At the age of 57, Peter Keating set out to sail, single-handed, across the Atlantic. It was a lifelong dream of a lifelong sailor and though it was to be a solo journey, his waking and sleeping hours were spent in the 'company' of his memories and erstwhile companions and friends. From Werner and crocodile surfing, to Gerhardt and the Gulag. From Charlie of Morova Lagoon, to Fred from Fransesca. Their stories, along with the Mafiosa of Malta, Leo from the Chesapeake, the myth of Napoleon on St Helena and many more besides, were weaved into Peter's as they hauled along, day after day, from horizon to horizon on the voyage from Norfolk, Virginia to Lisbon, Portugal. They were there to help and inspire him and, when he was caught in the middle of Hurricane Barry, to ensure he reached out and survived. When at his lowest ebb, along came the ghost of Sam, a friendly old sailor who kept Peter entertained through the long, lonely hours of the dog watch. Together they fill the pages of this book, yet this is not simply a sailing log of a trip from the New World to the Old. This is a story of individuals who have all lived on the edge. It shows what happens when you are brave enough to push yourself beyond your current boundaries and above all, go out on a limb. Yes, it will help you to understand more about deep oceaning, its joys and terrors, but perhaps it will also help the adventurer inside you to reflect on how you would cope in similar circumstances. Ultimately, this is not just Peter Keating's journey alone, but the journey of us all when we go out on the edge - to peer over any horizon - and to finally emerge the better for having left our safe harbour.

Katherine Grainger is not only Great Britain's finest ever woman rower, but also she has won more Olympic medals than any other female British athlete in any sport. At Rio de Janeiro in the 2016 Olympic Games, at the age of 40, and less than two years after coming out of 'retirement', with a different partner, she came within one second of retaining her women's Double Sculls gold medal. On 3 August 2012, on the water at Eton Dorney in the London 2012 Olympic Games, she - and Anna Watkins - had rowed to glory in the women's Double Sculls. Three times an Olympic silver medallist, she could finally hang up her oars as an Olympic champion to add to her six World Championships and eight World Cup gold medals - but she didn't. Katherine's story is a remarkable one - proof that nice people can be winners and dedication and hard work pay off. Incredibly bright, Grainger combined her athletic career with her education and she has degrees from Glasgow and Edinburgh universities and a PhD from London, in subjects as diverse as law, philosophy and homicide. No wonder she is so much in demand as a motivational speaker. Katherine Grainger: The Autobiography continues her inspirational story taking in her post-London activities, the return to training, finding a new double sculls partner in Vicky Thornley, the highs and lows of their attempt to qualify for Rio 2016 and eventually their astonishing row to another silver medal.