition of Jan Harber's classic cruising companion marks the book's 60th anniversary. Dating back to 1956 when Jack Coote, Jan's father, produced the first black and white edition, East Coast Rivers, now extending from Lowestoft to Ramsgate, continues to cover the rivers, curlew-haunted creeks and intricate shoals and swatchways of the Thames Estuary and surrounding rivers. Comprehensive pilotage and nautical information based on years of local knowledge is complemented by port information and local maritime history, helping cruising sailors to make the most of their visit to the East Coast. The text is illustrated throughout with updated charts and photographs, including spectacular aerial shots of a number of the rivers and entrances that make up this cherished cruising ground. Not only a pilot guide, this is the memoir of a family's history; exploring, capturing and celebrating this extraordinary sailing area.